Men's Health Month: Detroit Lions QB Stafford Promotes Men's Health Week

Matthew Stafford, quarterback for the Detroit Lions, is promoting Men's Health Week in a big way. In addition to getting a lot of information about health topics, men who live in Michigan can sign up for a chance to win a football autographed by Stafford. If you're not in Michigan, you can still benefit from his site, videos, and health-oriented information. Have a look!

http://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2012/06/11/matthew-stafford-mens-health-week-contest-autographed-detroit-lions-footbal/

Men's Health Month: Safeway Raises Funds for Prostate Cancer Research

Safeway's Prostate Cancer Fundraiser Yields New Hope in Cancer ResearchPress Release: Safeway Inc. – Mon, Jun 4, 2012 6:45 PM EDT
PLEASANTON, Calif., June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Safeway Inc. (SWY), one of the largest corporate supporters of cancer research and outreach, and The Safeway Foundation are continuing their effort to fund ground-breaking research and the pursuit of a cure with a month-long Prostate Cancer Awareness campaign in June. 

The campaign, which is in its 12th year, is designed to raise funds and increase awareness for the fight against the disease, which currently affects more than two million American men and remains the second-leading cause of cancer death for men in the United States. 1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime.

To date, Safeway and The Safeway Foundation have raised more than $68 million for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world's largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer research. Those donations, provided by Safeway's generous customers, are accelerating game-changing research and discovery at some of the most prestigious cancer centers and research institutions in North America. The outcomes of the nearly 1,600 Safeway-funded research projects include the identification of more than 27 cancer-causing gene fusions, new biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment response assessment and the development of new drugs to deliver more effective treatments for patients with advanced stages of the disease. The death rate has dropped roughly 40 percent in the U.S. alone, meaning nearly 200,000 American men are alive today because of improved treatment.

"The commitment from Safeway, its customers and The Safeway Foundation is moving us closer to the ultimate goal of overtreating less and curing more," said Jonathan Simons, MD, president and CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. "When people donate at any of Safeway's nearly 1,700 stores, they can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that their money is helping to save lives."

New for this year's campaign is a promotion in partnership with Stand Up 2 Cancer — a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation — and actress Angie Harmon, star of TNT's original drama series, Rizzoli & Isles, who is now appearing in public service ads supporting cancer research. The PSA's highlight a limited-edition, reusable shopping bag, embossed with the words, "It starts with a wish; it can end with a cure." The bag is available for purchase at all Safeway locations in the U.S., including Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb, Randalls, Dominick's and Carrs stores, as well as online at safewayfoundation.org.

The Prostate Cancer Awareness Campaign launches just one month after Safeway completed another major fundraiser, the Support for People with Disabilities campaign, which benefits Easter Seals, Special Olympics and an array of other organizations that help those with physical or developmental disabilities live fuller lives. That campaign raised $9 million thanks to Safeway's customers, employees and a special partnership with singer Avril Lavigne, who provided a special song download and an online behind-the-scenes concert footage to those who contributed $5 or more.

Along with prostate cancer research and support for those with disabilities, Safeway is one of the largest corporate supporters of breast cancer research, having raised more than $108 million for the cause. In addition, Safeway is an industry leader in environmental sustainability, ethical business practices and effective community outreach. Safeway upholds an operating philosophy that is rooted in corporate social responsibility focused on four key fundamentals: People, Products, Community, and the Planet.  These fundamentals are "The Heart of Safeway," bringing together our passion for food and serving our customers with the rapidly developing needs of our communities and our planet. In 2011, the company raised and donated more than $180 million for hunger relief, education and the previously mentioned important causes.

ABOUT SAFEWAY www.Safeway.com

Safeway Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and one of the largest food and drug retailers in North America, based on sales. The company operates 1,678 stores in the United States and western Canada and had annual sales of $43.6 billion in 2011. The company's common stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol SWY.

Contact: Teena Massingill, 925-467-3810, 

Teena.Massingill@Safeway.com

Link to release published online at Yahoo! Finance:
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/safeways-prostate-cancer-fundraiser-yields-224500612.html


*Hat tip to my friend, Earl, for telling me about this campaign.

Men's Health Month: U.S. Army "Men's Health Expo offers MMA demonstration, info" (June 14, 2012)

Here's some men's health news that is more specific than some of the other items I have posted on that topic so far, and (somewhat) germane to this blog. Please note that this blog post is time-sensitive: as explained in the article below, it announces an event planned for June 14, 2012.

The text of the article (without its accompanying photo and caption) appears in the indented block of text below:

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (June 7, 2012) -- While many men may be reluctant to go to the doctor, many of those same men readily visit the gym. 

Because of this, the Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation and Lyster Army Health Clinic health promotions and wellness center are taking the medicine to the men by hosting a Men's Health and Fitness Expo, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., June 14 at the Fort Rucker Physical Fitness Facility.

The expo will feature more than 100 door prizes, a variety of health vendors from the Fort Rucker area and demonstrations by Dothan's Wolfpack MMA, a martial arts training center. The event will also include a Ride and Drive event that allows attendees to test drive vehicles from local Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz and Honda dealerships, said Leigh Ann Dukes, MWR sponsorship manager. 

"I think the Wolfpack demonstrations will be fun because MMA and the military just seem to fit together," she said, adding that the door prizes will include solid black sling backpacks. 

"We just try to give the patrons here on post -- civilian, military or retiree -- an opportunity to see some of the options that the Wiregrass offers when it comes to medical facilities," she explained. "A lot of us can't go off post to attend the health fairs that the surrounding communities have."

Lyster representatives will be present to offer information on smoking cessation, weight control, nutrition, self-exams and more, said Jeff Atkins, licensed practical nurse and health promotions tech. They will also offer body mass index screening and blood pressure checks. 

"We want to get awareness out about what men need to look for," he said. "The ladies are talked to constantly. From the time they hit puberty, the doctor is telling them they need this test and this test and this test, but the guys don't get that."

Atkins said he was hoping to help change that mindset so that men are better informed about their health and potential health problems.

"Physical fitness plays into all this," he said. "People today want to pop a pill, but they don't realize that exercise is free. It doesn't have to be that much. It can be a little bit, but that little bit can be the difference between being able to move around and breathe and not being able to." 

"We wanted it to be in a venue that is more conducive to people who are health-conscious or fitness-conscious," Dukes said. "If they're working out on their lunch break, maybe they can walk through the booths. If they see a car they want to test drive, it's there too."

Atkins recommended men of all ages attend the expo, and encouraged fathers to bring their sons along. 

"It's not just the older men. Young guys need to know, too," he said. 

For more information on the health fair, call 598-5311.

---

Article courtesy of the United States Army. Link to original:

http://www.army.mil/article/81311/Men_s_Health_Expo_offers_MMA_demonstration__info/

Men's Health Month: 5 Cancers to Watch For

A recently published article warns men to be on the lookout for the following types of cancer:

• bladder,
• colorectal,
• lungs,
• lymphoma, and
• prostate.

Get the details in the article itself:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47520976/ns/health-mens_health/

Men's Health Month: News Headlines Roundup

There is a growing amount of information online about men's health topics. It's impossible to keep up with all of it. Nevertheless, the content is often very useful. I can't save you the trouble of doing your own searches for topics that interest you, but I can share links to some of the recent news articles that have looked interesting to me. Here's a brief list of those links.

Attention: Men! Take responsibility for your health and live longer

Neglecting men's health costly to all

Unsnipped: More men seeking vasectomy reversals

Men's health target of new fundraising effort: Goal is to buy 'robot' to treat prostate cancer

Men's Health Network and Veteran's Health Council Oppose Final USPSTF Recommendation Against Prostate Cancer Screening

Testicular cancer: Making young men aware of the risk

Married men only eat healthily at home to 'keep the peace'

Guys think meat is macho, veggie food 'wimpy,' study shows

WHO Warns of Sexually-Transmitted Superbug

Men face increased risk for skin cancer in the summer sun

Men seek testosterone quick fix, with risks

Caffeine may protect against Alzheimer's disease

The Place for Better Hearing Promotes National Men's Health Week

Are men born to run -- or to walk?

Brain training to treat depression

Real-Time Self-Regulation of Emotion Networks in Patients with Depression

Summer is Here!

33 minutes roadwork today. It was hot out there--about 90 degrees--and sunny. Gotta love it.

Men's Health Month: NIH Men's Health Site

There are a lot of good, informative Web sites about men's health and wellness issues. Even in great health and physically fit, I wouldn't live long enough to list all of them. So instead, let me point you to the Men's Health site at the National Institutes of Health.

http://health.nih.gov/category/MensHealth

For each of the many health topics listed, that site provides numerous links to more detailed information.

Question: How are you focusing on health during Men's Health Month 2012?

Men's Health Month: Chill Out

If I had a dollar for every time a friend told me, "Dude, you really need to chill out," I would be a fairly wealthy man.

From time to time, we all need to slow down, relax, stop taking everything so seriously, and enjoy the simple pleasure of just being alive. Reducing stress is part of most of the health recommendations that I see.

To help you take a 2-minute break from the chaosphere, try this site that calls itself "a place to relax."

http://calm.com

Have at it and enjoy yourself; you deserve it!

Gearing Up for Men's Health Week (and Month)

Greetings, all you late-spring and early-summer fans! It's June and it's warm and sunny here in the Corn Belt. Did you know that June is Men's Health Month? Did you know that June 11-17, 2012 is Men's Health Week?

Don't worry if you didn't; a lot of guys are not aware of the annual custom we now have of looking carefully at the health of men and boys, learning more about it, and improving health and fitness.

Since this is a sports/fitness blog, I'll be posting a lot of health-related content during this month. Men's Health Month and Men's Health Week will get significant attention here, so be sure to visit this blog regularly to keep up with the latest content and news. I am confident that you will find the information useful.

To start, here are two logos courtesy of the Men's Health Network. Visit the sites below to get an overview of what is coming.

 

Help Save the New York City Parks Boxing Program!

For more than 50 years, the New York City Parks Department has operated a successful amateur boxing program that has served the public, especially low-income residents and youths. Sounds like a good thing, right? Yep, it sounds like a very good thing, if you ask me. But there's a problem. The NYC Parks Department is planning to close the program down at the end of June. This June, as in 29 days from now. 

Why is the Department closing the boxing program? Who knows? Who really understands the working of large city parks and recreation departments? This article quotes one of the program's coaches, Steve Maiorano, explaining the virtues of the boxing program and speculating about the reason for its scheduled closure:

 "It makes no sense to close the program. There was even some talk of Volleyball. What? Where? Half the time, the basement ceiling is too low for the ping pong players. And there are foundation pillars everywhere. Everybody here is respectful and gets along and there's never been a problem. We have a multicultural group of kids that train together, help each other out, make friends, it's been like this for over 50 years."

I haven't had the pleasure of vising the NYC's parks boxing program, but everything Coach Maiorano said resonates deeply with me. First, I know the type of low-ceiling gym he's talking about from my own boxing experiences in the Chicago Park District's (CPD) fine boxing program--a program that has benefited me at many levels. That's not the kind of room where one plays volleyball. Second, I've experienced that kind of respect in the CPD's gyms. When one enters and departs, one greets everyone with a friendly word or two, a fist bump, a handshake, or a thumb's-up; it's that kind of a friendly place. The place is multicultural in the sense that everyone seems to forget all about "multiculturalism" and "cultural differences." The boxers and the coaches are there simply to enjoy the sport, to work hard, to improve themselves, and to learn and practice good sportsmanship. Third, just from reading about the program, I think it would be an awful loss to the city of New York to lose such a successful and thriving sports program.

The article notes that the program costs about $5,000 per year to fund. That's it. You read it correctly: five thousand United States dollars per year. I'm certainly no expert on municipal parks management, but I've been a lawyer and a businessman long enough to know that $5,000 per year is really pocket change as far as major cities' budgets go. Yes, it's an expense that has to be paid, but it's certainly doable. The program has operated for more than half a century so far. If the program is anything like the CPD's program--and since it's in NYC, you know it's probably bigger and at least nominally better--then to shut it down will have a far greater negative impact than keeping it open, an impact that you just can't measure in dollars and cents.

Wherever you live, and especially if you're a New Yorker, I respectfully invite you to write to Councilman Daniel Dromm, who, according to the news article, will communicate with the commissioner of the Parks Department. Here is Mr. Dromm's contact information.

Council Member Daniel Dromm

37-32 75th Street, 1st floor

Jackson Heights, NY 11372

Tel: (718) 803-6373

FAX: (718) 803-9832

Please take a few minutes to write to him and ask that he support the boxing program's continuation. With a combination of city funds, private donations, and membership fees, our nation's flagship metropolis can certainly keep the boxing program going. When I was training at Chicago's Hamlin Park, I helped the head coach, one of the assistant coaches (who also trained me), and local businesses to set up a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization to help support the boxing program there. If you want to support a solid youth sport's program, please write Mr. Dromm a short letter today. Many young athletes today and in future generations will benefit from your effort. I've already started on my letter. Thanks!

Hat tip for this news item to my buddy, Mark, an enthusiastic coach and a skillful boxer in his own right. Thanks, Mark!

A New Publication I Have Discovered

I found a new publication yesterday entitled, Martial Arts Journal. While its focus is martial arts generally, it does have content specific to boxing, too. I've embedded it in this blog post. Have a look; I think you'll like it!