This weekend hundreds and thousands of people the length and breadth of the country have been admiring some of the nation’s finest male athletes do what they do best – put their bodies and souls on the line for the clubs and counties. What could be healthier?

But what men – including sportsmen – often fail to do well is look after their general health. The reasons are manifold and complex (the Irish mammy being one of them; for too long these earth-bound angels have tried to insulate their precious boys from the ills of the modern world. As a result, we of the less fair sex have come to depend on the women in our lives to look after us.) So damning is our inability to book regular GP appointments, cook anything other than pasta, get that lump checked out, or wear sunscreen, the powers that be have instigated an International Men’s Health week.

This year, Men’s Health Week will run from Monday 12th until Sunday 18th June. The theme in Ireland will focus upon ‘It’s all about HIM’, and the key question is; ‘how are you doing?’. If the answer is ‘not very well’, then it’s time to join with other people to do something positive and practical about it! To find out more about the week and how you can support it, visit: www.mhfi.org/mhw/mhw-2017.html 

The GAA is delighted to support the campaign again this year through a short series of new articles that will focus on burning men’s health topics including; lifelong physical activity, social inclusion and emotional wellbeing. We will also be sharing some of the fantastic articles from previous Men’s Health Weeks on topics such as alcohol addiction and cancer awareness. After all, we want all our men fit, healthy, and happy – be they lithe and lean minor wingbacks, aging full-forwards, ageless chairpersons, or our men in black.

From tomorrow (Monday) through to Friday, we will be publishing Men’s Health related articles based on some of the great work within the GAA’s health & wellbeing community. If you want to get involved in the discussion on social media throughout the week just use the #GAAhealth on Twitter or Facebook.

All articles will be archived on the GAA’s Community & Health section – www.gaa.ie/community – where you can find out much more about your health and wellbeing and what the Association does to support it. Once again, if you would like to find out more about Men’s Health Week or the Men’s Health Forum Ireland, download the Men’s Health Week promotional resources or the Man Manual produced by the Men’s Health Forum on www.mhfi.org.