Published Thursday 17 June 2021 at 13:21
It’s Men’s Health Week and our Wellbeing team are sharing information on a variety of topics.
Whether it’s for yourself or the men in all our lives – fathers, brothers, partners, sons, friends and colleagues – you’ll find something to help you support men’s health and fitness.
Meet Jonathan
Jonathan Roberts has worked at the council for three years and due to the pandemic restructure, is now part of the BwD IT service desk team.
Jonathan said: “Covid-19 saw the council redeploy my leisure role during pandemic closures. I enjoyed this change so much I decided to stay with the IT team.
“I’ve found the pandemic mentally draining, especially working from home. I felt I wasn’t leaving work at the end of my shift and struggled to separate my work and personal life.
“I enjoy walking and playing football, but as we couldn’t travel as much I found I lost weight in the pandemic as I couldn’t exercise. I enjoy going to watch football matches too, but that is another thing I’ve not been able to do, which means I miss socialising too.
“I’ve now had my first dose of the vaccine. I was anxious as I don’t like needles. But I felt better once I was sat down to get the jab. I didn’t have any side effects, just a sore arm for a couple of days.
Jonathan contracted COVID-19 in October 2020. Losing his sense of smell and taste, he was anxious about what was going to happen next, but luckily had a swift recovery.
Jonathan continues: “I live with my parents and my step dad had the virus but not mum. It was quite difficult isolating in my bedroom and organising between us when I could go downstairs and use the kitchen when mum wasn’t around, and then cleansing everything afterwards to keep her safe.
“I also found the isolation rules unclear but did his best to ensure his family were safe and self-isolated. As a smoker I am worried that this affected my health and I felt more vulnerable. I’m currently smoking 4-5 cigarettes a day – back then I smoke around 10 a day. Cutting it down by half is something I’ve worked hard on, as I know smoking has no health benefits. Eventually I do want to quit.
“I would definitely not recommend younger people take up smoking. More so if you’re anxious about contracting COVID. You could have an underlying health condition you are unaware of that flares up making you more likely to be affected by COVID. It’s not worth the risk.
“We’re all still dealing with the pandemic and the changes to our day to day lives. Keeping active will help anyone stay fit and mentally focused – for me that means quitting smoking and getting healthier and fitter.”
Visit the NHS website or talk to your GP for help and advice on how to stop smoking.
For more information on men’s health and fitness https://www.menshealthforum.org.uk/mhw