Men. Lock in.
You have spent the year showing up for work, taking care of your family, and keeping everyone else’s schedule moving. But that appointment you meant to make? It may still be sitting on the bench.
This November, Coach Reid is back with a mustache and a message: your health needs a game plan, too. For Wellness Wednesday, Healthy Connections is putting Movember men’s health awareness into action with five practical ways to take care of yourself before another year slips by.
Through Playbook Men’s Health by Healthy Connections, that starts with an honest conversation about where you are, what you have been putting off, and what comes next.
What Is Movember?
Movember is a global men’s health movement recognized by the mustaches grown each November. Its work focuses on prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health, and suicide prevention, supporting research and programs that help men live healthier, longer lives.
The mustache gets attention. The conversations behind it give the movement its purpose.
Those conversations can happen at work, around the dinner table, in the stands, or during a healthcare visit. They can start with a simple question: “How are you really doing?” They can also begin with something you have been meaning to say: “I have noticed a change, and I want to get it checked.”
Learn more about Movember’s mission and men’s health initiatives.
You do not have to grow a mustache to make this month count. You do need to give your health some attention.
Why Movember Men’s Health Awareness Matters
A busy schedule makes it easy to push an appointment back another week. An uncomfortable question can stay unasked for months. Feeling tired, stressed, or unlike yourself can become something you simply work around.
Movember creates an opportunity to interrupt that pattern.
It brings important health topics into everyday conversation and gives men a reason to take the next step. Awareness becomes useful when it leads to a question, an appointment, or a conversation that might otherwise never happen.
As Coach Reid would put it: you would not build a game plan without checking on your players. Give yourself that same attention.
1. Get Your Own Appointment on the Calendar
You know when the truck needs service. You know what time kickoff is. When was your last conversation with a healthcare provider about your overall health?
You do not need to have everything figured out before making an appointment. “It has been a while, and I want to know where I stand” is a good place to start.
Through Playbook Men’s Health and preventive care for men, Healthy Connections connects men with primary care providers for checkups, appropriate screenings, lab work, health conversations, and referrals when needed.
Your visit is an opportunity to discuss the whole picture. That includes concerns about sleep, energy, mood, medications, sexual health, and changes you have noticed.
Before your appointment, bring:
- A list of medications and supplements you take.
- Any family health history you know.
- Questions or symptoms you want to discuss.
- Information about previous tests, treatment, or recommended follow-up.
Put the appointment on your calendar with the same importance you give everyone else’s commitments.
2. Talk About Prostate Cancer Screening
Prostate cancer awareness is a central part of Movember. Understanding your own risk starts with a conversation.
The prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood test is used in prostate cancer screening. However, an elevated PSA result does not automatically mean cancer. Noncancerous conditions can also raise PSA levels.
Screening has potential benefits and harms. These include false-positive results, additional testing, and finding cancers that would never have caused symptoms or threatened someone’s life.
That is why screening decisions should consider your age, health, family history, individual risk, and preferences. Tell your provider if your father or brother had prostate cancer, and ask whether your risk factors affect when screening should be discussed.
A useful question is: “Should we discuss prostate cancer screening based on my health and family history?”
The National Cancer Institute’s guide to the PSA test explains the test and the importance of discussing its benefits and limitations.
If you have urinary changes or other symptoms, tell your provider directly. Evaluating symptoms is different from deciding whether to screen someone who has none.
3. Get Testicular Changes Checked
Movember men’s health conversations include younger men, too. According to the National Cancer Institute, testicular cancer is most frequently diagnosed in men ages 20 to 34.
Contact a healthcare provider if you notice:
- A new lump or swelling in either testicle.
- A change in how a testicle feels.
- Pain or discomfort in a testicle or the scrotum.
- A dull ache in the lower abdomen or groin.
These changes can have causes other than cancer, but they deserve medical attention. A lump does not have to hurt to be worth checking.
There is no standard routine screening test for testicular cancer. Reporting a new change helps your provider determine what evaluation is appropriate.
Learn more about testicular cancer and testicular cancer symptoms from the National Cancer Institute.
4. Make Room for an Honest Mental Health Conversation
“I’m fine” can become an automatic answer, even when things have not felt right for a while.
Mental health concerns can affect how you sleep, work, connect with others, and handle everyday responsibilities. The National Institute of Mental Health’s information on men and mental health identifies possible signs such as irritability, changes in sleep or energy, persistent sadness, increased worry, and misuse of alcohol or drugs.
You do not have to wait until you have the perfect words.
Try starting with: “I haven’t felt like myself, and it’s affecting my day.”
A primary care provider can help you discuss what is happening and connect you with additional support when needed. You can also learn about services through Evolve Behavioral Health or call 800-409-6250 for information and appointments.
If you are in immediate danger or cannot stay safe, seek emergency help right away.
5. Finish the Year With a Health Game Plan
November is when football teams start looking closely at their chances of playing beyond the regular season. Preparation, adjustments, and follow-through matter.
Your health deserves that same attention as the year winds down.
You do not have to solve every concern in one visit. Start by understanding what needs attention and agreeing on the next steps with your provider.
Make your plan manageable:
- Schedule the visit. Choose a time and commit to showing up.
- Ask the real questions. Bring up the concern you have been avoiding.
- Discuss preventive care. Ask which screenings and other services are appropriate for you.
- Know what happens next. Understand how you will receive results and when follow-up is needed.
- Keep the conversation going. Follow through beyond November.
For more on building a practical plan, read Men’s Health Month: Get Your Health Game Plan.
Lock In With Playbook Men’s Health by Healthy Connections
Coach Reid’s mustache starts the conversation. Your next step makes Movember personal.
Playbook Men’s Health by Healthy Connections helps men connect with care that considers the whole person. Whether you are overdue for a checkup, have noticed a change, or want to ask a question you have been putting off, start with a conversation.
Call 888-710-8220 to schedule an appointment. Learn more at https://healthy-connections.org.
You have people who want you in next season’s lineup.
Men. Lock in. Let’s make a plan.