Movember founder promotes MOVE initiative to encourage active lifestyles – Keating

Fine Gael TD for Dublin Mid-West, Derek Keating, has today (Wednesday), met with Justin Coghlan, known as JC, one of the original co-founders of Movember, along with John McCormack, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, to discuss this year’s campaign and in particular the new MOVE initiative.

Movember was founded in 2003 in Australia to get real men talking about real issues and to change the attitudes men have towards their health. This was done by promoting the idea of growing a moustache to changing the face of men’s health.

This year Derek Keating is encouraging people to get involved with the MOVE initiative; a 30 day fitness challenge promoting 30 minutes of activity every day during Movember.

Speaking today to a large cross party group of Oireachtas members organised by Derek Keating TD for Dublin Mid-West, it was outlined that men live six years less than women globally because men are inherently lazy around their health.

“If you move for 30 minutes a day, 3 times a week, you can offset cancer by 50%. The goal is to get men living six years longer. That will change economies and it will change the world.

“The Movember Foundation has partnered with lots of sporting organisations, including the GAA, to get men understanding their health.

“Changing relationships have a real impact on men’s health. 78% of suicides are carried out by men because they think the problems they have are harder than anyone else has in life, but when they talk about it, they realise that other people have the same problems.

Deputy Keating concluded:

“Movember has been a huge success in recent years and I am confident that MOVE will also do extremely well. Given that I already have a beard, I will support the MOVE initiative.

“I would encourage men and women to get involved with MOVE and the Irish Cancer Society to begin the process of positive change.”