WESTERN Bulldogs Community Foundation men\u2019s health and fitness program Sons of the West is returning to Ballarat for its sixth year this month.<\/p>\n
SOTW is run in municipalities across western Victoria, with the local program organised annually in collaboration with Sports Central and the City of Ballarat.<\/p>\n
Starting on Wednesday, 16 March, the program will consist of ten weekly sessions of physical activity, socialising, and educational health seminars at Phoenix Community College in Sebastopol.<\/p>\n
The program is open to men over 18, and Sports Central Programs Manager, Andrew Milligan, said his team are primed and ready to deliver their best year yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve an excellent staff that we\u2019ve put together for the program. They know it inside out which means they can deliver a really polished experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr Milligan said the program will run \u201cas per norm\u201d with the exception of the cooking lessons, which has been dropped in order to maintain COVID safety.<\/p>\n
Each session runs from 7pm to 9.15pm, with the first hour focusing on men\u2019s health awareness followed by physical activities like footy or basketball.<\/p>\n
Health experts and community organisation representatives are brought in as guest speakers, and topics range from mental fitness to gender equality to cancer awareness.<\/p>\n
The program is designed for members to stay on for up to three years, and previous participant, Kevin Flynn, was disappointed that he couldn\u2019t continue with the group beyond this limit.<\/p>\n
Involved with SOTW from 2017 to 2019, Mr Flynn said his experiences with the program gave him the knowledge and confidence to make \u201ceducated decisions\u201d when he was diagnosed with cancer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019d learned during my time in the SOTW program actually became very relevant for me. Because of those sessions, I didn\u2019t go into my treatments overly scared,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s more important things in life than going around being the big He-Man, and saying she\u2019ll be right.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just a matter of taking care of yourself and your health and letting go of that kind of ridiculous masculinity so that you\u2019re around a little longer for your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
After several months of hormone and radiation therapy, Mr Flynn looks to be cancer-free.<\/p>\n
Mr Milligan said that despite initial hesitancy from some of the men, the program generally leaves a positive impact on those who come through their doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the men feel like they\u2019ve walked into a health program, and they probably find that a bit more challenging than women,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut once they\u2019re there, they realise they\u2019re in a room with other men that are there for the same reasons. We break the ice pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The program operated with limited numbers last year, and this year see SOTW running once more at full capacity.<\/p>\n
Members will need to register prior to arriving.<\/p>\n
The women\u2019s equivalent of the program, Daughters of the West, is also expected to run twice this year, with the first run starting in July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WESTERN Bulldogs Community Foundation men\u2019s health and fitness program Sons of the West is returning to Ballarat for its sixth year this month. SOTW is run in municipalities across western Victoria, with the local program organised annually in collaboration with Sports Central and the City of Ballarat. Starting on Wednesday, 16 March, the program will […]<\/p>\n