Men’s Health Week: A Reflection on Masculinity From a Bodybuilder
What is men’s health week?
Men’s Health Week takes place in the days leading up to Father’s Day. First recognized in the United States in 1994, it has since grown into a globally acknowledged observance. In Canada, the entire month of June is dedicated to promoting men’s health. Previously, the narrative around this week has been focused on physical health – sleep, exercise, movement – but recently, this narrative has shifted from a focus on physical health, to a focus on mental health.
Here is a quote from a statement pulled from the Public Health Agency of Canada discussing Men’s Health Week 2018:
“Canadians are some of the healthiest people in the world; however, we know that many Canadian men are not as healthy as they could be: 29% are obese; 82% do not meet physical activity guidelines; 76% don’t eat healthy food; and 35% don’t get enough sleep”.
Read the full statement here: Health Canada 2018 Statement on Men’s Health Week
There is no question physical activity, sleep, and food are an important part of health. But the language used in this statement surrounding obesity and food can be polarizing and even stigmatizing. Most importantly, it fails to address one of the most pressing and underdiscussed cornerstones of men’s health - mental health.
What does men’s mental health look like in Canada?
The 2025 Canadian Men’s Health Report can provide some more recent insight on this. This study, which surveyed 2,000 Canadian men aged 19 or older found:
64% reported moderate-to-high levels of stress – up 4% in one year
23% are at risk of moderate-severe depression – Up 4% in one year
1 in 2 men are at risk of social isolation. This risk increases for:
Men who live alone
Younger men ages 19-29
Racialized men
This study suggests not only a plateau, but a decline in men’s mental health. However, despite this growing concern, 67% of men are not currently seeking out professional mental health support services.
As a young man who studies and shares about concepts relating to health online (fitness, nutrition, exercise, etc.). I think it’s important to address that these pieces of men’s health are only one side of the equation.
Not to mention I am a professional bodybuilder. A sport that has been primarily male-dominated since its inception and is rooted in with socially-created ideals of masculinity – discipline, muscularity, control. But these ideals often become masks for men, leaving no room for emotional struggle or discussion about challenges they face.
So, I decided to dedicate this blog, and my reflections on overcoming one of my biggest insecurities as a man, to men’s health. If this cause speaks to you, you have men in your life who struggle with their health, or once struggled with yours - consider donating to a great foundation using the link below:
The ambiguity of masculinity
So, since the beginning of this month, I’ve been reflecting on what masculinity means to me. The concept is is inherently ambiguous. I’m sure it’s different for every man. But, I think for me, the qualities I’ve looked up to in other men I can try to boil down to a few traits.
First, ambition, or a desire to improve. Not just themselves, but the people around them. Having ambitious hope for their communities and loved ones.
Secondly, bravery. Being brave in accepting the unknown or unfamiliar, and welcoming the new.
Thirdly, open leadership. Being able to recognize when to step back, listen, or let others contribute.
Finally, authenticity. Being able to accept yourself and not hide or perform to avoid scrutiny but share who you are to create an environment for others to feel safe.
However, coming to this definition for myself took time. This ambiguity in ‘what masculinity is’ creates the opportunity for a frail and ill-informed definition. Without internal reflection, space is left for other’s external definitions to inform what you believe “being a man” is. In the absence of any alternatives, men mirror these ‘masculine’ ideals and repress the aspects of themselves that don’t meet these characteristics.
So, I’ve been actively doing my best to work towards all of these qualities. I have definitely made strides I am proud of, but masculinity for me is an ongoing learning experience. Those I look up to, and the qualities they possess, will change, and I still have much to work on.
One of the most impactful strides in my life I took in working towards these qualities was launching this blog a year ago. Originally designed to share my personal experiences, struggles, and thoughts on fitness, nutrition, and health in general.
But I can’t say my love for fitness, nutrition, or health is separate from my understanding of masculinity.
How fitness warped my definition of masculinity
You see, I didn’t always love fitness, I wasn’t even a very athletic child. When I was a child, in a household of six or more sisters at a time, my interests often centered around theirs. This meant I grew up surrounded by stories, emotions, and lessons from the female perspective. I played with dolls. I danced. I watched shows and listened to music that, at the time, got me called names by other boys. I never really joined in with the kids who were usually roughhousing on the playground, not because I didn’t want friends, but I wanted to avoid violence.
Too emotional. Not competitive enough. Too gentle. Not loud enough. The feedback was never direct, but it was constant. And over time, I started to spend more time escaping in ambition. Trying to set ridiculous goals in the future I could focus on succeeding at to avoid what I was failing at then.
I excelled in school, spent all of my free time reading about human physiology, and enjoyed the thought of one day being able to use my knowledge to care for others.
But over the years, this focus on school and reading led to more social isolation and backlash. This caused me to resent it.
That’s where fitness entered the picture. At first, it gave me a clear path forward. But slowly, it became about proving something. I thought, maybe if I was strong enough, lean enough, muscular enough, maybe then I’d be masculine enough too. Diving deeper into bodybuilding exposed me to the masculinization of muscularity, extreme dieting, and body image. For many who exist in this world, and for me originally, this meant over-consuming ambitions, the neglecting of spiritual and social health, combating the expression of inferiority, and overwhelmingly-isolating independence – all to prove my masculinity.
This caused me to lose touch with myself, my actions, and those around me. In the pursuit of more muscle, I lost touch with my health.
But, after a decade of learning from the sport, reigniting my passion for knowledge, reconnecting with my original self, and redefining what masculinity means to me - I was able to bring my life back on a trajectory to who I once would have admired. I was able to harness the benefits of training my body and mind without falling victim to the expectations of others.
So, to share this perspective with others, I decided to embrace the sport from my lens and tackle the dichotomous stigmatization of bodybuilding and fitness through a series of blogs and reels dedicated to my journey through a contest prep. Sharing all the details with transparency - the dangers for those blindly invested in the sport, and the unique benefits for those who haven’t been exposed to it. How it can be harmful, and how it can be empowering.
But despite all this reflection and personal growth in the recent years of my fitness journey, there was still one quiet insecurity I hadn’t yet confronted that made me feel like I wasn’t fully embodying who I wanted to become - my hair loss.
Letting go
I started losing my hair around 17 years old. And I know, in the grand scheme, it might seem small. But it became a symbol to me. A symbol of losing control, of slipping away from a version of masculinity I thought I needed to hold onto. An appearance that I believed was necessary to have value. I hid and avoided it at all costs. Wearing hats everywhere I could, styling it to cover it, and avoiding barbers so I wouldn’t have to face it.
For years, I was told by those I cared most about I wouldn’t look “good” without hair, that I should take drugs to avoid it, or that I should get surgery to “fix it”. This is hard to hear from those whom you are closest to.
I knew if I was going to do anything, I was going to accept it. But still, I put off the shave not out of laziness, but out of fear. Fear that I would look less attractive, less capable, less me, and that people would treat me differently.
But over time, as I gained a further understanding of what masculinity means to me, I realized that this fear wasn’t about appearance, it was about my old identity. And even more than that, it was about avoiding shame. Shame that the previous definition of masculinity I worked so hard to earn might be something I could lose.
This is something many men navigate in silence, this statement from the American hair loss association shows it’s prevalence:
“By the age of thirty-five, two-thirds of American men will experience some degree of noticeable hair loss, and by the age of fifty, approximately 85% of men will have significantly thinning hair. Around 25% of men with male pattern baldness begin losing hair before the age of twenty-one.”
And hair loss is just one of the common insecurities men face. So, I decided if I truly wanted to embody my definition of masculinity, not just for me but for the men in my life I care about - it was time to embrace the hair loss and shave the head.
Not to reinvent myself, or to prove anything. But to let go of a version of myself I didn’t need anymore. One that was hiding behind old expectations of what I believed masculinity should look like.
Masculinity, like identity, is personal. It’s about your struggles and how you decide to navigate them. Although for me, one of these struggles meant shaving my head, for you it could mean something completely different. But, I do hope for other men struggling with their own issues and insecurities, this blog helps you feel less isolated. So please, share your stories and listen to others. Reach out for help when you need it.
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