Rain Vääna urges men to prioritise health checks and healthy habits

Regular health checks can help men live more years in good health, entrepreneur Rain Vääna said, according to ERR. November is men’s health month, and the Longer Friendship Day campaign he leads is being held for the eighth year to promote men’s health, healthy lifestyles and communication between friends.

Vääna told the programme Hommik Anuga that he came up with the idea after turning 40, when he began thinking more about his health and the future. He said long-term plans depend in part on whether a person’s health will allow them to carry them out.

He said he had promised himself and his family that he would live to at least 97, and that he wanted to remain healthy for as long as possible. While inherited illnesses are a factor, he said, many aspects of health are within people’s control.

Vääna initially decided to have a health check himself, then thought it would be more enjoyable to go with friends. The group now makes a yearly tradition of having their health checked together. He said he had read that annual checks could add 18 years of healthy life, though he did not know whether that was true. He added that he felt in much better shape 12 years later than he had at 40.

This year’s campaign focuses on men’s weight, which Vääna called one of the most important indicators of health. He said excess weight can be linked to overeating, lower self-esteem and problems with internal organs.

The campaign also highlights communication between men. Musician Stig Rästa, who wrote a new song for the day, said he had found that men in Estonia often struggle to talk to one another. In his own circle, he said, friends are now trying to understand what is behind it when someone is feeling very low.