That’s the message of three clinicians who will host a seminar about men’s and women’s health during the event.
Anna Zhai, who works for the Headache Clinic in Princes St, said we often took for granted the importance of head health.
"It’s ranked second in the World Health Organisation on the years of life lost due to disability.
"The thing with these kind of people who participate in the Masters Games is they like to push through."
This could prove risky if the activity was not matched with a decent level of self-care.
"It gets to the point where with this mindset, as amazing as it is to get things done, we do end up driving the car and being too busy to drive the car to get gas.
"I think with the quality of life, just that extra bit of information and extra bit of discussion really gets them somewhere."
As well as talking about how to avoid head injuries and headaches, the clinicians hoped to raise the spectre of touchy subjects, such as menopause.
"It’s not something that you just discuss and it’s not a broken leg or it’s not a black eye. You can’t see these things and they’re not obvious unless you really get to know someone. And even if you do, people don’t talk about that.
"For menopause, it’s not just a woman’s thing because these women have husbands and that is half of our population."
While she remained impressed with the sheer amount of activity on display at the Masters Games, she felt common sense also needed to play a role, Dr Zhai said.
"I’ve seen a farmer come in with a broken leg, getting an X-ray. It’s still broken and he walks out without crutches. These people don’t let things stop them," she said.
"It’s not just about staying active and staying fit. It’s also about being sensible and being aware when you might have health issues."
Dr Zhai said she hoped to film the seminars as a means of broadening the conversation on social media.
"We have more opportunity to actually have access to these topics and knowledge towards these topics and I’m hoping to push them out there."
The 2026 Masters Games take place in Dunedin from January 31 to February 8.
The seminar will be held at 3pm on February 1 at the Edgar Centre.
