CELEBRATING OUR LOYAL HIRERS AND USERS

The topic of ‘Movement’

Part of the mental health and wellbeing advice series

How do you look after your mental health and wellbeing?

That’s the basis for a new campaign for 2023 which focuses on 12 ‘emotional needs’, one for each month, to bring you practical tips, people’s stories, and support to keep you well.

Be Well, Feel Well: A healthier Suffolk in 2023 is a partnership between Suffolk Mind, Public Health and Communities and a range of community groups teaming up to focus on ways for you to be well throughout the year. Look out for a new article every month with information for how you can keep healthy, get the help you need and even save money.

Jon Neal, Chief Executive, Suffolk Mind

Top tips

l If you’re at work, try ‘walk and talk meetings’ in person or remotely l Take advantage of the lighter summer evenings to get out into nature l Visit your local pool – movement in water is particularly useful for people with limited mobility l Make leisure time more active – try to stretch or exercise during TV adverts l Join a local walking club – it will also help meet your need for community l Take part in a free workout on YouTube, or download great apps such as Couch to 5k or Active10 l Try sitting exercises - perfect if you’re sitting at a desk or have limited mobility.

Where can I find out more?

Movement in mind

Being active; any movement that burns energy is great for our mental wellbeing. Just 30 minutes brisk walking 3-4 times a week is enough to trigger endorphins equivalent to anti-depressant medication. There are many other benefits including better sleep, calming stress, reducing anxiety and even building confidence and self-esteem. There are some great resources to help everyone be active, including people with a disability or long-term health condition.

Movement Mornings

DanceEast, the home of dance in the East of England is supporting the Be Well, Feel Well campaign by running five movement mornings for everyone to get moving at Holywells Park and Christchurch Park in Ipswich between Monday 24 July - Friday 28 July, 10.30am - 12.30pm.

Chrissie Moore, Programme Manager at DanceEast said: “We know that dancing and moving your body is a great way for people to start the day. Movement Mornings have been designed to give people the opportunity to come and join DanceEast for a fun-filled morning of movement.

People of all ages are invited to join in and we’re really looking forward to demonstrating how movement through dance is great for the mind and body!”

Move more outdoors

We’re spoilt for choice in Suffolk, with many opportunities to be active outdoors. With the summer holidays looming, there’s no better time to find fun, free activities supporting families to be active.

Outdoor events: Find free events where you live with lots of activities for children and young people (see the Movement Mornings section).

Parkrun: There are 24 parkruns in Suffolk providing free, weekly opportunities to be active. You don’t have to run, and they’re a great chance to meet people. Consider volunteering to support your local parkrun.

In the garden or open spaces: Create an obstacle course with props or by making a route. Time each other and improve your personal best. Invite a friend to play a ball game or invent a new one.

activlives.org.uk activesuffolk.org activityalliance.org.uk/get-active discoversuffolk.org.uk suffolkmind.org.uk weareundefeatable.co.uk

Plan a trip to your local beach or river: Go on a textures scavenger hunt; find something smooth, fluffy, bumpy or things with different colours.

At the park: Revisit some of the childhood games that you used to play and teach them to the children.

On the street, or at the shops: Set the children a task such as ‘Can you find the post-box?’ or ‘Can you find the fruit section?’ wildlifetrusts.org infolink.suffolk.gov.uk

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“We

” Mr &

How

Bury Physiotherapy Clinic are working alongside AEDdonate to have a defibrillator installed in their community.

30,000 people die each year from out of hospital Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA), 620 of these are people under the age of 35 and 270 of these deaths happen to children within schools. If defibrillation takes place within the first three minutes of a SCA, the patient’s chances of survival increase by upwards of 80%.

Having the defibrillator installed means that it can be deployed by the local ambulance trust in a bid to give the patient the all-important shock to the heart prior to the ambulance arrival. The defibrillator is by no means a replacement to the ambulance service, it just allows patient treatment to commence immediately.

If you can help by donating please visit www.aeddonate.org.uk/ projects/23-395/