Wellbeing newsletter ISSUE 3 Paying it forward: organ donation
Surprising ways to exercise at home We know that exercise is great for our physical health, but many studies have shown that physical activity can also improve mental health as well. With gyms closed, sports teams locked down and social distancing in place, it can be difficult to maintain your normal exercise regime. But there are plenty of surprising ways to stay fit at home. Here’s a few: 1. Get into those household chores: doing a combination of vacuuming, mopping and sweeping can burn 1000 calories per week and is great for toning shoulder and arm muscles. 2. Mowing the lawn (with a manual mower) provides another great cardiovascular workout and boosts your step count for the day. 3. Stand on one leg for two minutes when brushing your teeth: this works your core and improves balance. 4. Embrace your inner child and dig out old toys. There’s a reason why boxers (and Major V!) skip: studies have found that 10 minutes of skipping with a rope is equivalent to 30 minutes of jogging. Hoola hooping is another great cardio/core exercise. https://wheelofnames.com/xux-v2p 5. Are you getting enough vitamin D?
On 20th May 2020, the law on organ donation changed in the UK to an opt-out system, where all adults are presumed to have given consent for their organs to be donated unless they have recorded a decision not to. However, most people don’t realise that their next of kin can still overrule their decision, so it’s important to make your wishes known. At the moment, under 50% of family members agree to donation if they aren’t aware of their loved one’s wishes; this rises to 90% if they are. With most of us spending more time at home with family members at the moment, now is the perfect time to have this important conversation. For more information, click here: https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/tellyour-family-and-friends/
Scientists and doctors around the world are looking not only for a vaccine for Covid-19 but also ways to treat the virus successfully. A 2017 analysis of 25 randomised controlled trials (11,321 participants) suggested that vitamin D supplementation reduced risk of acute upper respiratory tract infection. Scientists are thus investigating whether vitamin D could reduce Covid infection (see link below). Vitamin D affects bone density and low levels may be linked to mental health as well. The best way to top up your vitamin D levels is to get outside in the sunshine every day during spring and summer. Sitting by a window doesn’t count, though, as UVB rays, which make vitamin D, can’t get through. Whilst there is vitamin D in certain foods, such as oily fish, red meat and eggs, and also in fortified breakfast cereals, breads and spreads, the amount may be small. The NHS advises that “Most people can make enough vitamin D from being out in the sun daily for short periods with their forearms, hands or lower legs uncovered and without sunscreen from late March or early April to the end of September, especially from 11am to 3pm… People with dark skin, such as those of African, African-Caribbean or south Asian origin, will need to spend longer in the sun to produce the same amount of vitamin D as someone with lighter skin.” You do need to be careful not to burn, though, and to apply sunscreen for all but a short period (10-15 minutes) each day. For more information, click here: https://www.thelancet.com/action/showPdf?pii=S2213-8587%2820%2930183-2 Don’t forget that the ‘Wellbeing’ button on the VLE has plenty of suggestions if you need support, and the counselling service, chaplaincy, safeguarding team and house staff are all available as well.
Wellbeing newsletter Why not try… Artful Practices for Wellbeing The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) has produced series of resources that use art to aid wellbeing. These include mindful and meditative drawing, and how to take a mindful walk, focusing on the little aesthetic joys in your neighbourhood. You don’t have to be a skilled artist to get something out of them: the walk video, for instance, advises recording your observations in a poem, letter or sound recording rather than photos or sketches, if you prefer. There are three short (2-3 minute) videos to help get you started: Mindful walk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gOLDxy3ay4&feature=youtu.be Mindful drawing: https://youtu.be/_D0hzIjCMrw Meditative drawing: https://youtu.be/-kMtwPerBIU
The pastoral team lockdown… Miss Lee: My lockdown experience has been a strange one. I’m ‘home alone’ with just the two dogs who provide great company. But because school has kept me so busy I don’t feel I’ve had the time that others in the wider community seem to have had to think about what’s going on, or even to get bored as many seem to have done. Being at home has an undoubted upside. I love gardening, something my role doesn’t allow time for usually. The long spring and summer days mean that there’s enough daylight at the end of the working day to garden, so this year the tomatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, strawberries, radishes, lettuce, garlic, onions and many herbs are well on the way to fruition. The roses are in bud, and the garden now has a variety of colourful plants making good progress from seed to flower. Being outside and aware of the natural world has always been important to me, now it is more essential than ever. Major Vintner: What does one do when faced with an uncertain amount of time on their own with their family when their entire life has been to serve others and to try and bring out the better qualities in them? I certainly wasn’t going to home school my daughters; that wasn’t my skill set and would be a sure fire way to start a family feud and break up the happy home. Instead we cracked open the spray paints, got creative, we built a new den/room in the loft recess between the flat and the boarding house with discarded wood from the Galpin’s refurb. I have also embraced the child in me and taken up skipping to stay fit (with a rope, not just frolicking around the Precincts!). With no DofE expeditions on the immediate horizon it was a good job that early morning dog stomps were on the agenda and at least once a week I wake the family up at 7am and head out for a 3-hr walk before the rest of Kent has had its breakfast. Whilst I miss the community, this time has served to highlight what and who are important to me; with no social media and by limiting your access to news, there is much to be positive about and thankful for. Father Martin: It is no secret that I have always enjoyed the product of others’ labour when it comes to cooking. Mrs Fr. Martin is indeed a good cook. The problem is, I have never been particularly proficient in the kitchen myself. However, that is hopefully changing: as ‘staying in has become the new going out’, I have been spending more time in the kitchen trying to master some culinary skills, and without ‘bigging’ myself up too much, I think I’m getting better. At least what I’m producing is edible!! Paella, beef bourguignon and roast chicken with the trimmings seem to have gone down well, without resulting casualties, and in my spare time I find myself scouring Mrs Fr. Martin’s cookbooks for more taxing recipes. I have always felt that the ability to offer hospitality is one of the greatest acts of service we can offer, being able to offer food and fellowship is an important part of what builds up family and community. Having the time to learn this new skill during this period of restriction has been a blessing in disguise.
Don’t forget that the ‘Wellbeing’ button on the VLE has plenty of suggestions if you need support, and the counselling service, chaplaincy, safeguarding team and house staff are all available as well.
I have always felt that the ability to offer hospitality is one of the greatest acts of service we can offer, being able to offer food and fellowship is an important part of what builds up family and community. Having the time to learn this new skill during this period of restriction has been a blessing in disguise.