The importance of exercise and 5 tips to motivate you
With winter seeming to drag on and on, it can be hard to keep yourself motivated to keep on exercising. However, a regular exercise routine has huge benefits for both physical and mental health. Here is a countdown of my five top ways to keep yourself motivated towards regular exercise. I hope they’ll prove useful and keep you motivated:
5. Have Goals
Structure small goals which you can achieve over the course of a couple of months with some hard work. When you reach those goals, celebrate, and develop new ones. People often start out saying things like ‘I want a six-pack by summer’ but really this may not actually be easily achievable. Instead try to look at exercise as a life-long commitment, with small achievable goals along the way. These goals can be anything, providing it is achievable by exercising. They don’t have to be related to your physique, or to your performance. Perhaps exercise can help you control anger and aggression in a positive way, so you may set a goal to become a calmer person.
4. Exercise With Friends
There have been days where the last thing I have wanted to do is workout, but getting some friends involved means that there’s always someone to motivate you when you’re not feeling up to it. When you are actually working out, they can also motivate you to push yourself a little harder. Whether it’s encouragement that motivates you, or a little friendly competition, getting friends involved in exercise can ensure that you stick to it regularly.
3. Track Your Progress
Whilst it’s always good to have those goals to look forward to, it’s also great to look back at what you have achieved already. A tracking service can help you look at your progress over days, weeks, months, and years of exercise, providing you with a self-esteem boost you may need. Fitocracy, which will be opening to the public this year, is a service which takes the formula of successful role-playing video games (levelling up, quests, and achievements) and applies it to real-life exercise. You can log your workouts and then level up your profile. This addictive process allows you to analyse your success over the time that you have been exercising.
2. Make Exercise a Habit
One thing that all athletes have in common is that they view exercise as an important habit, which takes precedence over anything else in their lives. Some view it as even more important than eating and sleeping. I am not suggesting you look at this way, but by making exercise a part of your routine you can ensure that you stick to it. Instead of thinking ‘shall I go for a run tonight?’ instead think ‘I WILL go for a fun tonight, and I will do so every Tuesday and Thursday evening from now on’. Respect it as part of your schedule.
1. Enjoy It
Plain and simple, if you don’t enjoy it, you won’t stick to it! The great thing about exercise is that it comes in so many forms. Some people like the rigidity of following a strict gym routine, others like to stick on their running shoes and leave their front door, not knowing where they’ll end up. Some enjoy partaking in team sports, others may choose to stick some music on and energetically clean their room. If you’re one of those people, like I used to be, who just thinks ‘exercise isn’t for me, I hate it’ then don’t give up! Try something new! There will be something out there that you love, the difficult part is finding it!
Good luck and I hope this helps you to maintain positive physical and mental health through the means of exercise!
Brighton and Hove Food Partnership’s Shape Up Programme
Do you need to shape up? The NHS recommends that an adult should aim to do at least 2 ½ hours of moderate activity such as cycling or fast walking every week, along with all over muscle strengthening activities on 2 or more days. Currently only 40% of men & 28% of women meet these minimum recommendations across the UK, resulting in high levels of obesity and other weight related medical problems. You can do a fitness self assessment at www.nhs.uk/livewell/fitness
So what stops us? Time, money , & feeling self conscious, are just some of the reasons why people feel they are unable to do more activity. However, Brighton & Hove Food Partnership who run the Healthy lifestyle programme Shape Up don’t believe you need to be cash or time rich to enjoy activity, or even be the sporty type.
Fitting activity into your usual routine, such as using the stairs instead of the lift, cycling to visit friends or vacuuming can all make a start in being more active. Activity can make you feel more energised as well as helping to relax you, and walking, housework and using the stairs all come for free.
Shape up is a FREE 9 week healthy lifestyle programme for adults, combining healthy eating advice and exercise that caters for all ages and abilities.
If you are above your ideal weight and would like more help to become more active and lose weight then contact the Healthy Weight Team on 01273 431703 to book onto the FREE Shape Up programme today!
Try something new: Sussex Olympic legacy project offers cut-price sports for young people in Brighton and Hove
Are you excited about trying a new sport in Olympic year? If so, and you’re aged between 14 and 25, Active Sussex is sponsoring a range of cut-price sporting opportunities in Brighton and Hove in the lead-up to the summer Olympics and beyond.
Forthcoming projects include judo, sailing, cycling and dance courses – to netball at Crew Club and beach volleyball at Yellowave. There’s even an introductory course to South American Futsal with Brighton Electricity Football Club.
In addition, Brighton and Hove Football Club’s community arm, Albion in the Community, will be running fully accessible Seagulls football sessions for young women and men with disabilities.
“We are thrilled to be able to channel Sport England Lottery funds to support these courses for young people in Brighton and Hove,” said Active Sussex’s chief executive Sadie Mason. “Sportivate projects offer a fun, accessible, affordable introduction to individual sports. With the support of trained coaches, the courses are suitable for all abilities, from newbies to those looking to improve their sporting abilities.”
Sportivate courses are due to start from April 2012. Each project runs for 6-8 weeks, providing opportunities for young people to take part, as well as specialised coaching support from qualified sports coaches.
For more details about any forthcoming projects contact Active Sussex Sportivate coordiator Gemma Finlay on gfinlay@activesussex.org or 01273 643838
To find a Sportivate project near you, browse the Active Sussex activities page here:
http://www.activesussex.org/2012/sportivate/find-an-activity
[please note events is regularly updated. Courses that start after April will be posted in the next few weeks]
Art in Mind Exhibition at Hove Museum
lf you fancy getting out and about go and see the My Favourite Toys Exhibition at Hove Museum and Art Gallery. The young people from Art in Mind have contributed to the exhibition by taking exciting photos of their favourite toys which offered them support and comfort during their childhood.Filled with nostaligia and humour this exhibition is well worth a visit.
10 March – 6 November Free admission
Active for Life Project
The Active for Life project is a community based project which works in areas of high deprivation and health inequalities. It aims to increase participation in physical activity levels in order to improve health and well-being, encourage community cohesion. It aims to support communities develop their own activities which are accessible and sustainable.
The Active for Life project is a service which is jointly commissioned by Brighton and Hove City Council’s Sports Development and Public Health teams.
Our projects include:
In Shape for Life- Weekly physical activity sessions for adults who want a fun relaxed fitness session followed by friendly healthy living / weight management advice.
Fit & Fun Families- Free after school sessions for parents / carers to take part and join in a fun games activity session.
Girls Get Active– Weekly evening sessions for girls aged 14 – 19 to go to a local leisure centre and try activities like Zumba, Pliates and yoga.
Street Games – After school activity sessions in local community for young people aged 8 – 16, including Street Cricket, Street Dance and Basketball
Active Forever- Weekly physical activity sessions for adults ages 50+
Other local community based sessions – Ranging from local yoga sessions to Pilates and Zumba. Low cost and in local areas.
Holiday based activities – Free Soup and Stomp events, multi sport and other family activity based sessions during the school holidays in local areas.
For further information about sessions in your local area go to www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/activeforlife or call 01273 292729
Take Notice Competition Display
In the run up to Christmas, the Right Here Take Notice photography competition culminated in an exhibition at Jubilee Library. The work displayed was all taken by people between 16 and 25 in Brighton andHove, and demonstrated the beauty that can be found in everyday things.
The work on display at Jubilee Library
The work received some fantastic feedback from the general public, who took time out to view the photos in the busy run up to Christmas. Here’s a sample of the feedback that the photos received:
Fantastic exhibition. Loved them all! Good effort.
Fab-u-lous! Loved It! Good especially the stuff about graffiti
Fantastic photos – light through trees is the best.
Is a great set of pictures. They make me realise that beauty is all around us.
Lovely exhibition – captures different aspects ofBrightonand beyond beautifully. Well done to everyone involved.
The bird, the butterfly, theDowns, light through trees, the sunflowers, the sunset, these are a few of my favourite things.
Wonderful competition and a great show by all. More of these please!
Congratulations are also in order for our three winners. Hannah Kenyon (Light Through Trees – 1st), Olga Kotovska (Stereotypes – 2nd), and Charlie Foxon (Pier at Night – 3rd) were voted as the top 3 photos at Right Here’s Celebration Event in October out of the 37 photos on offer. They won prizes of £30, £20, and £10 vouchers respectively, as well as a beautiful framed copy of their photo.
1st place winner Hannah Kenyon with 'Light Through Trees'
Hannah, who is currently developing her photography portfolio, received a Currys voucher to spend on more photography gear. Olga won herself a £20 Amazon voucher. Meanwhile, Charlie donated his £10 win to the NSPCC.
3rd place winner Charlie Foxon with 'Pier at Night'
Right Here is now looking for opportunities to exhibit the photos again. For the meantime, they will be on display at Mind in Brighton. To view the competition entries, click http://www.flickr.com/photos/52089208@N08/sets/72157627374943979/
The Drop-In Service Activity Groups
The Drop-In Service currently provides a couple of active groups for people 16yrs+ with mental health problems. They have Yoga on a Tuesday at 3:15-4:30 and a Body and Mind Session on Fridays from 11:30-12:30. They also have a scheme with the Prince Regent Gym where they support people with their induction (which will be held on a Monday at 2pm and will be at a reduced rate) and staff from the Drop-In support scheme users who want to attend on a Monday between 2pm-4pm. Joining the gym through their scheme means you can use the gym at any time at a reduced rate – but they do ask that you are a member of the Drop-In before you can use this service
Anyone with a mental health problem or the family/carers/friends of people with mental health problems can use their service as long as you are over 16yrs. No appointment is necessary, you can just ‘drop in’ and make yourself known to reception or Drop-In staff who will want to meet with you to show you around the Drop-In, speak with you about your current difficulties and offer any relevant information or advice and take some basic information.
For further information, call 01273 749 500 and ask to speak to the Drop-In. For information on finding the Drop-In, check out Where To Go For.
