Inspired by the summer of sport?
It’s been quite the summer of sport with the football world cup and Commonwealth Games drawing to a close. So what next? The legacy of such large sporting events has led researchers to study their ‘inspirational effects’ – the process through which individuals are inspired to get more active themselves. Being active is really important for our physical health, whatever our age or stage of life. The top-class athletes we have been watching this summer may well be younger, fitter and healthier than us, but we can still be inspired by them, whatever our own circumstances. Being active supports our heart, lungs, bones, muscles and joints, and improves our strength and fitness, mobility, flexibility and balance. It is good for our mental health too, raising our self-esteem and confidence, and improving our mood and sleep.
But will watching top-class football or gymnastics really get us more motivated? NHS guidance suggests aiming for about 20 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise – exercise that raises our heart rate, makes us breathe faster and feel warmer. As we get older, doing activities that improve our strength, balance and flexibility become increasingly important.
But let’s be realistic here. Firstly, if you have not exercised for some time, you can contact one of the Health Coach team at Axbridge & Wedmore Medical Practice so that you can make sure your activity and its intensity are appropriate for your fitness.
Secondly, going from 0-20 minutes overnight is unlikely to be sustainable (or necessarily good for us), no matter how much our favourite football player has inspired us. Starting small, by finding easy ways to fit more activity into our daily life and building up from there, is more likely to be successful and sustainable.
The NHS Better Health website suggests six ways to help us be more active:
- Find something you enjoy – we are far more likely to stick with something if we enjoy it.
- Do it together – in person or online – doing exercise with someone else can help us through encouragement, motivation and simply having fun together.
- Make it a habit – getting into a routine can help.
- Reward yourself – by setting achievable goals that will further motivate you
- Track your progress – so you can see how far you have come.
- Go from strength to strength – add in strength-building exercises to keep you active for longer.
A good place to start is the Virtual Village Hall, a free online activity hub and community, designed by Royal Voluntary Service. Here you’ll find a wide range of exercise, dance and movement classes to help you feel healthy, fit and well, including adapted, chair-based and dementia-friendly sessions. No special equipment is needed, just space to move, something sturdy to hold onto if you are less mobile, and some water to stay hydrated. As well as live activity sessions every weekday, there is a library of over 3,000 sessions to view on demand, all led by expert tutors and presenters, including some well-known faces. No sign-in or subscription is required.
Our local village halls also boast a wide variety of exercise classes, many of which are listed in the Isle of Wedmore Directory, available at most Wedmore Stores or online here. Do contact the organiser for further information – they would love to hear from you!
Now that’s the sort of inspiration we need!
Support for people with dementia and their carers in Wedmore
Carer’s Group
Do you care for or support a person living with dementia? Then this friendly informative group is for you! Come along on the first Friday of the month to The Swan Hotel, Wedmore between 10am and 12md. The next meeting will be on Friday 7th August. If you want to find out more about the Memories Workshops and Carers’ Group, phone HeadsUp on 01749 670667 or email wedmorecarers@yahoo.com If you need help with funding for attending HeadsUp, just ask, help may be available.
Coffee and a Chat
For general support with mental wellbeing Somewhere House, a charity based in Burnham, visits The Bluebird Café in Wedmore on the first Wednesday of the month, from 10-12md. They offer an opportunity to meet and chat. For more information contact them on 01278 780769
Pauline Heslop and Sue Parsons
Wedmore Health & Wellbeing Project
Call 01934 806266 and leave a message for more information