Active Every Day, Your Way
Active Staff are here for you this January to help you get ‘Active every day, your way’. We want to help you on your way to a happier, healthy 2021. Each week throughout January we will focus on a different theme.
The Get Active and Give themes will run throughout with our classes available online and tips and ideas on how to give back this January.
Linking to MIND’s Red January campaign we’ve got a useful calendar that you can fill with your activity plans with some handy tips from us too!
Download the calendar here and tick off your active days! Or add in your plans for being active.
Get Active
Being active is good for your physical and mental wellbeing. It can, for example, help prevent or manage medical conditions, reduce anxiety or stress, improve a person’s confidence or self-esteem. With the most recent National Lockdown it's really important to try and stay as active as possible. Our online classes give you the opportunity to do just that and will be running throughout January.
So Get Active with all our online virtual classes here
Give
We've got some great ideas to help you give this January. Who doesn’t love the gift of giving? Let’s carry on that good feeling with our Foodbank donations, nursing home letter writing and join us for a talk from the UH Refugee project and find out how you can get involved below.
Pen to paper - Active Staff are asking staff to take the time to write a letter (handwritten if possible) to a resident of a nursing home close to Campus. Send your completed letters to the Sports Village
The Active Staff Team
Hertfordshire Sports Village
De Havilland Campus
Hatfield Busness Park
Hatfield, AL10 9EU
January is often a bleak month for many, but for the cost of a stamp you could brighten the day of an elderly person. As we know, Covid-19 has been tough for many and nursing homes have been hit particularly hard. With the Christmas decorations now away for another year, your letter could make all the difference to someone who doesn’t know when they’ll next get a visitor. Staff at the home have welcomed letters from staff at UH and they’ll read them out to residents as part of their activities.
Foodbank Donations
With the Nation back into another National Lockdown there will be many people and families under financial strain. We're encouraging anyone who can to donate to their local foodbank. Here's a few items that the Hatfield Foodbank are after: toilet rolls, single tooth brushes and small washing powder or liquid but you'll be able to find your local Foodbank below:
Take Notice
We're starting our weekly themes with 'Take Notice' Do you often go through the daily tasks in your busy life like you’re on auto-pilot? Life for many has become so busy that we don’t have time to notice the small things. Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your well-being and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm your life priorities.
Here are a few ideas to get you started...
- Get a plant for your workspace
- Have a ‘clear the clutter’ day
- Take notice of how your colleagues are feeling or acting
- Take notice of your surroundings and maybe take some pictures
- Explore your local area.
Forest Therapy Coffee Break
With restrictions on the types and amount of outdoor exercise currently allowed why not find out how you can benefit from your surrounding nature with our Forest Therapy coffee break.
The practice of Forest-Therapy (Forest-Bathing) seeks to connect, or reconnect, people to natural environments in order to enhance overall wellbeing. It is a chance to take time-out, slow down, and feel refreshed and rejuvenated by using our whole senses to observe and appreciate things in nature.
Join Stephen Pack on Wednesday 13th January to find out more.
You can attend the workshop indoors or outdoors, you just need sight of natural things e.g. garden, trees, plants, birds…there’s no need to bring anything along.
The 30 minute workshop will be taking place on Wednesday 13th January at 1pm.
Join the Forest Therapy coffee break by clicking here.
Connect
This week we are focusing on the theme of Connect – Science shows that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world. Why not do a few things differently and try to make a connection?
Here are a few suggestions to get your ideas going...
- Talk to someone instead of sending an email
- Speak to someone new
- Ask how someone’s weekend was and really listen when they tell you
- Put five minutes aside to find out how someone really is
- Get in touch with someone you haven't for a long time.
Mind in Mid Herts: Connect Workshop
Thursday 21st January 13.00 - 13.30
There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by, other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world. In this workshop we will explore:
- What we mean by connection
- The benefit to being connected on physical and mental health.
- The impact of disconnection.
- How to stay connected (especially during a pandemic)
- When to disconnect and how to self-care
Join the session here.
Learn
Our final theme of the week is Learn – Studies show that continued learning through life enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life.
The practice of setting goals, which is related to adult learning in particular, has been strongly associated with higher levels of wellbeing.
Why not learn something new today? Here are a few more ideas:
- Find out something about your colleagues
- Sign up for a class
- Read the news or a book
- Set up a book club
- Do a crossword or Sudoku
- Research something you’ve always wondered about
- Learn a new word.
Learn to Crochet Coffee Break
We're really pleased that Reverand Fiona Souter from the UH Chaplaincy will be delivering a Learn to Crochet workshop. Learn the basics, if there is enough interest Fiona would like to start a Crochet Club.
For this workshop you will need:
- Crochet hook - either 4 mm, 4.5 mm or 5 mm would be best
- A ball of double knitting wool (some brands advertise that they are 'soft' and that is really nice to work with).
- Scissors
Any hook and even string will work, but might just be a little more difficult. You can buy a crochet hook online for as little as 99p - great investment for a lockdown activity!
The 30 minute workshop will be taking place on Wednesday 27th January at 1pm.
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Are you interested in...
- Timetable
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