I’ve certainly been ‘active’ and definitely feel ‘well’! What a first week for SDS  #Beactivebewell
It started off on Monday with The Art of Sleeping. I’m lucky, I sleep well, but Rachel gave us lots of practical tips and advice to help get a good night’s rest and sleep. Sleep diaries were provided which would enable you to look for patterns in your routine and look for ways to get a better night’s sleep.
Bob then led the first stretching session. He explained the importance of warming up the muscles before stretching and how important our breathing is to help us relax. With his calm, encouraging approach, I felt totally relaxed and supple and will do some stretching every day. This was a very inclusive session so sign up and join Bob next week.
On Tuesday, we were joined by Ella. Her positive energy and bubbly personality had us warming up then doing various movements in our chair. Each exercise could be simplified so everyone could participate and benefit from the moves. We were swinging our brooms and shaking our tins of beans!! We finished with a good stretch to cool down. A real fun session. Register now and give it a go next week.
Wednesday, we were introduced to HIIT with Gill. We started with a dynamic warm up getting the muscles ready for the session then followed various high intensity moves and actions for two sets of 30 seconds with 30 seconds rest in between. These really got the heart going! Gill encouraged us to go as fast as we could but within our own limits and adjusted the exercises for those standing and those seated so everyone was quite exhausted by the end!  A good cool down with various stretches would ensure we didn’t have too many aches and pains the next day!
Helen led the Yoga session on Thursday. This was a very relaxing, peaceful session, working on strength and flexibility. Helen introduced some breathing techniques which can be used any time to calm us down and bring balance. We used scanning to get in tune with our body, and were encouraged to be aware of our breath. Helen’s calm, supportive manner enabled everyone to participate – a very relaxing session, although holding some of the positions was quite challenging! Why not find out the transformational power of yoga and join in next week.
For our final activity of the week, Gill led us through a Callanetics session. This involved lots of small repetitive movements and pulses and many of the exercises involved the lower body. As a permanent wheelchair user and paraplegic I was unable to do these. However, I could join in with my upper body where it could improve muscle tone and Gill was great at giving alternatives so I could participate.  Why not join Gill for a HIIT or Callanetics session over the next few weeks – they are great fun!
I have thorough enjoyed each of the sessions this week and I would definitely recommend you register and sign up for future sessions. Which one would suit you?
Connect 5 has really made me think about my mental health and what am I doing to help it. I think about my physical health but it has been great to ‘connect 5’ and focus on SAMH – 5 Ways to Better Wellbeing. (Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Learn, and Give). We all have mental health, just as we have physical health, and it’s important that we all take the time to look after it. What are you doing to look after yours? Download the ‘Connect 5’ board and play yourself, with a friend or family member. Can you connect 5?
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