Mental Health Series – Be Active
While physical activity is great for your overall fitness, it’s also beneficial for your mental health and wellbeing.
Being active doesn’t have to mean playing sport or going to the gym, it can be any fun activity that raises your heart rate, makes you breathe faster, and has you feeling warmer.
One of the great things about physical activity is that there are endless choices to suit all the family!
If you’re looking for activities that can fit into your schedule, why not try one of these:
- Walking to work or school
- Taking time out to play – anything from catch, to bouncing on the trampoline
- Meeting up with friends at a fitness class
- Completing Joe Wick’s PE sessions
At Staffordshire University Academies Trust, we understand the importance of being active and PE is a key part of every school’s curriculum. In fact, as part of the National Curriculum all children should be able to swim a length by the time they leave primary school.
However, due to the coronavirus pandemic swimming lessons haven’t gone to plan, but we wanted to share St Luke’s Academy’s idea for ensuring their pupils could complete their swimming lessons.
The Endon-based school switched their usual two weeks of intensive swimming lessons at a local swimming baths and hired pop-up pool!
They’re the first school in Staffordshire to give their pupils this opportunity. Completing their swimming lessons onsite helped the school to reduce their carbon footprint (something their eco committee loved) and allowed every single child from reception to year 6 the opportunity to practice swimming.
If you need support with your mental health or would like more advice on how to support others, you can find more information at: www.mentalhealth.org.uk.
