Tag: Exercise

Be Active – 1 of your “5 Ways to Wellbeing”

As mentioned in a previous post, there are 5 ways to wellbeing that you can adopt into your daily or weekly life, that will help you maintain, or improve your physical and mental wellbeing. One of the 5 ways, is to Be Active. Now this doesn’t mean you have to run a marathon, or be pumping 50kg of iron. It can be gentle exercise such as going for a brisk walk, or trying out yoga. Not only is exercise good for your physical health, but it can also help to maintain positive mental health.

The University of Cumbria has a number of initiatives to help you get more active or to stay active. One such initiative is UoC Active, which has been developed in response to a government strategy called an “Active Nation”. At the University there are two main sports centres, one at the Fusehill St campus, and one at the Lancaster campus. There is a small centre at the Ambleside campus. They offer a range of sports, exercise classes, and other leisure activities. Lancaster and Fusehill St campuses have a selection of classes, that at the time of this blog posting, includes, Yoga, Boot Camp, Step n Tone, Zumba, Box Fit, and Latino Dance (not all classes are available on both campuses, check the website for details). If you join the Lancaster campus sports centre, you automatically get to use the facilities at the Salt Ayre Leisure Centre owned by Lancaster City Council, and it has a swimming pool.

On campus, there are several security coded bike shelters to keep your bicycle safer, and are available to staff and students, who use their own bicycle or one of the hired bicycles. Reception also keep spare locks and a pump in case you need to borrow one. If you are bringing your own bicycle from home to University, we strongly recommend that you take out bicycle insurance, and get your bicycle security tagged (most local police stations can help out with this), just in case someone tries to nick your beloved bicycle.

Ashton Memorial in Williamson’s Park, Lancaster

If cycling or gym membership isn’t your thing, there are other ways to increase your activity, these include walking with friends in the many local parks that are close to campus, if you are in London there are some very big parks to visit such as Hyde or Greenwich Park, Lancaster Campus has the Williamson’s Park, Ambleside has Rothay Park, and both the Carlisle campuses are close to Rickerby Park. Visit your local tourist information centre for more information on local walks and leisure activities. If you are at one of the the North-West campuses, then you won’t be too far from the seaside, and a walk along the beach can be a very enjoyable day out. Even if you are in London, then a day trip to Brighton Beach can be achievable.

Roanhead in the Furness Peninisula. Long sandy beaches, sand dunes, and amazing views.

If you enjoy walking, and like dogs, you could volunteer at your local animal shelter. Animal shelters are often in need of volunteer dog walkers to help exercise dogs whilst they are waiting for their forever home. Use a search engine on the internet to find animal shelters near you, and give them a call.

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How to get better sleep

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

One of the main reasons students refer themselves to the University of Cumbria’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Team, is because they are struggling with sleep. It might be because they struggle to get to sleep, or they sleep too much, or they have disturbed sleep. Sustained sleep deprivation has a detrimental impact on your mental and physical health. But even short periods of poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mood, and your academic performance.

In their paper, Steven P. Gilbert & Cameron C. Weaver ((2010) Sleep Quality and Academic Performance in University Students: A Wake-Up Call for College Psychologists, Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 24:4, 295-306, DOI: 10.1080/87568225.2010.509245), discuss some of the issues that students in particular face, when it comes to poor sleep. They note that one of the first daily routines to change when students first arrive on campus, is their sleep. Sleep-cycle (the going to bed at the same time, and waking up at the same time each day) is usually the first thing that changes. If the change becomes permanent, then problems can start to arise. Missing the occasional night (e.g. going to a party, or a club night), can make us a little tired the next day, but chronic sleep problems have a significant impact.

Top tips for better sleep

Having a bedtime routine can really help. One of the best ways to train your body to sleep well is to go to bed, and wake up, more or less the same time every night, even on weekends and days off. It can be a challenge if you are a student on placement, working shifts, but where possible, sleep the same amount of hours each night. If possible, aim to start your bedtime routine at least 30 minutes before getting into bed. Have a warm bath and relax (baths are not just for cleaning your body, but can be a way to relax). Some people find 15 minutes relaxation techniques useful, such as mindfulness, breathing exercises or a few relaxing stretches can aid the process of falling asleep. Help your brain to switch off. You can’t expect your brain to go from being stimulated by computer games, films, revision, checking social media, etc. one minute, to being totally switched off the next minute.

Try to avoid consumption of food and drink too close to bed, but particularly avoid consuming caffeine, (such as coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, “energy drinks”), nicotine, (cigarettes or vaping) at least 4 hours before bed. These substances act as stimulants and interfere with the ability to fall asleep. Falling asleep on an empty stomach can be distracting, so make sure you have had a light snack close to bedtime, but don’t eat your full evening meal too late, as digesting lots of food, can also negatively impact on your sleep. It is best to avoid taking naps during the day, to make sure that you are tired at bedtime. If you can’t make it through the day without a nap, make sure it is for less than an hour and before 3pm.

Regular exercise also helps; burning up surplus energy, will help you feel tired (as well as all the physical and emotional benefits associated with exercise). It doesn’t have to be excessive or strenuous, but don’t do it immediately before bed, a few hours before is ideal. If you don’t consider yourself sporty, think about alternative exercise, such as a walk in the park, some yoga, etc.

It may seem obvious, but only go to bed when you feel sleepy, rather than spending too much time laying in bed staring at your eyelids! Whatever you do, don’t decide to prop yourself up and watch TV, or start using other electronic devices such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop. That will only simulate your mind, and the bright light will trick your mind into thinking it is day time. It will also teach your mind that your bed is used for other activities other than sleep. If you use your smartphone as an alarm clock, turn on the night time settings that most smartphones come with, that way you won’t be disturbed by a text message coming through, or a social media notification. Bed should only be used for sleep, or if you are recovering from illness, or for a little romance!!!! Let your body and brain develop this association. If you do climb into bed, and get an idea for an assignment that you are working on, quickly jump out of bed, and make a note for the morning, before getting back into bed. That all said, there are some useful apps for helping and aiding with sleep; these include sleep trackers (but these tend to work better when you have a smart watch), or meditation/mindfulness apps.

If you do find yourself struggling, even when you have put all the above tips into practice, then do try and avoid clock watching. Frequently checking the clock during the night can wake you up (especially if you turn on the light to read the time) and reinforces negative thoughts such as “Oh no, look how late it is, I’ll never get to sleep” or “I’ve only slept for 5 hours.” If you haven’t been able to get to sleep after about 20 minutes or more, get up and do something calming or boring until you feel sleepy, then return to bed and try again. Sit quietly on the couch with the lights off (bright light will tell your brain that it is time to wake up), or read something boring like the phone book. Avoid doing anything that is too stimulating or interesting, as this will wake you up even more.

If you have any tips on improving sleep, please share below.