Woah! We’re halfway there…
Take our hand (or just our tips and guidance – see below), we’ll make it I swear… Hopefully you’re not all “livin’ on a prayer”, but instead thriving, and really enjoying trying new things and sticking to your food and exercise goals. We’ve had so many lovely stories and photos, here are just a few:
The Zumbalicious ladies showed us that when things don’t always go according to plan A, try plan B – just don’t give up! They were unable to attend their Zumba session one day, so instead opted for a team walk together at lunch time among the snowdrops and the team totaled 8000 steps in just 15 minutes!!! Great work! Here they are, smiles-a-plenty.
Here are Head Over Meals, they’ve made some really good food choices, swapping sweet treats for fruit. Keep it up ladies and gents, it must be hard when you work at the Chocolate Quarter, a constant reminder!
Remember if anyone is finding it hard to cut out some thing completely, you can always consider an alternative or a reduction, it’s much better to compromise than to give up altogether.
Heart and Sole have been busy taking up new activities. We’ve heard from team members who have gone on bike rides, for the first time in 10 years and they’ve remembered how much they enjoyed it!
Remember, well-being is so much more than just exercise and food choices. Teresa from Heart and Sole has been out meeting new people; she has joined the school PTA and has taken on activities to help them, which she felt were out of her comfort zone, however she appears to be really enjoying it and has found a new confidence talking to large companies about organising events! Teresa can already see the benefit to herself but also this will benefit her local school. Well done Teresa! (Teresa… so about our Christmas party… we were thinking something grand…).
Other activities have included more bike rides, boxing in the gym, and most importantly sharing your success stories, keeping each other motivated and supporting each other.
Tips and guidance
Whilst well-being means something different to each and every one of us, there were lots of similar pledges. We have been hard at work finding sources of information, tips and guidance to help you get through the next 4 weeks. Have a look and see what you find helpful…
Exercise
Our Employee Assistant Program (EAP) online support has a wealth of information to help you. Log in (user name: 72221 password: employeecare) and see what you can find. We’ve picked an article here about SMART goals and exercise.
Move over Davina! The NHS have their very own FREE fitness videos online which you can find here. There is also a good App for your phone (everyone loves an App!) called Workout Trainer Fitness Coach, which is worth a try.
Finances
It’s good to take stock and review your finances and spending. Are you making the most of what you have? Are you making wise choices? The Money Advice Service have a helpful Beginners Guide to Managing your Money, found here.
Smoking
One of the quickest ways to save money is to stop smoking! There are many ways of doing this and it’s important to find a way that suits you. For more advice on your options click here.
Food, drink and diets
The internet is full of information about food and drink, just watch out for those fad diets! Don’t google the “Cotton Ball Diet” and as for the “Avoiding Swamps Diet”… that’s just silly. Stick to sensible food choices! Click on each link to find out more:
Eat well – Eating a balanced diet
How much water should I drink a day?
Start the NHS weight loss plan
Non-food rewards for losing weight
Also worth a look is the Change for Life App.
Looking after your mind and mental well-being
It’s really important to take time out for yourself and think about how you are feeling. The NHS have lots of advice about anxiety and depression, sleep and tiredness and a whole host of other topics. See what you can find. There are also lots of Apps such as Headspace, Relax Melodies, Yoga for Beginners and Calm (for meditation and sleep stories).
Other useful information
Get that warm fuzzy feeling by helping others – 10 ways to do something nice.
Maybe start a book club, or just take some time out to work your way through the top reads for 2018.
Have you heard of Marie Kondo, she is the latest craze sweeping (no pun intended) the nation with her philosophies on tidying, de-cluttering and getting organised.
If there is something that you would like more information on, please let us know and we can support you.
You’re all doing so well and we have loved hearing your stories and seeing your photos! Keep up the good work to feel great in 8!
