Join Pilton Community Health Project’s walkers for a summer stroll through Muirhouse and Silverknowes this Thursday evening. All welcome – walk leaves Muirhouse Community Shop on Pennywell Road at 7pm.
Tag: exercise
Discover the hidden gems of Granton
Discovering North Edinburgh’s Hidden Gems evening walks
This week’s walk: Granton – Sea views and Lighthouse
All welcome! For more info call 551 1671 or email admin@pchp.org.uk
Metafit made easier at Muirhouse Millennium Centre
The fitness programme previously known as Metafit has changed it’s name and it’s purpose. To allow older people to attend they have made the programme -now called Circuit Class – less intensive for those who cannot manage the more exertive tasks.
The first Circuit Class will take place on 9 April at 6.30pm and will continue weekly every Thursday The cost is £5 per person. Please bring a water bottle (although these will be available in the cafe for 50p).
EXERCISES WILL BE ADAPTED FOR DIFFERENT NEEDS
Participants must be over sixteen years old and should wear suitable clothing and footwear.
James McGinty
New Year, new coach-led adult swim sessions
Scottish Swimming announces the 2015 Adult Swim Series
These events are for adult swimmers who would like to take part in coached sessions in a 50-metre pool. The events are open to all and will be fun and informative. and follow on from the successful Come and Try Open Water Swimming event held in June last year.
The Adult Swim Series has been devised following research on swimming paricipation and questionnaires completed by adult swimmers in late 2014 about what gets them motivated to go to the pool and what would make their swimming session more meaningful.
Results of the survey suggest that there is a big demand for coach led swimming sessions, with 90 per cent of surveyed adults either likely or very likely to attend such sessions in the future. The main drive for adults to attend is to improve their swimming, train for an open water, Masters swimming or triathlon event, or simply to get fitter and meet friends at the pool.
The benefits of swimming are wider than the actual health benefits, as one past participant put it:
“The health benefits I can see with swimming here is that it brings people together from any background, so that’s like elderly who are not working anymore, people who are working, or students like myself. It’s creating a routine that keeps people healthy – that is in a physical sense, but also in a mental health sense, because it’s motivating.”
The social aspect is especially important for people that have attended sessions already. For one past participant It was more motivating than trying to work on their own, while another one said “it was good fun, enjoyable yet educational and improved my swimming and my motivation following the session.”
The Swim Series starts in Edinburgh this Saturday with sessions in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Stirling to follow over the coming months:
Saturday 17th January (A few places still available)
Edinburgh 5.30pm-7.30pm Royal Commonwealth Pool
Sunday 22nd February
Aberdeen 10am-12noon Aberdeen Sports Village
Saturday 21st March
Glasgow 2pm-4pm Tollcross International Swimming Centre
Saturday 11th April (Intermediate and Masterclass only)
Stirling 10am – 12pm National Swimming Academy, Stirling University
Sunday 31st May
Open Water Style Session
Stirling 3.30pm-5.30pm National Swimming Academy, Stirling University
There are different session types available depending on your swimming ability and level of fitness:
Skills and Drills: Beginners: This session will cater for the competent swimmer who would like to focus on their technique and perhaps work on one of their weaker strokes. This session would be ideal for those wishing to improve their front crawl breathing or to learn how to get more out of their swimming sessions by using coaching equipment.
Skills and Drills: Intermediate: This session is for the competent swimmer who would like to improve their technique and fitness through learning new skills and drills. This class will be suitable for an able recreational swimmer or perhaps a triathlete or individual hoping to take part in a participation event.
Masterclass: This session is for the more able swimmer who is perhaps competing or training with a Masters club or group. The session will focus on everything from speed of turns, starts and distance off the wall, to streamlining and core strength building.
All sessions are listed at www.scottishwimming.eventbrite.co.uk.
For more information on adult swimming in your area go to: www.scottishswimming.com/adults
New Year resolutions – and how to keep them
It’s a tradition on New Year’s Eve that you make a resolution for the year ahead. Some people pledge to lose weight, others decide to stop smoking and lots more say they are going to get fit and more active – but all too often you break that resolution just a few weeks into the New Year.
If you’ve made a New Year’s resolution – and you’re really, really determined to stick to it this time! – here’s some help and advice to assist you on your journey.
Maybe this time …
1. LOSE WEIGHT and/or GET FIT
One of the most common New Year resolutions is to eat better, exercise more and lose weight. After all of the rich and indulgent feasts you’ve had this holiday season, it might seem easy to stick to a diet of leafy greens at first. But when those cravings set in, it can be hard to stay on track with your diet. Plus, cold weather makes it harder for some people to get motivated and hit the gym.
If you’re looking to eat more healthily, ignore faddy diets – portion control will play a big part in your success. One good way to be more aware of what you’re eating is to use a kitchen scale to measure ingredients or weigh out portion sizes. A solid kitchen scale shouldn’t cost the earth and it’s an investment worth making.
Check out the library for books on good food and healthy eating, and Pilton Community Health Project’s website is a mine of useful information too www.pchp.org.uk
Many people sign up for a gym membership at this time of year but for a considerable number that’s as far as it goes – it can be hard to get motivated to leave the house on cold January days and evenings; it’s so much easier to put it off to another day! Gym memberships can also be very expensive – again, Pilton Community Health should be your first port of call for local exercise and healthy activities.
With Ainslie Park Leisure Centre on your doorstep (551 2400) it’s worth checking out Edinburgh Leisure to see what’s on offer both locally and across the city: telephone 458 2100 or visit www.edinburghleisure.co.uk
If you need a little reminder to be active, a fitness tracker like the Fitbit Flex can be a big help, but starting at around £50 they are quite an expensive reminder! I find trying to tie my shoelaces is enough of a reminder for me …
2. QUIT SMOKING
You know smoking is a bad habit that hits both your health and your wallet, but stopping is tough – it can take some people years and many, many failed attempts before they kick the habit. If you want 2015 to be the year you finally quit smoking, there are all kinds of products that can help wean you off the fags: there’s gum, patches and nasal spray inhalers – all of which help give you a boost of nicotine without having to inhale all that nasty smoke.
Many are turning to e-smoking as an aid to kicking the tobacco habit. If you’re looking to try out e-cigs as a way to cut back on actual cigarettes, you can now get a starter kit, charger, and carrying case set at increasingly competitive prices.
People who are trying to quit smoking the traditional way also appreciate having additional support options, and Allen Carr’s Easy Way to Stop Smoking book is still the most popular on the market.
NHS Lothian offers a range of stopping cessation sessions and Smokeline Scotland is also a great place to go for support, advice and tips.
http://www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk/HealthInformation/HealthAwareness/Smoking/Pages/default.aspx
Smokeline 0800 848484 www.canstopsmoking.com
3. SAVE MONEY AND REDUCE DEBT
Whether you want to get out of debt or just start saving for a big ticket item, there are lots of people who will be trying to spend their money more wisely in 2015. Setting up a personal budget can help you monitor your spending.
One tactic you can try to help you stay on budget is doing all your shopping in cash when you can, rather than using a debit card, cheque or credit card to pay for items – it’s estimated that people who pay for things with a card can spend almost 20% more on a transaction than those who are paying with cash.
If you’ve racked up a lot of debt on a credit card and you’re paying a hefty rate of interest, you should look around to see what deals are on offer and transfer that debt over to a 0% balance transfer credit card. By doing so, you’ll be able to avoid paying interest on that debt for a set period – some up to 35 months – and this will give you plenty of time to start tackling your debt without worrying about the interest accumulating.
The Money Advice Service has a good website for money saving advice, but if you are already in debt – get help, don’t let your problems escalate. Pilton CAB and Granton Information Centre are two local agencies that can help.
Don’t be tempted by payday loans or worse – the interest is astronomical. Check out Credit Unions which are a much cheaper and ethical way of helping you to manage your money.
Remember, if you spent too much over Christmas those bills will be arriving soon, so ACT NOW.
www.moneyadviceservice.org
www.moneysavingexpert.com
www.capitalcreditunion.com
North Edinburgh Credit Union, Wardieburn Drive 466 5006
Granton Information Centre, West Granton Road www.gic.org.uk 551 2459
Pilton CAB, Drylaw Shopping Centre on Ferry Road 202 1153 www.citizensadviceedinburgh.co.uk/
The Scottish Government has also just launched a new website to help guide you to the support and advice you need. Visit:
http://www.lightentheloadscotland.gov.uk/
4. LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE or SKILL
It’s never too late to learn something new and the New Year is the perfect time to try something different, whether for leisure or to open up new employment opportunities.
Locally, check out Edinburgh College – new courses start this month – and Craigroyston Community High School is running a wide variety of adult day and evening classes.
www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk
www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20070/adult_and_community_learning
5. GO GREEN
Thinking about going green this year? There are lots of small changes you can make to your lifestyle to reduce your energy bill, recycle materials in innovative ways and help do your part to make the planet healthier. www.greenerscotland.org is a good place to start for ideas.
6. VOLUNTEER and/or GIVE TO CHARITY
Many people plan to be more generous with both their time and any disposable income they may have in 2015 (some chance, I hear you say!)
Looking to donate time, not money, then? There are lots of ways you can donate your time – local and national charities and voluntary organisations are crying out for willing volunteers in all sorts of roles. There’s bound to be something to suit you – a good place to start is Volunteer Centre Edinburgh – go to www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk to see what you can do.
Time Banks are another great way to donate your time, energy and skills and get the same back in return – visit www.edinburghtimebank.org.uk for more information.
So, you’ve decided on your resolution? Here are some tips to help you stay on track when times get tough:
- Set yourself realistic goals, not impossible targets. Don’t think about losing two stone in a month, or running a marathon after a fortnight’s exercise!
- Don’t be all-or-nothing – you’re likely to have the odd slip along the way but don’t allow that to make you give up
- Remove temptation – no point in making things even more difficult for yourself
- Reward yourself along the way
- Thing positively and keep your eye on the prize – there may be tough times but the end result will be worth it!
GOOD LUCK!
Millennium Community Centre lowe-down: happy and fit
David Lowe’s Zumba & Fitsteps: “Together or Not” on Tuesday nights
David has introduced a new format of his popular forms of exercise by starting on Tuesdays with Zumba Class for 1 hour. Participants can, if they want to (after a short break) participate in the Fitsteps activity for a further hour.
Costs are as follows: 1 hour of Zumba (on its own) 6.30 – 7.30pm £ 4.50 1 Hour of Fitsteps (on its own) 7.30 – 8.30pm £ 4.00 Zumba & Fitsteps (the full programme (6.30 – 8.30pm.) £7.00
This is proving to be successful in its first weeks with all of the participants taking part in both activities. We will soon be able to claim our area as having the fittest and happiest people in Edinburgh !!
So come along to the biggest fitness party in North Edinburgh and join in the fun for whatever, and whenever, you want !!
See more at:
http://muirhousecommunitycentre.co.uk/new-concept-from-david-lowe/#sthash.MEksE07z.dpuf
James McGinty, Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre
Free swimming for kids at Ainslie Park
Yes, it’s the Easter holidays … no money for trips and kids bored already? Well, holiday activities needn’t be too expensive – and sometimes they’re even FREE!
There’s free swimming for Primary School children this Easter break (5 – 21 April) when Edinburgh Leisure are running free swimming sessions for primary school children at three Edinburgh Leisure swimming centres.
This month, Primary School children can swim for free during ANY listed Public Swim session at Ainslie Park, Dalry and Gracemount (Wester Hailes Education Centre is offering free swims too).
Remember the earlier you get there the more fun you can have so Edinburgh Leisure recommend arriving no later than half an hour before the Public Swim session’s finish time.
Telephone Ainslie Park Leisure Centre on 551 2400 for more information – see below for pool programme details
Get set for Leith Health and Fitness Festival
Looking after our elderly:
In the winter of 2012 a new Charity campaign emerged in Leith called Give a Gift this Christmas. This was an opportunity for organisations and members of the public to donate gifts which were distributed to elderly people across Leith and North East Edinburgh. This was a tremendous success and has led to the development of a Health and Fitness Festival, which will not only raise funds to help the Charity, but will also provide the opportunity for sharing information about keeping fit and healthy whatever your age.
To raise the profile of the Festival there will be a number of key events happening across Leith and wider. Subsequently there will be a range of raffles and smaller events to ensure that the word is out and that people are excited about the festival.
Leith Health & Fitness Festival – Saturday 10 August, Victoria Park, Leith
Our inspiration is to help bring back community spirit! Working together will offer a way to pull all generations together, to mend the cracks and try to give support and care to our local elderly residents.
There will be a range of stalls and events designed specifically for the older community, this will include a marquee set aside for entertainment, amusement and a free raffle, bowling on the green and lots of complimentary events / treatments on the day.
For the wider community there will be:
- Stall spaces for therapists and personal trainers (small fee)
- Stall spaces for local businesses (Small fee)
- Advice on optimum & sports nutrition
- Career advice
- Youth and Community information
- 5k fun run (application form below)
- Hula Honeys
- Fitness demos
- Activities for all the family.
If you feel you could support this exciting venture by having a stall, promoting your services, donating prizes for our competitions or raffle, (we have two raffles, a main raffle for everyone and another one for our elderly people). Or volunteering on the day then we would love to hear from you.
Please email me if you are interested in being part of our first Festival.
Email: lookingafterourelderly@virginmedia.com
All proceeds will go the Looking After Our Elderly and our second Give a Gift This Christmas campaign.
Thank you!
Kirsty Smith
Charity Director
festival stall email application form
A happy and healthy birthday to Leith Rehab Group
The Chest Heart & Stroke Rehab Group celebrates it’s first anniversary at the Calton Centre in Leith’s Montgomery Street this month. The group provides much-needed support and exercise for people in the Leith area who are living with chest and heart conditions.
Enthusiastic group member Paul Hodson describes himself as a “stroke survivor” and is really passionate about the support he receives. “There are a couple of things about the Leith group that really matter to me. They’re really good company and also I’m finding I’m getting my strength back, step by step – after a heart attack and a stroke, that’s pretty important.”
The group, which meets every Wednesday from 2 – 3.30pm at the Calton Centre, may only have been running for a year but it has already made a real difference to all those who attend regularly. As well as weekly exercise there is an opportunity to exchange information and relax over a cup of tea.
Group chairman Roger Jones was initially unsure about joining a group. “When it was suggested I join cardiac rehab sessions, I said ‘no way!’ First, I was recovering from a difficult operation and felt that was enough to be getting on with” he explained. “Second, I wasn’t keen on the idea of joining ‘a club’ – I’m not that sort of person. But I was wrong. These classes are both helpful to my health (light exercises only!) and good fun. Being part of a group like the Chest Heart & Stroke Rehabilitation Group offers the chance to meet like-minded people who have been through similar health experiences. They’re a great crowd!”
An important part of keeping well following any hospital stay after a heart or chest incident is exercise. Anyone who has received heart or pulmonary rehabilitation following a stay in hospital is advised to continue exercising – but many do not, and this can lead to further hospital admissions.
Further information is available from Roger Jones on 0131 652 350 or Morag Hammond their trainer on 07818 250871. The Chest Heart & Stroke Rehab Group is affiliated to Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland and is one of five support groups in Edinburgh.
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GPs to encourage patients to get active
Family doctors are set to help patients get healthier by highlighting the many benefits of physical activity. New ‘brief interventions’ will ask patients about their levels of physical activity and offer advice and follow-up support if appropriate, in the same way as already happens across the NHS for smoking and alcohol.
GPs and health professionals in six health board areas – including NHS Lothian – will encourage adults to get active in a bid to tackle a range of health problems, as physical inactivity contributes to nearly 2,500 premature deaths every year in Scotland and can cause heart disease, stroke, obesity or depression.
Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Sir Harry Burns recommends five periods of 30 minutes of moderate activity a week, 60 minutes for children under 16.
The year long pilot will embed the importance of physical activity in the NHS and initially focus on those who can benefit the most from being more active, such as people with chronic ill health, long term conditions or older people.
Speaking on a visit to Strathesk Medical Practice in Bonnyrigg, Sport Minister Shona Robison said: “Getting active is easy, simple and the most effective way to better health, reducing the risk of a multitude of conditions like heart disease, obesity or depression. Any activity, like walking, gardening or cycling, is better than none and makes you feel happier, less stressed and more energised. This is not about telling people to take more exercise, but health professionals offering advice to people who can get the most benefit, most quickly, ultimately reducing the need for further treatment and improving their lives.”
Dr David White, the Scottish Government’s Physical Activity specialist, said: “Regular physical activity really is man’s best medicine, providing a far greater range of health benefits than any medication. It’s been shown internationally that GPs and their teams offering accurate assessment alongside appropriate advice or brief intervention is both cost- and clinically-effective in helping patients become more active. The National Physical Activity Pathway, developed by NHS Health Scotland along with GPs, is a simple and effective resource to make a real difference.”
John Gillies, Chair of Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland, added: “Increasing physical activity is a simple, cheap and highly effective way of both staying healthy if you are well, and reducing the health risks of many chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. It works at any age. RCGP Scotland is happy to support this initiative, which will give GPs vital information on how to help patients increase activity and improve their health.”
Margaret Burns, Chair, NHS Health Scotland, said: “NHS Health Scotland know that three in five adults are not physically active enough to benefit their health and that getting active will increase life expectancy by almost a year. The cost to the NHS in Scotland alone of certain diseases resulting from physical inactivity is around £94 million every year and across the cost to the Scottish economy as a whole, far, far greater. That is why NHS Health Scotland, in partnership with Scottish Government and Royal College of General Practitioners, are supporting to staff motivate people to get active in their own way. The learning from the pilots will then be used to inform NHS practice across the country.”
The direct cost of physical inactivity to the NHS in Scotland is around £94 million per year.
The Chief Medical Officer’s latest Annual Report highlighted that the total annual costs to the Scottish economy of physical inactivity could be in the region of £660 million.
Research shows that brief advice/interventions for physical activity are a clinically proven and extremely cost effective method of improving physical activity within primary care.
The Active Scotland website provides information on local physical activity opportunities.
