Pastoral Care

Moving on up!

IN our last newsletter article from the Pastoral Care Team,  we spoke sleep and importance it has in maintaining a balanced and healthy life not just for our physical well-being but for our mental well-being. As mentioned sleep, exercise and diet form the three-pillars of health. As we have already focused on sleep, this article will focus in exercise. 

Keep it Simple

Given upcoming holidays this is a perfect opportunity for students to try something different. While your child may play sport and get plenty of exercise they may want to try something different every so often to create variety. However, this may not be the case for all and the word exercise can be overwhelming. 

Exercise is simply anything that gets your body moving.  Young people should look as doing a few small simple things, with the hope they become regular. Here are some suggestions:

• Taking a walk together or doing a small trail walk (there are a few around Perth).
• Walking a dog (if you have one)
• Going for a swim
• Going for a ride on your bike
• Helping in the garden of tree planting projects 
• Trying a different activity like Yoga or Dancing or a new sport
• Going for a slow jog

Benefits

The benefits of exercising have been long proven to impact our physical health in a positive manner. With  the continued good habit of exercising we know this benefits our long term health.  Far greater is the scientific research that has found exercise has a positive impact on our mental health. It is proven to:

• Reduce the effects of stress 
• Cope with and not carry some of the problems presented to us in our day
• Improving mood 
• Sleep better

The best benefit in our opinion is the chemical effect exercise has on our Brain. After exercise the brain releases endorphins. These chemicals are your natural reward of exercise and are a chemical that leaves us feeling good. The more we exercise the more we are given theses feel good endorphins. The more we feel good increases our abilities to deal with times that we are feeling low and stressed. 

For an extra resource with a tool to help with exercising in young people go to https://headspace.org.au/explore-topics/for-young-people/stay-active/, on the Headspace website. 

The Pastoral Care Team