Taking care of our physical wellbeing is just as important as taking care of our mental wellbeing. Physical well-being is about much more than just being physical. It is about our lifestyle choices, behaviours and attitude around sleep, diet and physical activity. Physical wellbeing is an important part of everyday life because without physical well-being, your mental, social and financial wellbeing are negatively impacted.
Physical wellbeing can be managed by: • Engaging with physical activity • Maintaining proper nutrition • Proactively seeking preventative care • Abstaining from drugs, alcohol and negative addictions • Getting proper rest • Increasing your ability to fight and recover from illness
Prioritising your physical wellbeing can sometimes seem a little overwhelming. In today’s world we all feel short of time and finding additional time to attend an exercise class, or prepare a healthy meal may just seem a bit out of reach. Schools in particular, often score lower in physical wellbeing than the other pillars of wellbeing. (Staff PULSE Survey Analysis 2021, Kent-Teach)
The good news is, there are lots of small simple changes you can make to improve your physical wellbeing.
You can: • Find creative ways to add additional movement to your day • Can you increase your active travel? Walk, run or cycle part of your journey and take the stairs when you can. • Have a five-minute stretch in your classroom before the children arrive or get them to join in too. • Create a staff walking group or exercise group after school. • Move your informal meetings with colleagues to a walk and talk format • Join in whole school challenges, such as the ‘daily mile’, make the curriculum as active as you can.
Schools can: • Sign up to active challenges as a school and compete against other schools in your area • All staff should be encouraged to take breaks, eat and recharge and not work through their lunch or eat at their desk.
• Educate your staff on nutrition and important of healthy choices • Plan a wellbeing day and invite experts to cover specific topics such as alcohol and substance usage.
Everyday Active helps support you in looking for a new challenge. Everyday Active is a campaign created and developed by the Kent and Medway Active Partnership. You can explore a wide range of activities and track this using the free activity tacker when you register on Kent Sport.
NHS Better Health Campaign
Drink Aware
British Nutrition Foundation