Live Longer Better Network News – Issue No.6 April 2024
Introduction
We hope you had a lovely Easter break and no doubt welcomed the clocks going forward, giving us more daylight hours to keep active!
The April edition of the Kent and Medway Live Longer Better Network News is packed with local and online activities, helpful guides and interesting research to enable us to support more people to become more active, more often. If you haven’t already registered for our upcoming online Live Longer Better Network event, on Tuesday 30 April 2024, 10:00 – 11:30, we encourage you to do so via the article below. As always, please share our Network News with your colleagues, partners and other organisations to help spread the word. Thank you.
Live Longer Better Network Event
We are delighted to announce our next Live Longer Better event will take place online on Tuesday 30 April, 10:00 – 11:30.
The focus will be on activities being delivered across Kent and Medway (cognitive, physical and emotional) and how these can have a positive impact on everyone as we get older. We also welcome guest speakers from NHS Talking Therapies, Cycling UK and our Everyday Active Champion in Thanet. There will be an opportunity to share initiatives, experiences, successes and challenges, to help us all work together to enable everyone to live longer, healthier lives here in Kent and Medway.
Charing Practice Couch to 5k Success
Charing Practice and Ashford PCN recently partnered with a local health coach to provide a free 10 week Couch to 5k guided programme for patients with underlying health conditions, such as high blood pressure, menopausal symptoms, anxiety, unhealthy habits and postnatal deconditioning.
The practice (the first in Kent to achieve the RCGP Active Practice Charter accreditation) is proud of the patients who recently graduated from the Couch to 5k programme.
One patient commented “I think it’s one of the best things that the NHS has done. It’s teaching people to be proactive instead of reactive to improve their health and general well-being.”
Follow this link to read the full article
Couch to Walking 5k
If running 5k is a step too far, how about trying the Couch to Walking 5k programme to help you get started?
From just 10 steps to working up to a mile, you’ll be amazed how quickly you’ll be walking further. The health benefits are endless but that’s not all, being outside, even if it’s just for 10 minutes a day, will make you feel better. With May, National Walking Month, just around corner, the Couch to Walking 5k programme is a great place to start your walking journey.
Follow this link to view the Couch to Walking 5k programme
Couch to Fitness App
If you’d rather get fit from the comfort of your home, why not try the Couch to Fitness App?
A FREE 9 week programme allowing everyone to enjoy getting fit from home. You follow an online workout that is suitable for all levels and flexible enough to fit into daily schedules. The multi-week plan involves 3 video sessions a week, with rest days in between so you can take it at your own pace. Bit by bit you’ll feel fitter, as you stick with the free fitness programme.
Everyday Active 'Travel Your Way' Challenge
The Everyday Active ‘Travel Your Way’ Challenge runs for 4 weeks from 1 – 31 May 2024 and it’s all about swapping motorised transport for two legs, two wheels or four wheels.
If you walk, run, cycle or use a self-propelled wheelchair, instead of using motorised transport for all or part of your journey, for functional reasons such as, travelling to work, to the local shops or to a leisure activity, it can be logged as Active Travel on your activity tracker dashboard.
Making active travel choices is an easy way to fit activity into your day and can help reduce the risk of obesity and many chronic diseases, improve mental health and your overall well-being. There are so many benefits of Active Travel, we hope you’ll join us for this new Challenge.
Kent Wildlife Trust Wellbeing Programmes
Kent Wildlife Trust are offering two free programmes to experience the wellbeing benefits nature has to offer.
- Wilder Wellbeing in Sevenoaks and Maidstone. A six week programme for anyone over 55 or under 55 with a long term health need.
- Nature Connection in Margate and Dover. A six week programme in Margate and Dover for over 65’s living with dementia.
Hear from Trevor and John who share their own Wilder Wellbeing experiences in the short film below:
Follow this link to view and register for the Wilder Wellbeing Programmes
WHO Active Toolkit
The World Health Organisation has published the ACTIVE toolkit to promote and enable older people to be physically active, regardless of who they are, where they live or their intrinsic capacities.
The toolkit is designed to ensure that environments and settings support older people to be active, and that they provide physical activity services and programmes tailored to the needs, preferences and goals of all older people.
There are examples of activity services and programmes across the globe (particularly low and middle income countries with limited resources).
Carers Active Best Practice Guide
A new resource has been developed by Carers UK to help any interested organisations or professionals to get started in, or further develop, the physical activity programme they offer carers.
The guide provides important data, tips, good practice examples, and links to resources to
allow you to build activities which engage carers to be active in a way that’s accessible,
inclusive, and achievable, and that delivers positive social outcomes and health benefits.
There are so many ways to encourage activity and reduce isolation in carer’s lives, and this comprehensive guide will give you many ideas in moving forward.
Free Everyday Active Workshop
The Everyday Active Workshop is for anyone wanting to improve their knowledge and understanding of the benefits of physical activity, to feel confident about having conversations with others to help get more people, more active across Kent and Medway.
“It reminded me how important it is to talk about physical activity and it’s motivated me to do more myself.” Workshop Attendee
Join us online for our next free workshop on Wednesday 19 June 2024, 10:00 – 11:30.
National Wellbeing Campaigns
National Walking Month: 1 – 31 May 2024
Find out about National Walking Month
Mental Health Awareness Week: 13 – 19 May 2024
Find out about Mental Health Awareness Week
Dementia Action Week: 13 – 19 May 2024
Find out about Dementia Action Week
Volunteers Week: 3 – 9 June 2024
Find out about Volunteers Week
Bike Week: 10 – 16 June 2024
National Carers Week: 10 – 16 June 2024
Find out about National Carers Week
Men’s Health Week: 12 – 18 June 2024
Find out about Men’s Mental Health Week
Armed Forces Day: 29 June 2024
Other Announcements
Contact Us
We’d love to hear from you
If there’s anything in our network news you’d like to discuss further, please contact Michelle Bird, our Health & Wellbeing Officer via email: michelle.bird@kent.gov.uk.