Boost Your Mood
Keeping active is not only vital for your physical health but can boost your mood, making you happier and healthier, and is one of the five steps that evidence shows we can take to improve our mental wellbeing. This November we're encouraging our whole community to not only get active, but to try some of the other steps too.
| 1. Connect |
4. Give to others |
| 2. Be active | 5. Take notice |
| 3. Keep learning |
Opportunities to be active and connect
Being active and building connections with people around you will support and enrich you every day. Here are some of the opportunities we have coming up in November where you can get active and connect with our community.
Feel Good Walks
University of Edinburgh staff and students are invited to come along for a lunchtime Feel Good walk to help boost your mood.
Find out more and book your place
Outdoor Bootcamps
Starting Monday 7 November at Easter Bush and Tuesday 8 November at Peffermill
Our bootcamps are a fun mixture of circuit training, HIIT, sport-style drills and bodyweight exercises. You will be led through these by our expert instructors who will lead and motivate you through these hard-hitting and exciting workouts.
Find out more and book your place
Learn to lift workshops
Starting Sunday 13 November
Weight training can be one of the most powerful tools in your workout locker. It has a host of health benefits (increased bone density, protective effects against osteoporosis, diabetes and cardiac disease) and also promotes a feeling of strength and confidence.
Find out more and book your place
Recreational Sport
Recreational Sport is a fun and informal way to be active, try new things and meet friends in a relaxed environment. Recreational sport is for all students, regardless of your previous relationship to sport. There is no pressure to compete and you can participate as and when suits you. Come along, get involved and fall in love with sport and physical activity, all whilst improving your mental health and wellbeing.
Further opportunities to be active
Opportunities to take notice and keep learning
Being aware of the world around you and what you are feeling, and reflecting on your experiences can help you appreciate what matters and learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun. We have lots of opportunities to try something new this November.
Five week Self-Defence workshop
Starting Monday 7 November
Improve your confidence and fitness by learning practical self-defence based on real-life situations.
Find out more and book your place
Five week Hatha Yoga workshop
Starting Tuesday 8 November
This gentle yoga workshop is perfect for beginners. The slow-paced workshop will focus on breathing, poses and mindfulness. The benefits of Hatha Yoga include increased flexibility, lower stress levels, strengthening the body and it can boost your mood.
Find out more and book your place
Five week Vinyasa Flow Yoga workshop
Starting Tuesday 8 November
Vinyasa Flow has a faster pace than Hatha yoga so it would be perfect for members looking to improve. This workshop focuses on flowing movements with the emphasis placed more on the transitions in and out of each posture.
Find out more and book your place
Five week Capacitar - Tai-Chi wellness workshop
Starting Wednesday 9 November
Capacitar means 'to empower or encourage' and draws inspiration from Capacitar International, an organisation for trauma, healing and transformation. A wonderful way to feel grounded and calm and gives us an opportunity to connect to the healing energy of nature around us.
Find out more and book your place
Climbing Courses
The Sport & Exercise Climbing Wall team run a variety of courses and workshops for beginners as well as more advanced climbers.
Opportunities to give to others
Doing something nice for a friend or stranger, or volunteering for a larger cause, can have a huge impact for other people, as well as helping you in looking after your wellbeing.
Men's Health Awareness Month
November is Men's Health Awareness Month. Why is it important to highlight men's health, especially their mental health? In 2017, nearly 6000 suicides were recorded in Great Britain. Of these, 75% were men. Suicide is the largest cause of death for men under 50.
- Read more at Men and mental health: mentalhealth.org.uk
During November a number of Edinburgh University Sports Union Clubs are participating in the Movember campaign, raising awareness of men's mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.
- Support the official University of Edinburgh Movember challenge at movember.com
- Find out more about the Movember campaign at Men's mental health: uk.movember.com
Supporting our Community - Festive Foodbank collection
This Festive season, we're once again supporting the Edinburgh NE Foodbank help those in need in our community.
About the Edinburgh NE Foodbank
We don’t think anyone in our community should have to face going hungry. That’s why we provide three days’ nutritionally balanced emergency food and support to local people who are referred to us in crisis. We are part of a nationwide network of foodbanks, supported by The Trussell Trust, working to combat poverty and hunger across the UK.
How can you help?
You can help those in need by donating non-perishable items such as cereal, tins, biscuits, UHT milk, toothpaste or shower gel.
Please add items to the collection box at Pleasance or Peffermill reception before 16 December.
Thank you.