Check out our latest magazine... Read Online

Be Well, Move Happy: Connections & Sports

Thursday, 15 February 2024 10:00

By Sara Whatley

In the second month of this new health column, Sara Whatley looks at the health benefits of connecting with others and joining a sports club

‘All you need is love’, sang the Beatles. "Realise that everything connects to everything else", said Leonardo Da Vinci. Connection is everything. Without connecting to others, humans are at a loss. In this feature I offer my thoughts on how to build more meaningful connections with others, and how connecting through sport can be a brilliant way not only to keep our bodies fit, but our minds also.  

WELLNESS: CONNECTING WITH OTHERS
What does connection with other humans look like for you? It might be a weekly chat on the phone to a family member or friend. It might be a daily check in with a local shopkeeper. It might be working with colleagues in an office or having a quick catch up with other parents on the school run. It might be virtually connecting with others in different countries, or it might be surrounding yourself with family and friends every single day possible.

To build a real meaningful connection with someone we need to get vulnerable. Someone once said to me when I had lost contact with a friend, share something personal with them and they will share back. They did and our connection was re-established.

It can be scary looking for connection sometimes, like going on a first date, but the rewards will be great. Take a deep breath and ask a colleague if they would like to join you for lunch. It could simply be eating your sandwiches on a bench together outside. Or how about signing up to a volunteering position? There are lots of organisations who need volunteers to connect with elderly or vulnerable people on a regular basis, bringing a myriad of benefits to both parties.

You might find connections by putting yourself out there in a new setting; join a choir, a beer club or a horticultural society.

Whatever you do, try to find the connection with others in day-to-day life. Smile at a stranger. Have a heart to heart with a friend. Just connect.

            

MOVEMENT: SPORTS CLUBS

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut with exercise. We find something we like and enjoy, we get comfortable doing it, and then for no apparent reason, our enthusiasm and motivation can fade over time.

If you want to level up your exercise routine with connecting to other people, then you might want to consider joining a club and trying a new form of exercise. There are so many different clubs on the scene. Pick and choose from tennis to rowing, horse riding to running. How about a weekly dance lesson where exercise takes a back seat and fun takes a flying leap to the forefront? You will be concentrating so hard on the dance steps, the music and your dancing partners you will forget you are even exercising at all. Perfect!    

Many clubs offer different levels of accessibility for our various needs, such as walking football or sitting volleyball. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned fitness fanatic there will be a sport and a club out there for you, with professionals to guide you along the way too.

The benefits of social exercising reach far beyond the health benefits we all know exercise can potentially give us – more energy, better overall health, lower blood pressure, a stronger and toned body, and a surge of happy hormones. A club offers the opportunity to make new friends, find a like-minded tribe, and also enhance the friendships you already have through your increased motivation.

Sports clubs can also make your exercise routine more reliable – you wouldn’t want to let down the rest of your team or club members. So if you struggle getting off the sofa (we all do!) then look to others to give you the jump-start you might need.    

Share

More from Features

  • SPECIAL OFFER: General Admission Tickets To The Al Shira’aa Hickstead Derby Meeting

    We’ve got a special offer for general admission tickets for all of our Hidden members to this internationally renowned event on either Friday 21 or Saturday 22 June - RSVP on our ticket page and we'll send you a QR code for entry for TWO people!

  • Join Dementia Action Week

    Alzheimer’s Research UK is keen for people to get involved and help support their ground-breaking dementia research work that potentially brings new treatments closer. Fundraising Officer Francine Clarke explains why it is so important

  • What to Watch in May 2024

    From a watch-through-your-fingers true crime documentary to the return of Doctor Who, here's your guide to all the best new films & TV shows coming to screens big and small in the month of May...

  • Tracing the Rails

    Ever wondered about the history and romance of the steam train that once trickerty- trocked it’s way along the lost Steyning Line? This dynamic group of friends did, so they made a documentary about it. Sara Whatley found out more

  • NEW COMPETITION: Win Four VIP Tickets For More Radio Live 2024

    Fancy attending this year's More Radio Live in style? We've got FOUR tickets up for grabs to our VIP Marquee with all-inclusive food and drink!

  • Be Well, Move Happy: Eating Awareness and Deskercise

    Helping us to move more and eat better, this month Sara Whatley looks at eating awareness and deskercise

  • Riding to Success

    Not a coffee morning kind of couple, Alison and Henry are soon embarking on an ambitious UK tour on their 1960s scooters, all to raise money for Alzheimer’s Society. Sara Whatley finds out more

  • Home Style: Home on Wheels

    A plot on the family farm with stunning marshland views was the ideal spot for Freddie Pack and Katie McNie to build their new home – a cabin on wheels

  • Home Style: Seeing the Light

    George and Christopher Stephenson left the rat race of London for a life in the south-east countryside, transforming a dark and dated Grade-II listed farmhouse

  • Step out for St Catherine’s Hospice

    St Catherine’s Hospice popular Midnight Walk is bouncing back to the streets of Horsham on Saturday 8 June, Adele Trathan explains how readers can get involved

  • If You Ask Me... This is Beyoncé Country

    This month, Flo Whitaker considers a recent showbiz altercation and asks, “If a black woman from Texas can’t make a country album - who can?”

  • Artelium Wine – Crafted in Sussex

    As the Sussex wine industry continues to expand and lead the way for the rest of the UK it is heartwarming to find a winery that’s producing award winning wines of outstanding quality, so we sent Robert Veitch to find out more

  • Homes Extra: Expanding Space

    If you need some extra space in your home but do not want to shoulder the burden and expense of moving, then look to a small extension or home improvement, says Sara Whatley

  • Kids Zone: Mosaic Art

    Get creative with this month’s fun and sustainable activity – mosaic art. Sara Whatley explains what to do

  • Be Well, Move Happy: Gardening & Connecting with Nature

    Spring is a wonderful time of year to get out and enjoy our natural world. Sara Whatley looks at connecting with nature for wellness and gardening for fitness

  • Homes for Ukraine: Opening Your Home and Your Heart

    As the conflict in the Ukraine continues, Homes for Ukraine scheme is still keen to hear from people that are interested in hosting a Ukrainian guest, as Paul Crompton from East Sussex County Council explains

  • Charity: Age Concern Hassocks

    Fancy a new place for lunch, meeting new friends in a fun and welcoming atmosphere, or a spot of volunteering? Look no further than Age Concern Hassocks, says Sara Whatley

  • Another New Clinic For Sussex Audiology

    Sussex Audiology has added to its Haywards Heath offering with a brand new high-street clinic. Hanna Prince drops in to learn about the vital importance of healthy hearing

  • The Joy of the Repair Café

    Volunteers are central to the success of Repair Cafés across Sussex, so we sent Nicola Coughlin along to Lindfield Repair Cafe to talk to volunteers about their valuable contribution

  • Wills & Wakes

    Sara Whatley spoke to Melanie Hodson, Head of Information Support at Hospice UK about how to talk openly and honestly about death and dying

© Sussex Living and Aiir 2024 | Unit 4 Regent Business Centre, 6 Jubilee Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9TL