Happy & Healthy 2020

Healthy & Happy 2020 :-) 

At some stage in life most (if not, all) of us will consider making improvements towards our wellbeing; be it to join a gym, or make it to the gym 4x per week, drink more water, eat more vegetables, get outdoors more often, take a yoga class, play a new sport, meditate for 2 minutes a day, do something for charity, the list goes on. In fact, the word wellbeing actually refers to a lot more than we might think. 

Wellbeing is described as the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy. (According to the Oxford English dictionary). 

And according to several mental health charities, and the NHS, there are 5 key components to improving our wellbeing: 
(Sources: NHS.co.uk and mind.org.uk) 

1. Connecting with people (There is strong evidence that indicates that feeling close to, and valued by other people is a fundamental human need and one that contributes to functioning well in the world. It’s clear that social relationships are critical for promoting wellbeing and for acting as a buffer against mental ill health for people of all ages. With this in mind, try to do something different today and make a connection.
2. Being physically active (We probably all know that regular physical activity is associated with lower rates of depression and anxiety across all age groups. Exercise is essential for slowing age-related cognitive decline and for promoting well-being) 
3. Learning (Continued learning through life enhances self-esteem and encourages social interaction and a more active life. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the opportunity to engage in work or educational activities particularly helps to lift older people out of depression. The practice of setting goals, which is related to adult learning in particular, has been strongly associated with higher levels of wellbeing.) 
4. Giving to others (Participation in social and community life has attracted a lot of attention in the field of wellbeing research. Individuals who report a greater interest in helping others are more likely to rate themselves as happy. Research into actions for promoting happiness has shown that committing an act of kindness once a week over a six-week period is associated with an increase in wellbeing.) 
5. Paying attention to the present/mindfulness (Reminding yourself to ‘take notice’ can strengthen and broaden awareness. Studies have shown that being aware of what is taking place in the present directly enhances your well-being and savouring ‘the moment’ can help to reaffirm your life priorities. Heightened awareness also enhances your self-understanding and allows you to make positive choices based on your own values and motivations.) 

It is our mission at CrossFit Aberdeen to help people live healthier and happier lives through CrossFit. In a nutshell, provide a platform for people to improve their wellbeing. We know that for many of you, CrossFit Aberdeen is more than just a gym, and we want to make that message as loud and clear as we can, in relation to the points above. 

To bring this to life, we are embarking upon an initiative called “Healthy & Happy 2020” in line with the launch of our first community movie surrounding the CrossFit Games Open at CFA - “Open 20 - Fit Like”. 

Do 20 things to help make yourself, or others, healthier, 20 things to help make yourself, or others, happier. 

Play however you want, it may take you 2 months, 6 months, or even the year to accomplish your 20s, but each month we’ll give you some themes to help bring it to life. Some of the themes include: 

• Nutrition focus 
• Using your fitness “out of the box” 
• Trying a new sport … or an old one! 
• Continued encouragement of our community events, look out for the Summer Series 2020, more regular Team Wars, social hangouts etc.! 
• Learning - this could be a new skill, or some knowledge bombs from a talk or workshop we provide at CFA 
• Recovery - how much do we really understand about this and how can we optimise it (think: sleep, stretching, food/water, recovery days) 
• Doing things for yourself 
• Supporting others (be it family, friends, charity etc.) 

We may provide these tools inside the box, or we may encourage you to look outside the box at times as well! 

We will start simply with identifying and setting some goals for the rest of the year, alongside setting a path to achieve them. Look out for the whiteboard at the box! 

Each month, we’ll look for stories from members and even the wider community, no matter how big or small, that exemplify your attempts at living more healthily and / or happily! And we’re here to help in whatever capacity we can. 

We'd love as many of you to get involved as possible, and if you have any ideas, please feel free to share them with us! 

#HappyAndHealthy2020 #GetInvolved