Battle of the Staffrooms – 26th April 2023

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Our Business Students are organising an event and invite all staff to join them at PlayZone Llansamlet for an evening of fun and games and to release your inner child!

Staff are invited to enter a team of 5 to compete against other staffrooms, areas or work friends. The evening will consist of free play, relay competitions with bonus points to those that do the RED slide. There will also be a pub style quiz and raffle with prizes including signed Swansea City jerseys and  football tops.

Tickets are £10 per person (ask your LAM if they will contribute towards this) and all profits go towards the Kenya Project. There will be hot and cold drinks and snacks available to purchase.

If you have a team who wants to enter and win the prestigious trophy for the Battle of the Staffrooms, you can contact Alison.harris@gcs.ac.uk for more info and to purchase tickets.

Training for older age

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Training when you are 80 Years Old? It’s never too late to start.

“Exercise in Octogenarians: How Much Is Too Little?”

Individuals who have engaged in aerobic and resistance exercise for most of their adult lives have a substantially larger physical capacity and enhanced physiological function in many organ systems compared to their untrained or inactive counterparts (68–77). Typical age-related impairments in physical and physiological function are either forestalled or greatly diminished in highly trained seniors.

Arbab-Zadeh et al. found that carefully screened older adults (average age 70 years) who had performed nearly daily vigorous aerobic exercise training and competed regularly in national and regional endurance competitions for at least 25 years were indistinguishable in CRF and cardiac compliance from untrained adults on average 4 decades younger

A recent review took a minimal-dose approach and reported that performing resistance exercise for at least 2 days weekly for 60 min or less appears to be appropriate for improving muscular function in older adults

Once strength and muscle mass gains are achieved, a single weekly maintenance resistance exercise session of a sufficient volume and intensity appears to be effective in preserving skeletal muscle mass and strength in older adults

Thus, the minimal effective dose for increasing and then preserving muscle mass in older adults through resistance training is likely a very manageable exercise dose.

https://www.annualreviews.org/…/annurev-med-070119-115343

 

This is not my post, but I thought I would share as more and more evidence is becoming available that highlights that fitness, especially strength training, is very beneficial for leading healthy and independent lives into older age. Although it is never to late to start, this report shows that the sooner we do start has an increased benefit into older age.

If you want to know where to start, then book a 1-1 through the wellbeing portal or message me at christian.regis@gcs.ac.uk

Hopefully see you in the gym,

 

Chris.

Menopause Friendly Accreditation

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GCS are pleased to be awarded The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, established by Henpicked: Menopause In The Workplace, www.menopausefriendly.co.uk (www.menopausefriendly.co.uk), an award that recognises high standards and proven practices that embrace menopause in the workplace.

The Menopause Friendly Accreditation is industry-recognised and the only accreditation that sets clear standards which must be met. As such, it is truly meaningful and considered by many as a mark of excellence for menopause in the workplace.

In order to achieve The Menopause Friendly Accreditation, employers are assessed by an Independent Panel and must demonstrate evidence of their effectiveness in six key areas, namely: culture, policies and practices, training, engagement, facilities and evaluation.

If you are struggling with menopause or want to find out more about what support the College can offer you, please email lorraine.evans@gcs.ac.uk

Ironman update

Our Ironman team had a visit from Paul and Jayne Arnold who have completed in every Wales Ironman event since 2011. Paul and Jayne chatted about their experiences of competing, training plans and gave valuable insights as to what to expect on the day.

Wellbeing Roadshow – 03.02.23 – Gorseinon

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GCS will be holding a Wellbeing Roadshow at Gorseinon campus on Friday 3rd March.  Lorraine Evans, Wellbeing Advisor, and Christian Regis, Staff Fitness Coach, will be in the reception area from 9am until 12pm to talk all things Wellbeing and to answer any questions you may have on the new Staff Wellbeing portal, Employee Assistance Programme, Lean Body Challenge, Staff Benefits or any other related enquiries. Please pop along to meet them and to discuss any suggestions as to what you would like to see on the wellbeing agenda.

Menopause Cafe – Jubilee Court 01.03.23

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Menopause café drop in sessions are a place for colleagues to get together informally to socialise, eat cake, drink tea and discuss menopause. These sessions will be a respectful, confidential opportunity to chat with your colleagues and to talk and share menopause stories and experiences.

Tea and coffee will be available and these sessions are open to all, regardless of gender or age and we look forward to meeting you all there.

For more information or to get involved, please contact Lorraine.evans@gcs.ac.uk

Coming soon….Cash Plan Webinar 2 March 2023

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Health Shield health cash plan is a type of health insurance where you can claim up to 100% money back for everyday healthcare costs such as dental, optical or combined physio. So, whether you’re in need of a check-up or treatment, with a health cash plan there’s no need to wait or go without because your budget’s a bit tight this month. You can afford to spend on the things that keep you in the best of health, and then simply claim money back.

Your Health Shield representative, Tracey Oldham-Duparcq, will be holding a virtual presentation with more information and to answer any questions on:

  • Thursday 2nd March at 12.00pm and 4.00pm.

For information on how to join the webinar, please contact wellbeing@gowercollegeswansea.ac.uk   

 

 

Corporate Health Standards reaccreditation

In 2019 the College achieved a Gold Award in the Corporate Health Standard, which is part of the ‘Healthy Working Wales’ programme and is the national mark of quality for health and well-being of staff in the workplace. This Award is reviewed every 3 years and the college were recently assessed to review our Gold Award status and our status has been extended until 2024, with independent assessors saying that we were one of the best organisations they had seen for engagement, impetus and overall enthusiasm for health and wellbeing.

They commented that our wellbeing provision had not only been maintained since 2019, but enhanced, and that this was largely due to the recruitment of a dedicated Wellbeing Advisor, Lorraine Evans, and Staff Fitness Coach, Christian Regis. They praised our working group and wellbeing agenda with particular emphasis on our work on raising awareness of menopause, the new Exercise Referral Scheme, Wellbeing Portal, Ironman team amongst many other initiatives, and were impressed with our plans to develop and introduce regular craft based wellbeing activities for staff which we hope to introduce across the college shortly.

To read the report please click Gower College ESC Gold Report – January 2023

If you are interested in joining the Corporate Health Standards Steering Group to help shape our wellbeing agenda, please get in touch with Sarah.King@gcs.ac.uk.

Time To Talk Day – 2 Feb

The College supported Time to Talk Day on Thursday, 2 February with pop up cafes with board games on all College sites throughout the day, and invited staff to drop in for a cuppa and a chat.

Time to Talk Day is the nation’s biggest mental health conversation.  It’s a day for friends, colleagues and workplaces to come together to talk, listen and change lives. We know that the more conversations we have, the better life is for everyone.  Talking about mental health isn’t always easy, but a conversation has the power to change lives.

If you are struggling with your mental health, please contact the EAP on 0800 2062534 or book a 121 Wellbeing session with Lorraine.evans@gcs.ac.uk.

7 Benefits of Strength Training

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7 Benefits of Strength Training

Strength training has numerous benefits, both physically and mentally. Some of the best benefits include:

  1. Improved muscle strength and endurance: Regular strength training can help increase muscle strength and endurance, which can improve overall physical function, performance and body shape.
  2. Better bone health: Strength training can help improve bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis plus other bone-related conditions., especially in our later years – there is no age limit to when to start strength training.
  3. Increased metabolism: Strength training can boost your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories even when you’re at rest – helping with that body shape.
  4. Improved balance and coordination: Strength training can help improve balance and coordination, reducing the risk of falls and injuries.
  5. Better posture: Strength training can help correct muscle imbalances and improve posture, reducing the risk of pain and injury.
  6. Reduced risk of chronic disease: Strength training has been shown to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Research is continuing to demonstrate that strength training is beneficial to warding against many poor health conditions.
  7. Mental health benefits: Strength training can also have a positive impact on mental health, helping to reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression. And there is no better feeling when you leave the weights room knowing you just smashed it (not literally of course – PLEASE tidy up and put your weights away).

Overall, strength training is an effective way to improve physical and mental health, enhance athletic performance, and reduce the risk of injury and disease.

If you are new to strength training, or you feel you could do with a revamp of an old program, then book into a Fitness 1-1 via the wellbeing portal where you can discuss where to start. Plus get some coaching so you can hit the gym clued up and ready to rock the metal – I’m actually talking about lifting of course, but I am also very supportive of listening to Heavy Metal whilst Lifting Heavy Metal – it just makes sense.

Chris (Staff Fitness Coach)