Cycle To Work is now open!

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Your Cycle to Work Scheme is now available all year round. As one of the UK’s leading Cycle to Work scheme providers, Cycle Solutions helps employees purchase a new bike tax free through salary sacrifice, making savings on the cost of a new bike and cycling equipment and spreading the cost over 12 months.  To find out more please visit https://www.cyclesolutions.info/how-it-works

All you need to do is..

  • Find Your New Bike

Follow your unique Cycle Solutions link to your company store, and order your bike and/or accessories online. They will call you to confirm the details of your order.

  • Order Approval

Once your order has been finalised, Cycle Solutions will send you an agreement to approve. Your employer will also approve this document, confirming that you will be hiring the equipment for the duration of the agreement.

  • Revolutionise Your Commute!

Your bike will be assembled and checked by our technicians and delivered to your chosen address. You are then free to start using your brand new bike to cycle to work!

  • Salary Sacrifice

After approval from yourself and your employer, deductions will be taken from your salary for the duration of the agreement.

 

Your Cycle to Work scheme is an agreement between yourself, your employer and Cycle Solutions. You can continue to use your bike once your agreement ends by choosing one of the end of scheme options.

Wisdom AI – mental health toolkit

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We have a newly launched offering available to all staff. Health Assured, our Employee Assistance Programme suppliers, has designed a new website, Wisdom AI. When you need answers, you need them fast. So they created Wisdom AI, a pool of mental health knowledge combined of professional counselling expertise and the latest Artificial Intelligence with invaluable contributions from their professional counsellors’. All staff have full access to this revolutionary platform that delivers expert advice in a  few simple clicks.

You can access it here HERE

 

 

Creative Wellbeing Sessions – LYB

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In response to staff feedback and the Wellbeing Roadshows, on 23 and 30 March the College held some free creative taster sessions at Llwyn y Bryn for staff. Creativity can help reduce stress and improve mental health, being creative may also reduce feelings of anxiety and depression and helps us manage or express our emotions in a positive and productive way. The sessions included:

  • drawing – close up study of a still life and drawing a perspective unique to them
  • pottery – explore the versatility of clay and use different techniques to hand build a ceramic planter
  • glass making – learn how to cut glass and experiment with different materials to create an individual glass item
  • textiles – have the opportunity to recycle an old jumper into a cushion cover or hot water bottle

The sessions were very well received with pottery and glass making being booked up in record time! We are hoping to build on the success of these taster sessions by offering more classes, information on this and how to book on will be communicated shortly.

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