The Facts
On these pages we will add statistics and facts from the great and the good, some of these facts will help, some may merely help you to better understand the enormity of the problem we are all facing - But we hope it will show you that we are not alone. Join us today and learn to find comfort and hopefully happiness and or piece of mind that together we can help each other grow.
March 2020
Some mental + emotional benefits of exercise
Sharper memory and thinking - The same endorphins that make you feel better also help you concentrate and
feel mentally sharp for tasks at hand. Exercise also stimulates the growth of new brain cells and helps prevent age-related decline.Higher self-esteem - Regular
activity is an investment in your mind, body, and soul. When it becomes habit, it can foster your sense of self-worth and make you feel strong and powerful. You’ll feel better about your appearance and, by meeting even small exercise goals, you’ll feel a sense of achievement.Better sleep - Even short bursts of exercise in the morning or afternoon can help regulate your sleep patterns. If you prefer to exercise at night, relaxing exercises such as yoga or gentle stretching can help promote sleep.
More energy - Increasing your heart rate several times a week will give you more get-up-and-go. Start off with just a few minutes of exercise per day, and increase your workout as you feel more energized.
Stronger resilience - When faced with mental or emotional challenges in life, exercise can help you cope in a
healthy way, instead of resorting to alcohol, drugs, or other negative behaviours that ultimately only make your symptoms worse. Regular exercise can also help boost your immune system and reduce the impact of stress.Even a little bit of activity is better than nothing - If that still seems intimidating, don’t despair. Even just a few minutes of physical activity are better than none at all. If you don’t have time for 15 or 30 minutes of exercise, or if your body tells you to take a break after 5 or 10 minutes, for example, that’s okay, too. Start with 5- or 10-minute sessions and slowly increase your time. The more you exercise, the more energy you’ll have, so eventually you’ll feel ready for a little more. The key is to commit to some moderate physical activity—however little—on most days. As exercising becomes habit, you can slowly add extra minutes or try different types of activities. If you keep at it, the benefits of exercise will begin to pay off.
You don’t have to suffer to get results - Research shows that moderate levels of exercise are best for most people.
Moderate means:
1. That you breathe a little heavier than normal, but are not out of breath. For example, you should be able to chat with your walking partner, but not easily sing a song.
2. That your body feels warmer as you move, but not overheated or very sweaty.It’s okay to start small. In fact, it’s smart
When you’re under the cloud of an emotional disorder and haven’t exercised for a long time, setting extravagant goals like completing a marathon or working out for an hour every morning will only leave you more despondent if you fall short. Better to set achievable goals and build up from there.
Source:- HelpGuide.org
October 2019
Contact with nature - Working a plot year- round means that allotment holders experience the seasons, witness the behaviour of birds, insects and other animals and gain an understanding of the eco-system. This appreciation of the natural world also has the potential to inspire more environmentally aware behaviour by themselves and their children.
In 2018 the UK Government produced a 25 Year Environment Plan, which acknowledges that connecting people to their environment will also improve their health and well-being. A study in the Netherlands showed that every 10 per cent increase in exposure to green space translated into an improvement in health equivalent to being five years younger, with similar benefits found by studies in Canada and Japan.
Mental well being -There is a growing awareness of the role that gardening plays in both preventing and alleviating mental ill-health. Many allotment gardeners will tell you that a spell on the plot nurturing plants and contemplating nature makes them feel calmer and more hopeful and there have been recent studies that have measured this benefit (See link to “A case–control study of the health and well-being benefits of allotment gardening” below)
Sense of achievement -As many new plot-holders discover, growing vegetables requires acquiring new knowledge and skills and the satisfaction gained from eating their first home grown tomato or new potato makes them taste even more delicious!
Healthy activity - The physical benefits of regular spells of gardening help plot-holders to keep fit even if they have sedentary jobs, the physical exercise also contributes to their mental well-being. Gardening can also help to maintain good gait and balance in older gardeners and help with cognitive decline.
Spending as little as 15 minutes a day out in the summer sunshine can build up your levels of vitamin D, if you are fair skinned. And for those whose skin is naturally darker, anywhere up to 90 minutes of sun exposures will help your vitamin levels. However, gardeners do need to be aware of skin cancer risks, especially on very hot, sunny days and dress appropriately.
Source www.nsalg.org.uk
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April 2019
OK! So below makes for interesting reading - It won’t be new news to those who already take advantage of their garden/allotment but we’re sure it will enlighten those -who don’t- to realise WHY THEY REALLY SHOULD!
Walking or gardening for just 10 minutes per week could cut the risk of death, new research suggests.
Even low levels of physical activity are linked to a reduced chance of dying from cancer, cardiovascular disease and other illnesses, according to a study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
The researchers said spending just a little time on active leisure pursuits could bring health benefits.
The study analysed data from more than 88,000 adults aged 40 to 85 years old between 1997 and 2008, and linked this with deaths registered until the end of 2011.
One minute of running, fast cycling and competitive sports was considered to be equivalent to two minutes of moderate-intensity activity such as brisk walking, gardening or dancing.
Only activities lasting longer than 10 minutes were taken into account.
Those who took part in 10 to 59 minutes per week of moderate activity were found to have an 18% lower risk of death from any cause during the period studied, compared with those who were inactive, the study found.
People who took part in 150 to 299 minutes per week reduced their risk of death by almost a third (31%).
"We found that beneficial association between leisure time physical activity and mortality starts from a low dose. Doing more vigorous exercise could lead to additional health benefits," the authors said.
"Promoting physical activity of any intensity and amount is an important approach to reducing mortality risk in the general population."
Sally Wardle March 20 2019 (The Independent)
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April 2018
It's well established that people who feel socially isolated, or as though they don't belong, have worse mental health than those who feel socially connected. But in a study recently published in the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, we've shown that increasing your level of social connection can protect your future mental health.
Previous research has found 'social connectedness' is at least as good for your health as quitting smoking or exercise. It aids recovery from mental illness, provides resilience for stressful life events and transitions. So what is social connectedness, and how can we get more of it?
What is social connectedness? - It isn't about being popular. or having lots of friends. Although it can come from personal relationships you have with other individuals, research finds it's belonging to groups that's most important to your health.
When we feel we truly belong to a group we benefit from both the bonds we share with other group members, and how belonging to that group tells us something about who we are.
Social connectedness is crucial to physical and mental health. A 2010 review of 148 studies found that people who felt less socially connected had more risk of early death than those who smoked, drank or were obese.
Therapeutic programs that focus on building social connectedness are effective in treating depression, anxiety and schizophrenia. But improving someone's social connectedness can also suport and protect the health of people in their everyday lives.
For example, people who make new social group connections are less likely to develop depression. And people who maintain and build their social group connections have a greater well-being during the transition to retirement or university.
Social connectedness has also been positively associated with mental health in large population-based studies of Australia, British and American adults.
What our study means - Our latest study investigated the link between social connectedness and mental health in 25,000 New Zealand adults over four years using the longitudinal New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study (NZAVS). We asked people about their personal feelings of belonging with others in their community and found when a person's level of social connection goes down, they experience worse mental health a year later. The relationship also went the other way: people with good mental health were more socially connected a year later. But, importantly, the influence of social connectedness on mental health over time was about three times stronger than the other way round.
Despite all this knowledge, there's been little change in health care, public policy, or individual behaviour. Government health departments specifically recommend healthy eating, exercise and quitting smoking to improve health, yet tend to omit any mention of social connection. One reason might be that it's unclear how social connection works to promote health, compared to other factors like smoking.
Social connectedness can act as a resource by providing a sense of shared meaning. The best way to understand this measure is to see it as a psychological resource. Just like money in the bank means you can absorb financial shocks, a broad network of social group members means you can better navigate the physical and mental stresses of life.
Social connectedness can act as a resource by providing a sense of shared meaning and purpose. Weeding a community garden each Saturday is about more than earning your share of the zucchinis, for instance. It's also about recognising the garden cannot flourish without the efforts of many people, and taking part in something larger than yourself. Having an important role in the garden's success means that the group's purpose becomes your purpose. Another way being socially connected is like a resource is it provides access to material and emotional support which helps during stressful events and difficult life transitions. If one member of a group is in grief, others may step in to provide food, or help the grieving member speak about their feelings. Such expression of other group members' commitment reinforces the feelings of belonging and the security that the grieving person finds in their group.
How to improve social connectedness - How can we harness the power of social connection to improve our health and the health of our communities? Remember that social connectedness is more than mere contact with other people, or even merely being a member of social groups. It is about feeling that you belong to that group; that you trust others and they trust you in a shared purpose, and that group members can rely on each other.
At a personal level, you could take stock of your existing relationships and group memberships, and make a change if these relationships are not trusting, mutually supportive, or have a shared meaning or purpose.
At a community level, you could join or lead initiatives that will build trust and psychlogical bonds between community members. Local fetes and festivals are popular, but one-off events are not by themselves sufficient to promote social connectedness. But these events could be a starting point for community members to discover and join ongoing, supportive social groups with their own shared purpose.
This might include finding a shared purpose for existing social groups, such as the 'men's sheds' movement, which sets up places for men to come together and work on meaningful projects in the company of other men. Or it could include joining new groups like the popular parkrun held weekly in public parks across Australia, which brings together the dual benefits of social connection and exercise.
Source: theconversation.com
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March 2018
Women very rarely think about themselves first. If its not the partner, its the children or the parents or work.
There are a number of social and economic factors that can put women at a greater risk of poor mental health compared with men. However, is it believed that women are far more likely to talk about what they are going through and seek support through their social networks to help with their mental health. (source = NHS England)
Women-Like-Me aims to provide a safe and welcoming community of Women, to support each other. Learning new things Growing into ourselves and Laughing along that journey
Social and economic factors - The role and status women hold in society will typically have an effect on their mental health. Some of the more traditional roles women have in ethnic societies in the United Kingdom can increase the likelihood of these effects.
Some of the social factors that can affect women's mental health include:
Women are typically more likely to care for their children or other relatives than men. This can have an adverse effect on their physical and emotional health, finances and social life.
Women may juggle a number of roles within a family - they could be a partner, carer and mother as well as running the household and holding down a job.
Women are more likely to live in poverty in comparison to men. They are also over represented in low status, low income jobs that are often taken on part-time.
Concerns about their own safety, working at home primarily on housework and poverty can all make women feel isolated.
Sexual and physical abuse can have a devastating impact on their mental health - this is especially true if no help is sought.
When women internalise their difficulties, it has the potential to lead to problems such as eating disorders and depression. They may express their emotional pain through self-harm, where research suggests men tend to act out through violence towards others.