Category: Healthy Living

10 Tips for Staying Motivated When You Begin a New Exercise Journey

Posted on by Megan Leeson

Embarking on a new exercise routine can be both exciting and daunting. Whether you’re aiming to build muscle, lose weight, or simply enhance your overall wellbeing, the journey begins with that crucial first step: motivation. This week’s blog post is written by our Group Health and Fitness Manager James Rowntree, on his top 10 tips for staying motivated when you begin a new exercise journey.

1. Set Clear Goals đź’Ş
Having specific and achievable goals can provide direction and a sense of purpose. A strong goal for beginners is to maintain their new routine for the first 6 weeks. If you can get through this, there is every chance your new workout will become a permanent part of your weekly routine!

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4 Easy Ways to Start Playing Tennis

Posted on by Megan Leeson

🧠 April is Stress Awareness Month, a good reminder to check in with your mental well-being and explore healthy ways to unwind. Being physically active is often recognised as a beneficial way to help manage stress, with the NHS stating that “physical activity is one of the best things you can do try and help deal with stress”.

Tennis is not only a fun and energising workout, but it also offers a number of stress-relief benefits. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just picking up a racket for the first time, here are 4 easy and low-stress ways to enjoy tennis at the University of Bristol:

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Are You Wearing the Best Running Shoes for You?

Posted on by Megan Leeson

When choosing to buy a new running shoe, it can be difficult to know where to start. From the type of cushioning you need, to the type of insole that will suit you best, there are lots of factors to consider when choosing the shoes that are right for your feet. Wearing the right shoes is vital to allow comfortable, efficient running and more importantly, prevent injury.

So, where do we start?

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The Health and Fitness Goals the Sport, Exercise and Health Team Are Setting For 2025

Posted on by Megan Leeson

As we enter a new year, many of us will be thinking of some New Year goals to set ourselves. Instead of framing these goals as strict resolutions, why not think of them as intentions? Making this small shift enables room for a more flexible approach to our goals, focusing on progress, flexibility and self-compassion đź’Ş. Our Development Officer, Molly Poulter William, asked the Sport, Exercise and Health team what their intentions are for 2025 in this week’s blog post.

Love them or hate them, New Year Resolutions are a hot topic in January. Social media ‘For You’ pages across the globe are full of ‘New Year, New Me’ messages, Pinterest-worthy vision boards, goal-setting journal prompts and pseudo-scientific motivational quotes. And here we are, adding another New Year blog into the mix…

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How Tennis Can Increase Life Expectancy More Than Any Other Sport

Posted on by Megan Leeson

Ever wondered which sport can help you live the longest? In this week’s blog, our Director of Tennis Andy Trott, discusses the numerous benefits that playing tennis has on your health and wellbeing, as well as record-breaking numbers for our University Tennis department!

The International Tennis Federation (ITF) recently published its Global Tennis Report which, amongst other things, identified that there are now over 100 million people playing tennis around the world. This is the first time the sport has ever reached over 100 million people in one year. The report also highlighted where the greatest growth in the sport is coming from based (per capita) and it’s good news for British Tennis! The report confirmed that 13.4% of the population play tennis, a greater percentage of the population than of any in the world.

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Rise and Shine or Unwind? Exploring the Benefits of Morning and Evening Workouts

Posted on by Megan Leeson

Earlier this term, we opened our first new gym in over 20 years! Located in Hiatt Baker, the largest hall of residence at the University, students living in this accommodation can now keep active more conveniently. However; whether you live near a gym or not, exercising in all forms in the morning and evening has many benefits! In this week’s blog, our Facilities and Operations Manager, Gordon Aitken, discusses these physical, mental and emotional benefits.

Incorporating sport and physical activity into your daily routine, particularly at the start and end of the day, can offer numerous physical, mental, and emotional benefits. Whether you’re a morning exerciser, an evening athlete, or both, there are distinct advantages to scheduling workouts during these key times of day. This is the beauty of the new gym that has opened this term at Hiatt Baker, enabling busy students to best incorporate being active into their lives.

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5 Ways Walking Benefits Your Mental Health

Posted on by Megan Leeson

Bristol Moves+ is an app designed to support University of Bristol students and staff who may have lower activity levels to achieve more daily movement, for the benefit of their mental and physical health.

In this article we will focus on how activity (particularly walking) benefits our mental health, as well as our physical health.

Physical activity can seem harder to achieve as the days get shorter and the dark draws in. But understanding how it can benefit you – alongside finding a way to build it into your routine – can be a really effective way of sticking to it and enhancing your mental wellbeing.

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5 Key Principles to Time Management

Posted on by Megan Leeson

This week’s blog is from our Deputy Business Manager, Zaneta Nedza, on her 5 key principles to managing her time between work, busy life, and basketball! Zaneta will be representing Team GB at this year’s European Maxibasketball Championships. taking place in Pesaro, Italy from 21 – 30 June 2024. Support Zaneta on her journey to Pesaro by donating to her fundraising page! You can find out more about the sport on the GB Maxibasketball website.

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The Science of Eating Well

Posted on by Megan Leeson

This week’s blog post is from our Chef at Coombe Dingle, Tim Hinson, on how a book on gut health rocked his whole perception of how the world works and influences his catering in the pavilion at Coombe.

You probably shouldn’t base your whole world view on astonishing facts. If someone tells you that ants don’t have lungs or giraffes are 30 times more likely than humans to be struck by lightning, then a well-adjusted person will say something like “wow, that’s amazing” and then move on.*

*unless you’re in a pub, in which case you’ll probably want to assemble a panel to speculate on the matter for at least 45 minutes. (more…)

5 Reasons to Move More in 2024

Posted on by Megan Leeson

As we start the New Year and our New Year’s Resolutions get underway, our Development Officer, Molly Poulter Williams, explains how moving more in 2024 can benefit not only our body, but also our mind.

Do you set yourself New Year’s Resolutions? If you do, you’re not alone.

More than 60% of Brits set themselves New Year’s Resolutions in 2024 – the highest rate seen since 2019. And it’s looking like this year is shaping up to be a year for health; the top-three most popular resolutions for adults focus on physical self-improvement, with mental health awareness and improvements coming in a close fourth.

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