Hunter-based organisation BU Coaching, in partnership with Newcastle Libraries and City of Newcastle, has launched an eight-week Healthy Hearts & Minds Challenge to celebrate World Mental Health Day on Sunday 10 October.
Healthy Hearts & Minds involves a series of active challenges, mindfulness programs and online workshops run through the Lean in Newy app to improve our mental and emotional wellbeing as we come out of lockdown.
With the weather warming up, it's a great time to get out there and burn some energy over the next eight weeks. Even better, you'll be helping local businesses while you look after your physical and mental health, as the Lean in Newy app translates good deeds into credits and discounts to use at 130 local businesses.
You can practice mindfulness and reignite your spark for life, or learn to focus through the art of drawing. Perhaps you'd prefer a physical challenge to enjoy Newcastle’s great fitness stations, pools and cycleways? There's over 20 fun challenges and workshops to choose from for you and your family to get motivated and help small businesses at the same time.
Get physical in the great outdoors
The benefits of exercise are more than just physical, with the positive impacts on mental health well documented. Go for a mountain bike in Glenrock State Conservation Area, cut a few laps at your local pool, shoot some hoops, hit up the skate park, or cruise along one of Newcastle’s 11 cycleways around the city. Try something new and surprise yourself!
Challenge yourself to get creative
Drawing is a tool for wellbeing, creativity and engagement. Brush up your drawing skills in the drawing fundamentals challenge where you'll learn drawing fundamentals such as how to work with light, shadow and texture, while benefiting from a focused task.
Fuel your body with good food
If food is more your thing, there's a few challenges for you too! Show us your favourite vegan recipe to celebrate World Vegan Day on November 1, get creative in the kitchen and share your favourite lockdown recipe, or read up on some handy tips for eating well.
Join the challenge
Ready to get started? Simply download the Lean in Newy app, activate your free account and complete any of the 20+ health and wellbeing challenges across the next 8 weeks. The best part - start earning points to redeem at a wide range of businesses all over our city!
Improve your mental health
Throughout the course of the 8-week challenge there will also be four live online workshops presented by Declan Edwards, a thought-leader in the field of happiness and Founder of BU Coaching.
Take some time to reflect on the things that ignite your inner spark for life in the Reigniting your Spark for Life webinar where you'll develop a plan of action that allows you to not only reignite that spark, but also nurture it moving forward.
The Pre-empting and preventing burnout workshop will help you to learn how to recognise the early warning signs of burnout, the core three components and what to do about each of them, and what to do to build yourself back up from burnout.
Self care made simple will focus on making self-care simple again, providing easy and simple strategies that are guaranteed to give you a feeling of wellbeing.
What would the world look like if people focused on nurturing what was right with them rather than worrying about what they supposedly need to improve? The Knowing your strengths workshops will help you to identify your unique strengths and develop a plan to help you live in alignment with them.
So what are you waiting for? Challenge yourself to a healthy heart and mind, and earn points while looking after your physical and mental health and wellbeing. And as if you needed any more incentives to sign up, four lucky people will also win a one-on-one Happiness Strategy Session with Declan Edwards, thanks to City of Newcastle.