Toolkit

If you’re a choir, knitting group or sports club we have plenty of ideas to get you guys more active.

• Active Travel. Encourage your members to walk or cycle to the session
• Group warm up. Have an active warm up before the group starts. Some running on the spot, some squats and some stretches.  Active body = Active mind
• Green groups. If possible take your activity outside and walk round a park or green space.
• Sports Club Open Night. If you’re a sports or fitness group then why not host an open night to encourage new members.
• Take a dance break

Here are some ideas to get you and your colleagues moving.

• Active Breaks. Replace a coffee break with a brisk 10-minute walk. Ask a friend to go with you.
• Active Travel. Cycle or walk part – if not all – of your journey to work. Get off a bus or tube stop before your destination. If you need to drive, try to park further away from your office and walk the rest of the way.
• Active Meetings. Discuss project ideas with a colleague while taking a walk. Have active meetings where the whole group walks together.
• Stand while talking on the telephone.
• Get up and move. Walk over to someone’s desk at work rather than calling them on the phone or sending an email.  Take the stairs instead of the lift, or get out of the lift a few floors early and use the stairs.
• Walking challenges. Go for a walk during your lunch break – use a pedometer to keep track of how many steps you take. Setup teams and take part in weekly workplace challenges.
• Change your route. Try to find different walks and alternate between them during the week.
• Be more productive. Exercise before or after work, or during your lunch break. Your office may have a gym, or you may have access to a nearby swimming pool.
• Healthy Working Lives.
• Setup a weekly work workout. Call KA Leisure and arrange a weekly fitness class, It could be a 30 minute spin class just for your organisation or perhaps a weekly game of basketball?

Add some physical activity to your learning day with these handy tips.

• Start the day with an active warm up. Some running on the spot, some squats and some stretches. Active body = Active mind.
• Act out a story. When you’re reading a book as a class, ask the children to help tell the story physically.
• Give kids incentive to cycle or walk to school. If your school is in an area where going carless is feasible and safe, make it fun, too. Instead of putting the focus on cycling or walking because it’s healthy, turn their attention to their surroundings. Challenge kids to complete a task along the route, like snapping a photo of wildlife or picking up litter. When they arrive at school, they can compare results. If your students are competitive, make it a contest with a modest prize.
• Take a dance break. Turn on some music and give them three minutes to express themselves. You may find it helps work through your own frustrations, too!
• Organise an extra before-school or after-school activity group. You could build it around a particular activity, like football, running, or dance. However, you might find wider appeal if you let the children decide.
• Classroom Games. Classroom games such as musical desks, heads down thumbs up and musical statues all encourage active movement.