Fit as a Fiddle with Men United

Posted on Feb 22, 2022 Updated on Feb 22, 2022

On Wednesday 16^th February, our Staying Well workers in North Halifax paired up with the Men United Group to host the wonderful ‘Fit as a Fiddle’ Event.

This event was to educate and provide information to Men of a certain age how to look after their physical and mental health. As we age, our bodies change in many ways and the level at which we function, think, and move all vary from person to person. We decided to work with a local community group to showcase key activities that can improve your health and wellbeing at whatever age you are at.

Everyone was asked to arrive from 10:00, and as you do, starting off with a brew and a few biscuits (maybe a little more than a few) was the approach for this event. This was a chance for everyone to get settled and connect with their peers before taking part in 2 workshops. These workshops were delivered by Tai Chi Tigers and Healthy Minds.

Marsha and David from Tai Chi Tigers delivered a session introducing Tai Chi. This included learning key techniques on effective breathing, and utilising balance and posture by performing various movements to improve overall physical and mental health.

Nicola from Healthy Minds delivered a workshop on Mind Mapping – Exploring mindfulness activities to improve your mental health, relieve stress and anxiety and delve into different ways of thinking and expression. Grayham, one of the Founders at Men United, rounded up the gang with his infamous husky voice and divided the group into 2. Each group took part in one of the activities. After 45 minutes, the groups rotated so everyone had chance to take part in both Tai Chi and Mind Mapping.

At 12 noon, the workshops came to a halt and lunch was provided kindly by Morrisons Cafe, which went down a treat! We had a visit from Jessica and Lee, the new Social Prescribing Link Workers, who came and spoke to everyone and shared more about their services and raising the awareness of what Social Prescribing is and what extra support is on offer to local residents in North Halifax. The event concluded with lots of smiley faces, filled belly’s and more importantly, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day and felt they had better understanding on how to work towards improving their own physical and mental health.

A huge thank you to Peter, Grayham and Neil from Men United, a thank you to Marsha, David and Nicola from Tai Chi Tigers and Healthy Minds, and a final thank you for all those who helped in the background with setting up / wrapping up for the event.

A successful event and a great win for us as Staying Well!