Wednesday 12th June 2019 - 400th Blog Entry - why this blog?

Posted 2:00pm

Wow. This is really the 400th blog entry on this Healthy Minds blog, which details our history, development, successes and frustrations.

I am actually quite proud. Before HMHB I had never created a blog, or even had an idea I could do it.I know people read it, as we get statistics - it would be lovely to have more people.

This blog will probably stop - or slow down - as we get funding (and I put "get" as I am sure we will). It has been more about telling our story. Starting a business is incredibly difficult - especially when our focus is on improving mental health in others from a new perspective.

Companies are very protective - and I do not blame them as funding is restricted and maybe they feel we are saying they are doing something wrong - which is not the case. We just feel we have a new angle to offer.

But thank you to anyone who reads this - thank you if you have been following us - please please continue to do so and support us. The journey has been been - to use a common metaphor - a rollercoaster - terrific highs, some deep lows, and a winding track. But we have always moved forward and tried to see things as a challenge to overcome.

May this continue for another 400 entries.

Tuesday 11th June 2019 - Mental Health First Aid

Posted 12:00pm

Working in this field will mean we will come across a great diversity of characters, all at different stages of possible physical and mental health problems. It is important we have the right tools to deal with this.

Haringey Well-Being run courses, which are free for people delivering intervention, and they have invited us to attend one of these - which is really kind of them.

Over the two days, the Mental Health First Aid course will teach us to:
· Spot the early signs of a mental health problem
· Feel confident helping someone experiencing a problem
· Provide help on a first aid basis
· Help prevent someone from hurting themselves or others
· Help stop a mental illness from getting worse
· Help someone recover faster
· Guide someone towards the right support
· Reduce the stigma of mental health problems

It is towards the end of August - and we have signed up. Oh, I hope we get this lottery money. We are so ready to work with people!!!

Sunday 9th June 2019 - the week ahead for HMHB and Lazza

Posted 4:15pm

It is another busy week, both for HMHB and for Lazza.
Let's explain.

For HMHB
Tuesday we have our fifth Tuesday fitness session - this week Dean will be managing it on his own. It is fantastic that Highbury Leisure allow us this opportunity, and we are hopeful this will continue to build.
Thursday we have our weekly health walk through Clissold with Highbury Grange Medical Practice. Last week we had two new members, so hopefully they will return.
Lazza is also meeting up with a company that organises free fitness sessions in Haringey - a really interesting guy who, like us, is passionate about helping people.
Friday - is our own deadline for getting in our lottery proposal. This is probably the most important document I have ever produced - with terrific help from others - and really determines if we are able to carry on. No pressure then!!!
Sunday - we are the lead walk organisation at the Saddle and Sole event in Finsbury Park - managing two health walks - and this could really put us on the map. Wow!!!

Personally.
I am only putting this here to demonstrate that we all have our lives to lead, whatever we are doing workwise. The stress and anxiety is for us all.
Monday - early evening I am heading to Stratford for an MRI on my knee - and I am desperate to get it sorted as it restricts exercise and walking a bit. There is something wrong inside, and I fear an operation at some stage.
Tuesday - morning is a pre-op meeting at Moorfields for the cataract surgery I need on my right eye - which I am hoping will happen at the end of this month or start of July. It is like a frosted glass view at the moment - in contrast to the clear vision in my left eye.
Wednesday - I have a broken tooth, as well as a filling that has fallen out - so heading to dentisr.
Friday - in the morning i am visiting University College Hospital Euston to see a Gastroenterologist re my Hiatus Hernia, which causes me such irritation, sleep issues, and acid reflux like you would not believe.

Starting a business is fraught enough. I am thankful though. I am not complaining about my health. I know that others connected to HMHB, as well as our service users, I much more severe issues and we naturally wish everyone speedy recoveries.  I just wanted to show that we are all human, all fragile, and all need support.  Yay!!!

Sunday 9th June 2019 - Health Blog Update

www.healthymindshealthybods.blogspot.com

Posted 4:15pm

I am really enjoying finding entries for you Health Blog - address above. Please read this entry, then check it out. We would love people to follow it, leave comments, and share it.

This week we started doing a few series on our entries.
On nutrition, fat has had a lot of bad press over the last few years. But we have done a feature on ten High Fat foods that are good for you. I learnt a bit myself here, especially around nutrients and how fat interacts. Obviously, we need to try and avoid Trans-Fats, but other fats are essential.

On routine, we looked at how people can feel tired. That can be down to many different factors, but we looked at ten medical reasons that we can be fatigued - and yes that included mental health too. Sleep deprivation can have a massive effect on how we make choices.

In regards to mental health, we looked at nine ways we can improve our mental health. We all have a responsibility to make the best choices possible on our physical and mental health. That obviously has a knock on effect into our daily lives.

There are other entries, but one I found fascinating to research was our entry on "what are vitamins" - not looking at individual ones - we will do that soon though. This was looking at them overall, and how they react in the body. I learnt things I did not know.

I hope people will check it all out. There are 194 entries this year, so far!!!!

Wednesday 5th June 2019 - All videos and photos are labelled

Posted 4:35pm

It has taken a while, but finally I managed to sort all out videos and photographs into order.

Whenever we take a photo or video, it automatically saves on the cloud, so goes from my mobile phone to my laptop. The same goes if I get sent a video or photo - for example our PT Dean may record some of our fitness sessions.

Of course, this means that all the photographs and videos are not titled - they all just have a jpeg number or video number. How were we meant to know when they were taken, or why?

Therefore, I have just renamed all of them accordingly. There were 43 various videos - all of which needed dates and explanations. We now have them in order, and includes exercise sessions, feedback comments, and updates on how we are doing.

Then there were 228 photographs. I am so happy we have been documenting since we started, although |I did notice we need to take more during our Ajani programmes. We have lots from Izzwalkz and the Studio sessions.

It has been wonderful reminding myself of our journey in the last 30 months. And I really hope this continues for years to come.

Tuesday 4th June 2019 - second draft of lottery done

Posted 12:30pm

This lottery proposal is not an easy job. They only want a few sheets initially, but there are six big questions to answer:

these include - background, what we will be doing, what we will achieve, who we will be working alongside, how much we need and for how long, the impact on local community etc.

I have done a second draft. However, ignoring the cover page it is just over 6 pages - but that does have a couple of photos included.

I am anxious that we may get turned down if they do not understand the efforts we have gone through, the thousands of hours of preparation, and the passion we have for this - as well as the large number of significant partners we have garnered. On the flip side, I do not want to bore them with unnecessary information. It is a balance - but one that can decide our whole future careers.

I have left it with Scott to look over. I am sure there will be cuts galore. Lol.  Why does there have to be so much stress????

Sunday 2nd June 2019 - Biggest month so far for HMHB

Posted 2:20pm

I think the last five years of work, the last two and a half years of trading (mostly voluntarily) have now come down to the most important month ever for Healthy Minds, Healthy Bods.

From our first walk back in November 2016, to our first program, back in May 2017, we have been working towards this moment. We have provided programs to Single Homeless Project with people on recovery, to Anchor Hanover Residential Housing with over 55s. We have health-walked in Clissold Park in partnership with Highbury Grange Medical Practice and now are doing the same with Better Gym in Highbury Fields. We have built networks with Hackney and Islington Public Health, grown relationships with Islington CCG and Haringey Well-Being Network, and have worked in three London boroughs. And it has all been leading to this month.

That's because we have just finished our second draft of a lottery proposal for seed funding. It will  probably change a little more, but we will be sending it off to the North London representative on Friday 14th June - just twelve days from now.  We need salaries, running costs and overheads, and we are looking for three years of funding - depending on feedback and outcomes - but if they are anything like the extraordinary and terrific comments and results we have achieved so far, we should be fine. Therefore, it is a lot of money - but good value when  you look at numbers and the short and long term goals.

Not only that, but we really need to get our website finished (corporate page needs doing, as well as walk and fitness session updates). We have accounts to publish. We have an upcoming taster with the one of the largest Housing Associations in the country. If that goes well we could find other links and networks, and establish ourselves more. We have been asked to oversee two health walks at an event where thousands will be attending - which is both daunting and exciting.

On a personal note - and I only mention as it will affect all the above, as well as demonstrate why a growth mind-set has to be the way to success - I will be having four hospital visits in the next two weeks - definitely two operations to organise and possibly three -  including eyes, leg and stomach. That should be fun!!!

It's funny how inevitably we are back with our future in the hands of others. We have done everything asked of us - provided programs, achieved success, built networks, found the need and designed and delivered the unique intervention. If others do not see the ambition, passion and possibilities then it will all come to nothing. But we can be proud of what we have done. But here's hoping!!!!

Thanks to anyone who reads this for your support and friendship.