“Box2Beat Cancer will be one of my top achievements of 2017!”

We know that we have not been active on the blog for a while - however we couldn't miss this opportunity for a Guest Post by our student who is doing some great work and raising money for a great cause too. Please see details of how you can support Jean blow.......

“In September 2015 I started attending Boxing for Beginners sessions at St John’s Amateur Boxing Club in Chorlton. In September 2016, I completed a Boxercise training course through the club, and started running Boxercise classes there every Saturday.

I was initially training for a marathon but I had to pull out due to an injury. At first boxing was just a way to keep fit but over time I realised that it was doing so much more! It was improving my memory, my confidence, and helped to give me a new more positive outlook on life.

That’s why I want to organise a Boxathon! So I can give other people the opportunity to experience the full benefits of what this type of fitness can do. At the same time I can help raise money for Ovarian Cancer Action, as my close friend Zoe’s family has been affected by ovarian cancer.

I first heard about Box2Beat Cancer on the Boxercise Instructors Facebook page, and I was keen to find out more. I spoke to Andy Rea, the manager at the Boxing club, who was more than happy for me to hold the Boxathon there.

I initially put a post on my Facebook page in October and spoke to members of the boxing club to gauge interest and recruit possible participants.

I’m currently in the process of setting up my fundraising page and recruiting 20 participants. I plan to keep the participants updated and motivated with regular emails, get the local press involved, and contact organisations and businesses for possible donations (with help from my friend Eleanor).

Organising the Boxathon will be a big personal challenge for me. I will need to make it challenging, yet achievable for the mixed age groups and fitness ability, but most importantly make it fun! I’m very much looking forward to organising and running the Box2Beat Cancer class in aid of Ovarian Cancer Action. I will consider it to be one of my top achievements of 2017."

To support Jean by making a donation to Ovarian Cancer Action visit:

https://www.justgiving.com/Jean-Webster3?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=fundraisingpage&utm_content=Jean-Webster3&utm_campaign=pfp-share

To find out more about Jean's classes visit: www.facebook.com/boxercisewithjean

More than just a newspaper

Recently I was listening to a discussion on whether paper copy newspapers were becoming a thing of the past due to the popularity of the on line versions. Most of the discussion centred around content and whether immediate access to upto date news vs the solidity of the printed word was better.

What I realised was missing is that, to many people, a hard copy newspaper is more than just a paper full of news. As an occupational therapist I am interested in the routines that people engage in and how the things that they do have value and meaning for them. So why might we have a paper copy newspaper?

a) It gets me out of the house and walk to the paper shop - it gives me a reason to get dressed and go out.
b) Once there I might engage in conversation with the shop keeper and/or fellow customers - and that might be the only contact I have with others during the day
c) It might link to me to a familiar occupation/activity that I have done for many years in a world where my roles are dwindling due to life stage and/or illness
d) It might be a time marker. Reading the paper with a cup of coffee/tea/beveridge of choice may allow me to fill time in a valued way rather than the day stretching out with not much else in it.
e) I can re-read items at my leisure and know that they will remain there when I need them - online sites are updated so regularly that it may be hard to find an interesting piece again once it has fallen down the list.
f) I can do the crossword with the familiar rustle of folding the page and holding a pen in my hand
g) I can reuse/recycle the paper for all manner of useful things.

Which do you prefer and why?

A couple of weeks ago I attended a seminar on The Internet of Things presented by Abdul Razzaq, Public Health Director for Trafford Council ( Manchester, UK). His presentation on digital health for the future offered some really interesting facts including :

- half the world population owns a mobile phone (as at January 2015)
- 64% of the UK population have an active social media account
- an average of 4 hours a day in the UK is spent by an individual on the internet, with 2 hours 13 minutes of that time  on social media.
-by 2050 two thirds of the world population will live in cities.

The impact on digital living will be tremendous in the not too distant future, where it is proposed that one person's life and home will generate more data than the industrial plant of today. Data is being captured whether we like it or not. Social media already enables us to keep people safe and well-informed with an ability to cascade to a mass audience.
The upshot is that behaviour change is important to enable the most healthy lifestyle possible with lifestyle choice , working on social isolation of the elderly, being paid for bit walking and remote monitoring of health and chronic conditions being some of the things on the agenda.
Change and transition is occurring around how we work, shop, live and the impact in our livelihood and our wellbeing is already being shaped. We have wearable technology that allows us to control our health and fitness, it will not be too long before this moves into more areas of life. Suggestions were put forward that areas of public health such as waste management, heathcare, retail, tourism, e-government, food and traffic management are all following suit.

It was certainly thought provoking and got me thinking how, as occupational therapists, we  can move with the "smart" revolution. We already harness much of the technology for remote area working, networking, professional development and education. Would love to hear your thoughts on where else we may go with this........

The Occupation Station

If you're in the university why not drop in to our Occupation Station. Our interactive waiting room that details some historical and interesting facts, documents and occupations. .....

Come on in......

Lots of interactive exhibits

What were they doing in 1974?

Mindful colouring and puppetry

Take a final year exam from 1983

The War years editiroials from BJOT

How about some knitting or stool seating for wellbeing and meaningful occupation

#whatyoudoaffectshowyoufeel