Health & Wellbeing Guidance
From an early age right through to later in life, there are proven benefits to your Health and Wellbeing from being physically active, some of these include:
- Improves cardiovascular health
- Maintains a healthy weight
- Improves bone health
- Improves self-confidence
- Spend time particiapting in community activities with family and friend
- Helps maintain ability to perform everyday tasks with ease
- Improves self-esteem
- Reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety
- Develops new social skills
- Reduces risk of a range of diseases, e.g. coronary
- heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes
- Helps maintain a healthy weight
- And many more
ALL FORMS OF MOVEMENT COUNT
Remember, it doesn't matter how you choose to be active; any physical activity is better than none and what's important is that we move more and spend less time sitting still.
Health and Wellbeing Opportunities
In addition to participating in an activity session (visit our ‘Find an Activity’ page for more information), targeted programmes are also on offer in the borough, designed to help you to lead a healthier lifestyle and improve your wellbeing.
If you would like any information on the targeted programmes please contact us at Healthwise.barnet@gll.org or contact Healthwise at 0208 457 9910.
Free Online Health Check
Discover how you can live a healthier life with our free online health check. Our free online health check assesses your response to a few simple questions and uses these to tailor a range of personalised tips and advice that will help to improve your health and wellbeing.
Physical Activity Referral Programme
Healthwise introduces individuals to the benefits of physical activity in order to encourage people of all abilities to become and remain more physically active. The programme has been designed to help participants increase their knowledge, skills, confidence and improve their health and well being, incorporating one to one assessments, behaviour change techniques and individual tailoring of activity plans – all offered through a subsidised membership.
Inclusion criteria
- Barnet Resident or registered with a GP surgery in Barnet.
- Over 18 Years Old.
- Medical condition meets the inclusion criteria.
- Ready to make a change
- Physically inactive
GPs, health professionals and social prescribing link workers are all welcome to refer in to the programme providing you have existing risk factors or long term condition that will benefit from becoming more active.
Speak to your GP today who will be able to refer you.
Adult Weight Management
Adult weight management programmes run for a 12 week period that requires participants to attend a weekly 1 hour nutritional workshop providing access to a range of activities at all Barnet Leisure centres. The programme aims to promote healthy living and an active lifestyle through a subsidised membership.
Do you have a BMI of 30 – 40 or 27.5 – 40 (BAME) and are looking for support to lose weight and become active? GPs, health professionals and self referrals are all welcome to refer in to the programme providing BMI inclusion criteria is met. To check your BMI or you would like more information about how to make a self referral please click below.
Child Weight Management
XPLORE is a FREE 8 week healthy lifestyle programme for 4-13 year olds, delivered in Better leisure centres across Barnet. The programme, for children and their families, assists children who might be over the healthy weight range to make lifestyle and dietary changes, helping to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Each 8-week programme consists of interactive nutrition workshops and fun physical activity sessions. Sessions run afterschool from 4.00-6.00pm.
GPs, health professionals and self referrals are all welcome to refer into the programme. If you’d like to make a referral, book a spot on the programme or just find out more details of the programme itself please email xplore.barnet@gll.org or alternatively call 020 8457 9907.
Breastfeeding welcome scheme
GLL are proud to announce that all five leisure centres in Barnet have signed up to Barnet Borough’s Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme! This scheme helps mothers find welcoming places to breastfeed when they are out and about in the borough.
At Better Barnet, the aims of our Breastfeeding Welcome Barnet scheme will be to help mums find places where they are welcomed and supported in their decision to breastfeed when they are out and about in the borough. Our approach will try to encourage mums to feel comfortable and confident to breastfeed in our centres and in turn contribute to increasing breastfeeding rates in the community, consequently improving the health and well-being of all mothers and children.
Better Balance
The Better Balance programme is a weekly class where participants will be required to attend over a period of 8 weeks. The class is led by an OTAGO qualified instructor offering a combination of strength and balance exercises that aims to reduce the risk of falling, for individuals that are independently mobile with or without a walking aid.
To compliment the programme, additional activities such as walking, swimming and attending the gym regularly are encouraged to improve your balance, which can be accessed through a subsidised membership.
Speak to your GP today who will be able to refer you.
Cancer Rehab
Working in partnership with Tottenham Hotspur Foundation move4you programme, Healthwise provides a 12 session physical activity programme designed for patients aged 18 years and over, with a cancer diagnosis within 5 years.
Have you received a cancer diagnosis and want to become more active? Speak to your GP today who will be able to refer you.
Healthy Heart Peer Support Project
Did you know people from African, Caribbean and South Asian communities are more likely to have high blood pressure?
The Healthy Heart Project offer free face-to-face sessions, online group work and one-to-one phone calls to support those with or at risk of cardiovascular disease.
Join Healthy Heart, they will be at:
- Golders Green Library, 26 Jan, 10am-1pm, 156 Golders Green Road, NW11 8HE.
- Age UK at Grahame Park, 13 Feb, 2-3pm, The Old Library, the Concourse Grahame Park NW9 5XA.
- Age UK, St Margarets Church, 15 Feb, 2-3pm, 1 Station Road, Edgware HA8 7JE.
Resource packs are available in English, Somali and Gujarati.
Find out more
Barnet Suicide Prevention
Encouraging men to talk about their mental health, seek help and where possible to support other men in their lives is at the heart of our Suicide Prevention Strategy.
As part of the multi-agency Barnet Suicide Prevention Partnership, we are launching the first phase of a campaign focused on preventing mental ill-health and suicidality amongst men.
In the UK, suicide is the leading cause of death in people aged 15-24, and the biggest killer of men under 49. Every year many more attempt or contemplate suicide, harm themselves or suffer alone, afraid to speak openly about how they are feeling.
Download the award-winning Stay Alive app
The Stay Alive app is a pocket suicide prevention resource, packed full of useful information to help you stay safe.
If you need urgent support call Samaritans on 116 12. If you have been affected by a suicide bereavement visit here NCL Support After Suicide or call 07483 368 700.
ANDYSMANCLUB takes its name from Andrew Roberts, a man who sadly took his own life aged 23 in early 2016.
As a result, family members set up ANDYSMANCLUB a group where men aged 18 and above can speak openly about their mental health in a judgment-free, non-clinical, confidential environment.
The talking groups run nationwide every Monday at 7pm (except bank holidays). We aim to set up a physical club in Barnet as part of the peer-to-peer plan within Barnet’s suicide prevention strategy.
If you are interested in joining, want to help set up the Barnet scheme or just want to attend the Monday evening sessions (excluding bank holidays), please drop an email to info@andysmanclub.co.uk.
Remember, it’s okay to talk and you’re not alone.
Find out more