Can we use this day To Improve Mental Health and Well-Being?
How can those with LTHC’s /Disabilities connect with and support each other?
This blog focuses on Fathers and Sons who have LTHC’s/Disabilities.
How Exercise for the body and mind can be established.
Using Father’s Day as a catalyst to Father/Son bonds and continued good Mental Health.
Anywhere that suits you!
Through a variety of mediums and levels
We’ll take a stroll down the road of three different activities.
Two ends of the spectrum!
One sedate option and one more high intensity!
Then one that could sit nicely in the middle!
Prepare to make your choice!
This gives us the opportunity and platform to be able to educate young people about conditions that they may have themselves, or those that their family members may have. Equally important could be that if is more than one child in the family and one has a LTHC, the other could find this challenging. So though some special ‘time out’ with the ‘well’ child their support needs, and in an environment they find relaxing, and safe gives a chance to get quality time and talk openly about their feelings.
Firstly, What is Father’s Day and how did it begin?
According to Wikipedia;
'Father's Day is a celebration honouring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. It was first proposed by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington in 1909'.
They continue with;
'Its first celebration was in the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910. Her father, the Civil War veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent who raised his six children there. After hearing a sermon about Anna Jarvis's Mother's Day at Central Methodist Episcopal Church in 1909, she told her pastor that fathers should have a similar holiday'. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father%27s_Day_(United_States)
The Week Report that;
‘Slowly, the Spokane celebrations spread across the country until, in 1972, President Nixon signed a bill officially making Father's Day a nationally observed holiday. By then, Father's Day was an established tradition in dozens of countries, the UK included’.(https://www.theweek.co.uk/64069/fathers-day-2015-how-the-celebration-began)
Now as with Mother’s Day we see the celebration marked with gifts and cards being exchanged, trips to the pub (now socially distanced and outdoors!) Traditionally gifts of socks, ties and wallets spring to the top of the list. But why not use this day as the start of something special, much more special than any gift, and that’s a bond between Father and Son, improved mental and physical health leading to long term benefits, balanced minds and healthy bodies.
We want to ensure that although we are talking about the bond between a Father and Son here, we recognise that families are no longer straight forward. Dad’s can be carers, Sons can be carers, Dad’s can have COVID, Dad’s can have lost their children or lost a child, and still have others, some may never get the chance to be a Dad.
So we want this to reflect all scenarios, whilst also taking this opportunity to forge deep lasting bonds through the power of sport and exercise, enabling open communication lines to support mental health, BUT also considering the fact that we are celebrating Father’s Day! Whether you spend it with others or you spend it on your own in quiet contemplation that is up to you. Whilst all our activities below can are focused on Father/Son joining together, they can all be accessed as an individual, with couples or with friends, colleagues, neighbours or within online communities.
First Stop We Hit The Water With Paul & Jack Warren
You only need to look at these two great smiley faces to see how much joy a shared passion can produce. Using the outdoors to bring joy and pleasure. These two share the same Birthday, the same looks, similar personalities, but also a passion for all things fishing!
Behind those smiley faces lie some invisible issues, upset, pain, and difficulty with simple daily tasks. What cements this bond is the fact that one is disabled, the other living with a LTHC. Paul states that;
‘We find it a great stress reliever and can completely forget everything else while by the water, the joy we both get from the water and the surrounding nature, we both agree that when you feel the bite and strike into it the buzz is electric’. (Paul Warren http://www.jpw-fishing.com)
For this pair it has this been a benefit for themselves and for personal accomplishment but they are also keen to share their knowledge, enthusiasm and love of fishing to help others. They are developing a safe place to share thoughts and feelings, learning as they go, working together and developing hand eye co-ordination, patience, an appreciation for nature and open spaces, not to mention the natural vitamin D!
One of their key aims and objectives is to establish a database of all the accessible fishing lakes, rivers etc that they visit. Something to support others and to have that knowledge that you have helped someone else to develop that same feeling is just as big a buzz as being able to do it yourself. There are also some reviews on things like special boots, caps for night fishing and Strawberry and Toffee Groundbait! Theres also a handy Blog Page
Beyond a great past time it lead to Warren Junior heading to University to study and complete a Fishery Management Course. Now he cooks it instead! Not just fish of course, and still a great hobby that has lasted well into adulthood and shows no signs of dwindling any time fast!
Whilst many may think that this is more about the mental aspect you might want to re-think that. Think about those 10,000 steps a day or 150 minutes of activity a week which we are supposed to hit. Then think packing up fishing equipment, heading to the site, unloading, setting up, bending, reaching, stretching. Then comes the sitting, the standing, the reeling, the throwing. You getting the picture?
A great all rounder!
Second Stop and We Head Into Superheroes and Marvel Land
Superheroes have become a tried and tested programme with Time To Heal, but always worth an update and as COVID restrictions are opening up there are more options and opportunities for you to access.
Landing soon is the At Home Superheroes challenge which is easy to customise and adjust and runs for a month. What better way to spend Father’s Day than preparing Father/Son or the whole family to plan and prepare for an event that should fuel your inner Super Hero status and get you all active and moving?
The whole idea behind this programme is that it puts the person with the Disability at the heart of the team, everyone else plays sidekick.There is a cost involved if you want the full package of medals and T-shirts etc but you could swap the socks, chocolates or ties for a Marvel Medal and T-shirt package for all the family! Set your own challenge to cover a set distance doing any activity. You can even dip yourself into the Super Sensory programme. This includes;
Burst That Bubble
The Sniff/Taste Test
Super Sounds
The Magic Touch &
Spot The Singer
Of course it’s not mandatory but dressing up as your favourite Superhero is pretty much expected! Got yourself hooked in? Then progress into one of the outdoor events. Just keep an eye on the homepage or social media and be sure not to miss an opportunity too good to resist.
If you don’t want to sign up you could create your very own challenges that take place at home or outdoors. Make yourself some charts to track progress and come up with your own ideas for movement.
Finally We Dive Into The Fit For Father Project!
The Fit Father Project has the goal of highlighting The Importance of Exercise During Adolescence. This is more targeted towards older children or even adulthood Father/Son Combinations. Writer Holly Smith reports that;
‘Not only is working out with your son a great way to enrich your relationship, but it will also have numerous health benefits for your son. Physical activity in adolescents will help build muscular strength, improve cardiovascular fitness, and improve cognition, mood, and sleep. And you are sure to reap these benefits as well! Introducing your son to exercise at a young age will motivate them to continue these healthy habits into their adult years.This is especially true when they see you enjoying these father and son workouts with them.And when your son sees how these exercise routines have kept their “old man” fit and healthy, they will want to carry these habits into their adult years’.(https://www.fitfatherproject.com/father-and-son-workouts/)
This one gives you a full range of opportunities to explore and enjoy. It is American and it does have a range of weight loss programmes, reviews of products etc which we don’t endorse. However, on a starter level this Father and Son blog takes you through five top ways to workout which includes;
Shooting Hoops (Basketball)
Neighbourhood or Park Runs
Bike Rides
Weight Lifting/Resistance Work &
Interval Training
If you delve a little deeper there are many different activities that Smith writes about including this one which focuses on Gamifying Exercise. There's a twist with this one! You may wonder why we are looking at technology but actually we aren’t. In this context ‘Gamifying’ your workouts means you do any number/type of different physical fitness activities which match your interests and score points. Interestingly, Smith writes;
‘Evidence that shows how Gamifying can actually increase your level of fitness and physical activity. In a 2017 study from JAMA Internal Medicine, fitness trackers were used to track the activity of participants.One group was involved in gamifying, while the other half did not. The adults who gamified their workouts had significantly greater physical activity and increased their step count compared to the control group’. (https://www.fitfatherproject.com/gamifying-exercise/)
So plenty of different activities to try and perhaps transfer some skills learnt playing active games on the computer into circuit training activities. The choice is really open and can be well personalised.There is even a Fit Mother Project which you can access here. So nobody needs to be left out!
Summary
Hopefully, you will find something here that you can enjoy and pursue way beyond Father’s Day. Still a great way to honour our Fathers, and because there are so many options we believe that celebration and recognition of what our Father’s do or have done is of upmost importance. It does give us an important opportunity to access something special like the three examples we have highlighted clearly demonstrate.
So Happy Father’s Day! Plus, please remember that this is your day. Don’t compare with someone else. Only you know what is right for you and how you want the day to be. If you want to curl up in bed and sleep all day then feel free! Just make sure others are aware so that they can respect your wishes!
The All important links
Jack and Paul Fishing - Homepage
Jack & Paul Fishing - Blog Page
The Superheroes Programme
Superheroes At Home
Superheroes Super Sensory
Father & Son Workouts
Gamifying Exercise Blog
Fit Mother Project