Team Unbreakable

Physical Health Tuesdays Hills! Challenges are opportunities is a good credo to live by. Add an extra challenge to your training plan with a hilly route or hill repeats. Hills are good for any level of runner. They help improve strength, form, and build our cardiovascular engines. We recommend a bit of hill training as part of the couch to 5k training plan built into our program. Find a hill, pick a target, and run/walk until you crest the top!

Mental Health Mondays: Building Connection Joining a Run Crew, training with a team, or even working towards a shared goal with a friend help foster a sense of community and give our moods a boost. The operative word in Team Unbreakable is team. Our work emphasizes community and connection. Learn more about the Team Unbreakable program at www.teamunbreakable.ca

What's Up Wednesdays - Team Unbreakable saw tremendous support from our youth participants from the Bold and Cold. Two students from the YMCA Academy finished in our top four fundraisers, and the YMCA Academy, Chester Elementary, and Hodgson Middle schools finished in the top three for fundraising teams! The communities we serve are as enthusiastic about the Team Unbreakable Run For Youth Mental Health Program as we are!

Physical Health Tuesday - Active Isolated Mobility is a dynamic stretch technique that differs from the standard static stretches. Check out this link from our Community Partners at the Runners Academy in Toronto for some great moves to do after your run! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-baiFn54Rc&t=4s

Physical Health Tuesday - A run/walk can be just as good as a run. If you're a new runner or someone coming back to the sport, try and break your run down into segments. Start with 1 minute of running, and two minutes of walking. Add time to your running intervals as your endurance builds. This is the foundation of the Physical Health Component of the Team Unbreakable program - progression!

Mental Health Monday - Running can make you a better student! Exercise programs help aid academic potential. As little as 20 minutes of exercise on the morning of a test can help increase grades. Take the time for a brisk run/walk at the start of your day.

Mental Health Monday - Did you know : That even moderate runs have a very real benefit on our brains. According to an article published in The Guardian, "running quickly for half an hour improves cortical flicker frequency threshold. This is associated with the ability to better process information," and brain scans have shown that running and meditation have similar effects on the brain.

Factoid Fridays: Article - "How Running and Jogging Benefit Mental Health" https://bit.ly/3pskSkk

What's Up Wednesday: This fall, The Team Unbreakable program has been active in schools in Toronto, Vancouver, BC and Teeswater, and Hanover, with plans on supporting schools and community centers in Thunder Bay, Walkerton, Waterloo, Mississauga, Acton, and Niagara for the coming term. If you know of a Teacher or Educator with potential interest in our research based, comprehensive Physical Health for Mental Health program, contact [email protected] and let us know!

Physical Health Tuesdays: Strength training helps keep us strong and injury free! Try these exercises to help keep your body strong! Walking Lunges, Single Calf Raises, Side Planks.