Exercising our right to be more active!
Results of the annual Balancing Life Survey have now been published.
Results from the Balancing Life Survey 2019 will be used to help staff and students improve their health and wellbeing
The survey aims to find out more about the activity and wellbeing levels of staff and students at Leeds.
Among the standout findings from 2019 are that colleagues are 10% more active than the general working population, with 46% doing regular exercise – an increase of 7% since 2018. In all, three-quarters (75%) of the campus population are active – 1% up since the previous survey.
This year’s results coincide with the launch of our new strategic plan for Sport and Physical Activity (SPA), entitled Do What Moves You, with our vision to be the best University for being active.
Results from the Balancing Life Survey specifically help to inform and guide us in regards to one of the strategy’s key aims – to help staff and students improve their health and wellbeing.
Suzanne Glavin, Head of Sport and Physical Activity, said: “Year on year we are learning more about the physical activity and wellbeing activities of our staff and students, and the information that Balancing Life provides is vital for us to inform our approach about the programmes and services we develop and deliver in the future.
“We are keen to share the findings of our most recent survey and work with colleagues across campus to seek to continuously improve how and what we do.”
Our new Sport and Physical Activity strategy aims to improve the health and wellbeing of staff, students and local communities
Spreading the message
A total of 2,172 responses were collected – a 48% increase on 2018 – with those who took part thanked for taking the time to fill out the survey.
You can see the full results on the Balancing Life webpage.
The SPA Physical Activity and Wellbeing Team will be delivering a series of workshops with different faculties and services during coming weeks to discuss the results in more detail. Contact Physical Activity and Wellbeing Manager, Bethany Fadden, for further information about these.
Play your part!
If you want to make a change to your lifestyle and be more active, SPA has lots of options to help you get started. The Edge offers more than 220 exercise classes every week during term time, from 30-minute High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) classes that you can fit into the working day, to more gentle yoga and pilates sessions. If team sports is more your bag, why not join one of our social leagues and compete with your mates? But hurry as registration for new teams closes on Friday 10 January.
If you’re looking to get into running, why not join one of Get Out, Get Active’s wellbeing runs or sign up for the latest entry-level Couch to 5K programme, which is open to all staff and students?
And check out the latest All Staff enewsletter (being circulated on 8 January) for the special code to get a free day pass to The Edge during January 2020 to try the gym, a class or a swim.
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