Health & Wellbeing

Keeping active is important for your mental and physical health. It can help improve your sleep, reduce stress, help you relax and make you feel better overall.
There are many benefits of exercise, some of these include:
boosting your mood, concentration & alertness
improving your sleep
providing a distraction from unhelpful thoughts
giving you a chance to socialize and meet new people
increasing your energy
improving blood pressure, cholesterol and reducing your blood sugar
preventing or reducing anxiety and depression.

Eating well is important. When it comes to mental health, what you eat can make a difference to how you feel.
Eating well helps maintain brain health throughout your lifespan.5 Eating a balanced, wholesome diet can improve your mental and physical health.
There are little things you can do to eat well for your mental health such as:
Eat lots of vegetables – vegetables and legumes (e.g. beans and lentils) are rich in nutrients and fibre.
Eat for your gut – the gut is sometimes called ‘the second brain’, therefore it is important to keep the gut happy by eating healthy foods that contain probiotics.
Avoid processed sugar and additives. Highly processed food has been linked to poor mental health.
Relax and enjoy a balanced and healthy diet.
Be mindful of what foods you are eating.
Eat wholesome nutritious foods.
Snack on healthy foods. When you feel like a snack, try a healthier option such as nuts or fresh fruit.
Drink plenty of water and avoid sugary drinks. Drinking enough water regularly helps prevent dehydration which can make you irritable.

As part of the Youth Program, members may wish to opt into SLSWA’s Youth Leaders Program (YLP). YLP gives youth members the opportunity to keep a record of the activities and courses they undertake in the areas of Lifesaving, Training, Leadership and Surf Sports.