Positive Psychology

I was in London at the weekend again for the second weekend of my masters degree course. I study at the University of East London which is based in Stratford, the home of the 2012 Olympics. The course is really interesting so far and its nice to catch up with friends in London when im there.

Positive Psychology is a relatively new branch of Psychology, which has been around for the last 10 years or so. It is the scientific study of what allows people and communities to thrive. In the past Psychology has been centred around mental illness and why things go wrong, whereas Positive Psychology focusses instead on well-being and optimal human functioning.

I have been reading some really interesting books recently, one that is worth mentioning is Dan Gilbert's 'Stumbling upon Happiness', which sounds suspiciously like a self help book, but actually takes a more theoretical and philospohical approach to the idea of happiness, and looks at why it is that people always think that doing certain things will make them happy. It's a really funny and well written book and definitely worth a read! Taking a quote from the book........'If on a particularly slow Tuesday you feel compelled to dissect your own eyeball', I suggest you decide against it and read this book instead. http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/gilbert/

The area of research that I am most interested in is how exercise can impact positively on well-being. Throughout my academic and practical career I have witnessed the positive impact that exercise can have, and my experience, as well as scientific research, shows that participation in physical activity can build self esteem, reduce stress levels, and increase happiness. My undergraduate dissertation looked at the impact of practising feelings of gratitude on athlete well-being, and I am hoping to write my postgraduate dissertation on how a weekly community run (namely parkrun) can promote flourishing. This project idea is very much just an idea at the minute though!

Last weekend we had yet another record turn out at Newcastle parkrun, with 143 runners turning up at 9am to run the 5km course around the Town Moor. It's really great to see continued growth in numbers, and to know that so many runners are enjoying it. Last weeks results can be seen at http://www.parkrun.org.uk/newcastle/Results/LatestResults.aspx and as you can see the field ranges from those competitive (and very fast) runners that complete the course in 16-17 minutes, to those who jog and walk the route in around 45 minutes. Newcastle parkrun is on every Saturday at 9am and I suggest you give it a go, not only to improve your fitness, but also to make yourself feel good.....its a great start to the weekend, and is completely free. If you don't fancy running then why not come along and help as a volunteer? Just email me at newcastledirector@parkrun.com to get involved. We have a mobile coffee van at the finish line so runners and volunteers can enjoy a drink and have a chat too.

I have been doing some early morning training this week, getting up at 5am and doing half an hour of running and cycling. I love being up so early, although it makes you feel a little mad when you leave the house and there are still stars in the sky! Early morning cardio is great for fat burning, especially if you train on an empty stomach. I really think it sets you up for the day too and energises you.

Hope that you are all good!

Niyc xx

Masters and a marathon!

Well I have definitely been busy recently! I started my Masters degree a few weeks ago, studying Applied Positive Psychology at the University of East London. I do 3 days a month down in London, and I’m back there this weekend. I really love the course so far and find the content really interesting. Positive Psychology is a relatively new branch of Psychology that has been around for 10 years or so, and is centred on fulfilment, well-being and optimum functioning, and which positive emotions, states and institutions allow individuals and communities to thrive. I will be making some blog posts to do with Positive Psychology specifically as I progress through the course, and I am looking at also delivering a short course on Positive Psychology and well-being myself in the New Year.

We had another record attendance at Newcastle parkrun on Saturday, with a total of 137 runners turning out on what was actually a really miserable morning, but great conditions for running. We had lots of first timers and many personal bests, with the field ranging from those that finished in under 17 minutes, to those that finished in over 40 minutes, and everything in between. parkrun really is for everybody and if you’re interested in coming along all you need to do is visit www.parkrun.org.uk/newcastle and register, then print out your barcode, and turn up and run! We had a coffee van attending on Saturday which proved to be popular with both runners and volunteers and so we will be continuing this tradition for the next few weeks at least! See www.ecocoffeecart.co.uk for more information. You can find parkrun on facebook if you search ‘Newcastle parkrun’ and you can also follow us on twitter @newcparkrun.

Newcastle College are running a programme of free fitness for ladies aged 16-19 every Wednesday 1-2pm. The 8 week programme which is funded by Sport Unlimited will include boot camp circuits sessions ran by Newcastle College Personal Trainers (http://www.ncl-coll.ac.uk/sports/facilities.aspx ), street dance ran by Sunderland Dance (www.sunderlanddancecic.com ), and a barre class ran by The Barre (www.the-barre.com ). You don’t have to be a student to attend, so if you or anybody you know would be interested in getting involved then call (0191)2004640 or email thezone@ncl-coll.ac.uk Its not often you get to take part in classes with some of the finest instructors around completely for free!

I took on two long distance sports events this summer to raise money for The Princes Trust charity. The Princes Trust helps disadvantaged young people into education and work, and the money I raised goes towards funding the work of the charity in the North East. I met a guy on Sunday who had been helped into work by The Princes Trust, and he credited the charity with effectively saving his life. He has a job at Marks and Spencer now and has career opportunities ahead of him. He actually shook my hand and thanked me for raising money for the charity, which really moved me. It’s not often that you get to meet somebody that the charity you support has directly impacted upon, and it makes the hard work and effort even more worthwhile to know that the money being raised is helping people locally.

I said after I had finished the Great North Bike Ride and Great North Run this year that I wouldn’t be competing in any major events next year and was intending on exercising for fun instead. That lasted around 3 weeks and I have since signed up for The Edinburgh Marathon(!) which is in May 2011. A marathon is 26.2 miles, and a totally different ball game from a half marathon. I have been sent a 4 month training plan from Dave Daniels who is a volunteer and runner at Newcastle parkrun, and is a seasoned marathon runner himself. My friend Fliss is also running the marathon and so having a training partner will help a lot. Ill keep you updated on my training progress as the time draws near! Wish me luck!  

Thanks,

Niyc xx