Ruby's Rocking Adventures Ep.19
Great Gadgets
Hi everyone, it's me Ruby. This week we will see further lockdown restrictions easing and grass root sports are returning. I can't wait! I'm back at football training Thursday and Saturday and I'm looking forward to a friendly football match this weekend.
Sport England reports that since last year, 2.3% of young people in the summer had dropped the amount of activity they do daily. With over 2.3 million children failing to complete 30 minutes of exercise a day. This highlights that it is really important that sporting clubs are able to resume. If you don't belong to a club there are lots of opportunities, you can do to keep yourself active. You can find lots of ideas at http://haveringactive.co.uk. Some fitness activities can be as simple as skipping or walking.
Here are some fitness gadgets I like:
Messi Training Ball:
Inspired by the footballer, this is a gadget where there is a football on the end of a string. I find this extremely useful when trying to maintain my control and practice kicky-ups. This is available from Smyths.
Swingball:
You can find out what Swingball you prefer; the tennis or football or like me you can choose both. I find these helpful as they improve my co-ordination and touch. The football Swingball is available at Argos and the tennis (classic) Swingball is available at Amazon.
Fitness watches:
I recommend these as they are really good at logging your exercise, heart rate, sleep patterns, use as a watch and have many other great benefits. On your phone, you can view your exercise and progress if you have your fitness watches App. You can get Garmin watches, Fitbits and many others. Fitness watches are important in tracking your exercise as they can set you goals to improve on and measures your distance when walking, running or cycling.
"Keep active! Stay healthy, keep strong with your head held high"
Ruby Xx
Ruby's Rocking Adventures Ep.18
Recycle: Looking after our planet
Hi everyone, Ruby here! As well as keeping ourselves healthy we must also maintain keeping our planet healthy too!
Did you know?
Households in Havering produce over 95,000 tonnes of rubbish and recycling each year. Each household produces roughly a tonne of rubbish and recycling each year through household waste collections and waste taken to the Reuse and Recycling Centre.
Why prevent waste?
It saves resources and saves money. It costs £108 for every tonne we send to landfill. Landfilling our waste harms, the environment. When organic waste, such as food, paper and clothes break down in a landfill site they give off greenhouse gases, such as methane, which is twenty times more polluting and dangerous to our planet than carbon dioxide.
Here are some things you can easily do to help reduce waste:
Smart shopping
Planning your meals
Buy rechargeable batteries and recycle old ones in supermarkets
Buy loose fruit and vegetables
Avoid single usage of items
Prepare yourself by making a list for when you go shopping
Donate to a local food bank
Love food hate waste!
You can save up to £50 a month by throwing away less food. You can find out more at: http://www.
Homes in the UK throw away over 1/4 of their weekly grocery shop. Meanwhile, our cupboards are full of things we'll never eat or use. That's crazy! OLIO, is a free app that connects neighbours so spare food and belongings can be shared, not thrown away. Everything listed on OLIO is for free or for donation to charity. If you love food, hate waste, care about your community or the environment, OLIO is for you. You can also save money and prevent food waste by planning your meals, checking food dates, storing food correctly, checking your portions and getting creative with any food leftovers!
Home composting
Composting is nature's way of recycling. You can use your garden and kitchen waste to start your own worm farm in your own garden! You can use your compost for: feeding your lawn, preparing a flower bed or vegetable patch or giving existing potted plants a nutrient boost.
As well as composting your garden and food scraps you can also compost: corrugated cardboard, newspaper, toilet roll tubes, tissues, paper towels, napkins, wool and natural fibre clothing.
Compost bins will fit in to a small space and they can come in different sizes or you can get crafty and make your own.
"We can all make a difference with small changes"
Ruby Xx
Ruby's Rocking Adventures Ep.17
Self-care
Hi everyone it’s Ruby! Now more than ever we need to take care of ourselves.
By making one small change in your day, you'll soon find that you feel healthier, happier, and ready for anything.
Get your sweat on
I participate in a virtual- athletics class each week where we do fun exercises, helping to keep our minds and body fit. Exercise isn’t just for losing weight; it’s also a powerful mental health tool proven to help depression and anxiety.
Create a “Yay!” list
Every- night, write down anything that made you say "Yay!" during the day. Think finding hidden money in your pocket, a surprise call from a friend, sunny skies, or discovering a new park. This will help you recognize things going right in your life instead of focusing on the negative.
Donate your time
Volunteering gives us purpose, which raises our self-esteem and lowers loneliness. A study of those with social anxiety found that people who lent a helping hand felt less anxious about social situations than those who didn’t.
Take a relaxing bath
Instead of speeding through a two- minute shower, find time to soak in the bath uninterrupted. Bring in candles, music, or a book for a total escape.
Take a photo- of anything!
Regular snapping and sharing (whatever the subject!) help people stop and take time for themselves and connect with others. For extra motivation, post a daily picture to Instagram with the hashtag #365challenge. After a year, scroll back and relive the moments. I love taking pictures of nature and my cousin’s dog Luna!
Discover a new podcast
People can shift their moods to match the tones of voice they’re hearing. So why not listen to an inspiring podcast, like dreambigpodcast.com, whenever you need a boost?
Take a course in something brand-new
Maybe you’ve always wanted to try dancing, painting or photography. Active learning exercises your brain — and you may meet new friends.
“Embrace yourself, others and your surroundings”
Ruby Xx
Ruby's Rocking Adventures Ep.16
List of positive things
Hi everyone, Ruby here. Last week Boris Johnson released the road map for easing lockdown restrictions promising hope for the future. Exciting, isn't it.
Back to school
On Monday, after months of home schooling we're finally going back to school and we can see our friends again, Yay! Also, starting back up are after school clubs, where we can participate in fun activities and we can hopefully widen our hobbies, interests and learn new skills.
The great outdoors
Another restriction being lifted on the 8th of March is meeting with one other person outside for a catch up or exercise. Soon after, on the 29th of March the rule of six is returning, you can go for a walk or meet up in a garden. If you visit the park the outdoor facilities like tennis courts will be open so you can have a game with friends and family while sticking to the rule of the amount of people you play with. And finally, outside of school outdoor clubs can reopen. For example, football clubs or athletics so we can train and increase our fitness levels.
Positivity for the future
Although these days seem far away, they will come around quickly. From 12th of April, places like gyms can reopen and leisure facilities like zoos and theme parks. Following on, stage three is when hopefully a maximum of 30 people can meet up in a group outdoors. It'll be lovely having friends and family meeting outdoors for picnics as this date is 17th of May, when the weather should hopefully be warmer.
If we keep following the rules, be safe and mindful of others these dates will progress and we're not far away from those real virtual hugs.
"Remember to keep safe"
Ruby Xx
Ruby's Rocking Adventures Ep.15
The importance of keeping in touch
Hi everyone, it's me Ruby. Especially now, more than ever, it is great to keep in touch with family and friends; hopefully soon we can meet and hug, I can't wait!
Virtual Calls
These are video call apps you can use to create meetings; I recommend: Zoom, House party and Google Meet, you can chat to your friends or family, play a game or create a quiz to challenge each other. (Check with an adult before downloading).
Postcards/Letters
If not virtually you can still keep in touch by writing and decorating letters or postcards to be sent in the post to loved ones. I've used the app: Touch Note to send postcards. Simply, choose a template design, add a photo or message and they send it directly to your requested address.
Video Call Activities
On a video call, you can play a board game or computer games. Another idea is an art challenge consisting of drawing or painting. I like to challenge my cousin on Nintendo and recently used Face Time to take part and win a family quiz!
With luck we'll be back to school soon and can chat face to face with friends and family more often, it's been tough at times but stay positive and those virtual hugs will soon become real!
"Keep in touch and smile"
Ruby Xx