Healthy Bodies
It can be tempting to prioritise only one or two aspects of our lifestyle if we feel too busy to achieve a balance between all of them. However, our diet, sleep, and physical activity are interconnected - when one is poor, the others are impacted.
That’s why we must strive to achieve balance between nutrition, exercise, and sleep to promote our overall wellness, which we can do with a healthy sleep schedule, exercising regularly, and maintaining a well- balanced diet.
Physical activity produces our ‘feel good’ hormones and endorphins. When this happens, we tend to feel stress relief, a boost in our self-esteem and mood, as well as a reduction in symptoms associated with existing mental health challenges.
We should do around two hours of physical activity per week, dedicating two days to muscle strengthening activities. Our exercise schedules can be flexible to suit our needs, whether that’s doing 20 minutes of exercise per day or longer workouts two or three days a week. Monash offers many programs and facilities to help you integrate exercise into your routine, whether you’re at home or on a Monash campus. |
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Getting active on campus
Monash SportMonash Sport is the centre of active and healthy lifestyles across Monash campuses. They have a wide range of services, programs, and facilities for staff. Click here to find out what classes, discounts, social sport activities, and facilities are available. Monash Sport also offers the FREE play initiative to provide free opportunities to get active on campus such as outdoor gyms and other workout spaces. For more information, click here. |
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Join a team
Joining a team is a fun, social way to get active. You can join a team and compete in tournaments through Monash Sport’s Social Sport competitions. There is also the Performance, Representation and Engagement Programs (PREP) team that oversees many recreational, competitive and instructional sporting clubs across the Clayton and Caulfield campuses. For a list of all available clubs, click here and select the ‘affiliated clubs’ category. |
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Getting active off campus
It can be more convenient to exercise outside of work. Monash offers a range of resources that can guide your workouts off-campus.
Active Bodies OnlineActive Bodies Online is a free Monash Sport program where staff can access guided workout videos that are designed to be practical, adaptable and easy to follow at home. These videos include:
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Strava ClubExercise and connect with more than 200 people from the Monash community via the fitness tracking app Strava. Search 'Monash Sport Strava Club' to join the group, track your exercise, take part in challenges, and keep competitive alongside other club members. For more information on the Monash Strava group, click here. |
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Want more help to achieve your fitness goals?
If you want additional help or guidance in taking care of your physical wellbeing, consider visiting the Monash Nutrition and Exercise Clinic. The clinic offers sports nutrition consulting and exercise testing services implemented by accredited sports dieticians to assist you in achieving your goals, regardless of your fitness level. For more information, click here. |
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Our mind and body require nutrients in order to function optimally. The foods that we eat allow us to get the energy we need to move and concentrate, it also helps us to regulate our hormone production, immune system, and greatly impacts our mental wellbeing. When we eat a balanced diet, our mental and physical health can improve. Visit our Nutrition Pillar for more nutritional information and how Monash supports staff in maintaining a balanced diet. |
Sleep deprivation affects our cognition. It impairs our: | ||||
 Self-control |  Decision-making skills |  Memory |  Emotional regulation abilities |  Concentration and productivity |
Sleep deprivation also impairs our immune system. It puts us at increased risk for a number of physical health issues, such as: | |||||||||||
 Cardiovascular disease |  Weight-related issues |  Hypertension |  Type 2 diabetes | ||||||||
Therefore, it is extremely important to get our 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Recent research suggests that of all the factors relating to sleep, sleep quality has the biggest impact on our wellbeing. | |||||||||||
What is good quality sleep?Although good sleep quality differs from person to person, the Sleep Foundation offers a checklist to assess sleep quality. The most effective way to improve sleep quality is through a routine. Strive to keep to a regular sleep schedule and maintain a relaxing bedtime routine. For more information on how you can do this, click here. |
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To learn more about healthy sleep…The Sleep Health Foundation and Harvard’s Sleep Matters Initiative are excellent resources to help you engage in healthy habits that improve your sleep, offering the latest evidence-based information on sleep and how it affects your wellbeing. |
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Struggling with sleep?If you are experiencing sleep related issues, such as challenges with falling asleep, staying asleep, and feeling well rested, consider talking to your general practitioner (GP) about how you can improve your sleep. Monash has its own Healthy Sleep Clinic run by the Turner Institute, made up of sleep physicians, psychologists, circadian rhythm experts and nurse practitioners who support those experiencing sleep-related issues. The Clinic offers in-person services for those who have a referral to a sleep professional from their GP. For more information click here or call 9905 1428. |
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