Linda’s Blog

Linda Baston-Pitt, PurpleBee CEO, shares her thoughts, insights and advice

Staff Health and Wellbeing: Part 7 – Getting active

Online: Read the full article online as published in Nursery World Magazine October 2021 here
PDF version: Read the full article as published in Nursery World Magazine October 2021 here 

How should settings encourage their practitioners to take up more physical exercise? Charlotte Goddard, Nursery World, reports.

It may have seemed that everyone was going on walk after walk, but physical activity has plummeted during the pandemic. Sport England’s latest annual survey found that in 2019/20, 27 per cent of all adults in the UK were classed as inactive, with less than 30 minutes of physical activity a week. Women, Black and Asian adults and younger adults (aged 16 to 24) have seen activity levels fall the most, according to the survey.

For some practitioners, there are barriers to engaging in physical activity. ‘We have become globally more sedentary, we have engineered activity out of our lives,’ says
Linda Baston-Pitt, chief executive of PurpleBee Learning. ‘So, unless you’re motivated to exercise, it can get harder and harder.’

All 21 of Kindred Nurseries’ settings have a member of staff trained as a Level 4 physical activity and nutrition co-ordinator (PANCo) with PurpleBee Learning and in this article they share how they are supporting staff wellbeing and exercise within their settings.

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About the Author:

Linda has been a passionate advocate for health and wellbeing in Early Years throughout her career. Known for her cross-disciplinary and collaborative approach, Linda is a well-known speaker at national and international conferences. Linda is CEO of PurpleBee, and co-founder of the PANCo qualification.