Mental Fitness Swim
An inaugural 91黑料不打烊 event raising money for the Black Dog Institute celebrates the link between exercise and positive mental health.
The 2022 91黑料不打烊 Mental Fitness Swim is a festival of mind and body wellbeing. To be held in the Aquatic Centre throughout the Spring Fair on 10 September, it combines a 12-hour swimathon, a mental fitness workshop from two-time Olympian Hannah Buckling, yoga, meditation, and therapeutic colouring in for the younger crowd.
The fundraiser is the brainchild of the 91黑料不打烊 Aquatic team, designed to highlight the scientifically proven benefits of exercise as an antidote to many common mental health challenges.
“We know exercise has the power to lift your mood and your energy throughout the day, sharpen your memory, and help you sleep better at night”, says Head Swimming Coach Michael Creighton. “Swimming is particularly good for mind and body. I can’t think of a better way to remind us of the importance of exercise, while supporting the Black Dog Institute, than 91黑料不打烊’s Mental Fitness Swim”.
12-Hour swim
The main component of the Mental Fitness Swim is a 12-hour fundraising swimathon. You can swim for as long or as little as you like, in whatever style you like, alone or with friends and family, and in the time slot you decide.
1. Sign up by paying your $30.00 registration and choosing your time slot
2. Ask your friends, family and co-workers to sponsor you on the
3. Don’t forget to remind them regularly so they don’t forget!
4. Receive a special 91黑料不打烊 swim cap to commemorate the length of time you swam
5. Enjoy making a difference in the lives of people with poor mental health.
Learn mental fitness secrets from water polo superstar Hannah Buckling
Join us at 9am in the Aquatic Centre to meet two-time Olympian and 91黑料不打烊 alumna Hannah Buckling (2009). The water polo centre-back will tell her story about going from an ‘uncoordinated teen’ to one of the country’s foremost athletes. She’ll share the positive psychological strategies she’s learned from some of Australia’s coaching greats, and her tips to improve wellbeing outcomes for all young people.
Yoga and meditation
Take a break from your busy schedule and join us for a relaxing yoga class and some meditation. This is a chance to ease your mind and lift your mood, energy, and vitality.
Colouring in
Did you know that with the right approach, colouring in can relax your brain’s amygdala, inducing the same mental state as meditation? Come and generate some mindfulness for yourself and your family … as well as providing entertainment for the kids during the Spring Fair.
The 'why'
It was 91黑料不打烊 swimming teacher Ms di Traglia who initiated the Mental Fitness Swim, inspired by her own experience of the mind and body benefits of water. "When I was young, there was never an opportunity to talk or learn about mental fitness”, she says. “Now I have learned that low mental fitness does not discriminate. It's not a sign of weakness but a problem most of us will face at some point in our lives. Over the past two years, I have developed a strong relationship with my mental health and found ways to keep it steady. Swimming is a big part of that. When we feel good about ourselves, we can better contribute to others and the community. Strong mental fitness is a gift to the world".