Get active and give it a go - visit the Fit and Active Barnet Hub for tips to help you keep active in Barnet and physical activity opportunities for all ages and abilities.
The Eatwell Guide was created by the government to help summarise what makes up a healthy balanced diet for children and adults. The Guide does not apply to children under the age of 2 because they have different nutritional needs. Between the ages of 2 and 5, children should gradually move to eat the same foods as the rest of the family in the proportions shown in the Eatwell Guide.
This can be walking or cycling to the shops, and you can also try taking the stairs instead of the escalator or lift. Also, try walking, cycling or scooting to school? Not only will it help you to be more physically active, but it will also help to reduce air pollution due to fewer cars on the road and support anti-idling. Anti-idling is about encouraging people to turn off their car engines when their vehicle is stationary, and it is safe to do.
You and your family can visit one of our many parks and open spaces. These include Walking, running and cycling trails.
Looking after your mental health is something we should invest in, like our physical health. Building your mental health can help us to build resilience to manage difficult times in the future.
Top tips:
- Reframe unhelpful thoughts
- Be in the present (see information on mindfulness)
- Get good quality sleep
- Connect with others
- Live a healthy life
- Do something for yourself
- Write a letter to future you (a mind plan)
We have a range of exercise and healthy eating initiatives available in the borough.
If you are having thoughts of suicide or are concerned for a young person who might be you can contact HOPELINE247 for confidential support and practical advice. Call: 0800 068 4141 | Text: 88247 | Email: pat@papyrus.uk.org
We're championing the humble bean in Barnet to improve our health, lighten the load on our pockets and reduce our carbon footprints. Check out the facts, tasty recipes, and more about beans.
The NCL Waiting Room is a website that provides information and resources for young people, parents, carers and professionals who are looking for wellbeing support in North Central London (NCL).
The North Central London Integrated Care System (NCL ICS) covers five London boroughs: Camden, Islington, Barnet, Enfield, and Haringey.
Mindfulness is the opposite of automatic pilot mode. It is about experiencing the world that is firmly in the ‘here and now’ and directing our attention to our experience as it unfolds. This mode is referred to as the being mode. It offers a way of freeing oneself from automatic and unhelpful ways of thinking and responding such as worrying about what has happened or might happen - training us to explore and respond skillfully to whatever is happening right now.
You are able to read more about mindfulness and meditation on the following websites:
As a young person you can access mental health support on Barnet Council’s website.
It is an increasingly more digital world, where Children and Young People (CYP) are using digital technologies earlier. Digital resilience is the ability for CYP to develop a critical mindset when accessing information online, to reduce their vulnerability and potential for harm. It is about being able to navigate, deal positively and be able to safeguard themselves from harmful information often found on social media platforms and the internet.
Barnet council have developed resources for children and young people, teachers, parents, and children with SEND to initiate conversations, provide resources and education around this topic.
Please see our page on Digital Resilience here.
To mark World Mental Health Day, Barnet Council has launched a new mental health and wellbeing strategy designed to promote the mental wellbeing of children and young people. The strategy was created following consultation and engagement with residents, youth and parent groups and using insights from national and local data.
Visit also Barnet's Children and Young People's Mental Health Charter, co-produced with over 200 young people.