Lean On Me Program Launch

Lean On Me Program Launch

In 2021, Vikings Rugby are proud to launch our ‘Lean On Me’ program, a holistic initiative that will benefit all members of our Club and extended Vikings family.

 

Our Lean On Me program provides access to valuable resources on mental health, nutrition, strength & conditioning, rehabilitation & recovery and cultural recognition & mentorship to Vikings Rugby players, support staff, volunteers and our extended network. The program will encapsulate all of the elements listed above, with an aim to expand our Rugby Club’s service offering to current and potential members. The program’s aim is to improve the well-being of our club members, while also enhancing their ability to perform on the Rugby pitch. Several Vikings Rugby staff and players completed Lifeline’s ‘The Working Mind’ course recently, which provides training in workplace mental health and wellness. This training will serve as the basis for Lean On Me.

 

You can find out more about Lean On Me here.

 

To launch our Lean On Me program, we will be hosting a presentation by Uni-North Owl, Brumby, Wallaby, local Rugby enthusiast and business owner Ben Alexander. The session is titled “Energise Yourself – Life Balance to Maximise Physical and Mental Well-being”.

Ben is a passionate advocate of monitoring and controlling mental and physical well being and energy through diet, movement, relationships and support networks. He has also developed a personal energy diet tracking app called ‘Alfred’, which allows the user to easily monitor what they eat and how much energy they are getting in their day.

Ben is the highest capped Brumby in history with 154 caps and has 72 Wallabies caps. Ben will talk on his many experiences as a rugby player, professional athlete, father, business owner and on the transition to life post rugby. Ben will relate his own personal struggles with food, weight and mental health in his journey and the strategies he used to get control back in his life. The topics Ben will cover include;

  • General well-being. What affects our general well-being – physical health, mental health, work, support network, sleep, food, exercise and relationships, among other things.
  • The importance of eating well when playing rugby and the struggles with food, the demands of training, work, and how to find energy in your day.
  • Resilience – dealing with disappointment/selections/injuries, stress in your life, getting out of the downward spiral, asking for help early and reaching out to support networks.
  • Transitioning from football to work life – related to when people get injured and can no longer play rugby. What can players do when injured to ‘fill the void’.
  • Focus strategies and key lessons learnt during career and post career.

Ben will be joined by Matt, the Founder of Running for Resilience who will also relate his personal story of  loss and adversity and how his Running for Resilience program helps him keep moving, connect with others and cope with stress in their lives. This will be a very informative, causal and relaxed presentation with the opportunity for Q and A at the end.

The session is for all senior players, staff, and U18 Gen Red players and staff. More details will be provided at training.

 

Vikings Rugby are thrilled to be offering Lean On Me to our extended Vikings Family, and look forward to welcoming Ben and Matt for our first Lean On Me presentation.