https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr Made with serendipity en-us 2019-04-12 13:20:14 UTC 2025-08-23 06:01:26 UTC hello@padlet.com breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351138368 During this week we were introduced to the Made2Move club by Fiona and Gillian. They explained to us what the module consisted of and what we would be doing with this new Made2Move Club would consist of. We were informed that we were now mentors and that our mentees would be inactive members of the UCC community. Each mentor would have at least one mentee and up to three. We then went through what was expected of us as mentors. Were we there to serve as a motivator, a guide and somebody who the mentees could consult in their journey to becoming active and healthy. We would be required to also provide the mentees with activity plans and offer assistance with nutrition and help them make conscious healthy decisions when it comes to food choices and portions. All of the exercise selections would be tailored to the individual mentee to help tailor it to their individual needs and wants to help not only make it more effective but also to hopefully aid in the overall longevity of their health and fitness journeys. We were also arranged into "pods". In these pods of over 3 mentors we would be required to deliver two classes on a Tuesday and a Thursday. These classes would be unique in the fact that each "pod" would bring different ideas to each class which will keep them fresh and enjoyable. The classes would take place in the electrical engineering building at 5pm to 6pm on both days. We were also informed that we would have to screen all our mentees before they could actively participate in the club. Also, in this introductory lesson we were shown various statistics related to well-being and activity levels in the general population ]]> 2019-04-12 13:22:48 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351138368 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351149090 This week we had the screening process. Here I received my first mentee, "Anna" . However, before the screening took place we came in as a class before the aspiring mentees and had the room set up. We then all sat at the back of the room and waited for the mentees to arrive. We were all dressed in our PE gear (red top, black tracksuit bottoms). The potential metees then arrived into the room and were stood at the front with us at the back. It was clear from the outset and often throughout, that the mentees were some bit anxious, nervous and maybe even intimidated as we saw one or two walk in and swiftly walk back out. Once everyone was settled we began to get assigned mentees. Once I was assigned my mentee I began bringing her through the screening process. Firstly, I took her height, followed by her weight weight, waist and other body measurements. It was clear that she was uncomfortable having me as a male taking her measurements. We then went on to preform the circuit which included a sit and reach test, max push ups and max sit ups. Once this was completed we went on to fill out the PAR-Q. I then had a quick chat with her to get to know her course, her timetable constraints and her activity interests. I discovered that she was in her first year of nursing and she had quite a hectic timetable. However, she was already quite active as she walked to college from the city every day. She also told me she wanted to get into the gym and in particular weight training. She told me she already had a base knowledge of resistance training including all of the basic lifts and exercises. However, even with this knowledge she wanted a specific program that she could follow. We then exchanged contact details. In the Thursday lecture following this we were assigned our pods and began to design our sessions we were also assigned roles in our pods, these roles included a class leader, an attendance monitor, a safety monitor and an equipment keeper. In my group I was assigned the role of equipment. It was my job to bring the needed equipment for the session and to set it up. I enjoyed this role as it gave me a responsibility, that without me the class would be unable to run according to plan. ]]> 2019-04-12 13:44:01 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351149090 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351168902 This week we have our lecturer Dr. Wesley O'Brien take us for an introductory class on resistance training. This was extremely beneficial for me in regards to providing useful information to my mentee as she has a keen interest in resistance training. Wesley put a particular emphasis on progressions and regressions. I found this insightful as not all mentees will be able to do all movements successfully as the majority of people in the club have a sedentary life and they can't carry out all of the exercises. After the training introduction we went back to the lecture theater where Fiona and Gillian discussed potential difficulties we may encounter with our mentees such as lack of motivation, confidence and lack of correspondence between mentee and mentor ]]> 2019-04-12 14:26:43 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351168902 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351187408 2019-04-12 15:05:43 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351187408 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351191974 In this week we were introduced to more mentees. These mentees were all studying mathematical sciences. Once I was introduced to my newest mentee "Anthony" I followed the same process as I did with "Jane". So again we started with the PAR-Q before going on to the weight, height and waist measurements followed by the circuit. I then followed the same process and asked him what he was interested in and what his timetable was like. He had a busy schedule however he had a lot of time to work around. Using the information he provided me with and using the information that has been supplied to me in previous weeks I was confident I could make an enjoyable program for him. ]]> 2019-04-12 15:16:06 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351191974 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351198569 In this week the main focus for the session was resistance training. In the previous session we had an introduction into how we could incorporate RT into our mentees programs and how it is beneficial for them. The basis of the session was progressions and regressions which can be beneficial for our mentees. Thanks to Wesley I now feel much more competent to prescribe resistance training to someone else as I now know the various steps to take for various regressions and the steps needed for when they eventually get to progress.  Next we discussed the positives and negatives from our original design sprint. We also discussed what we could use to track our assignment. We went through various different applications and software and all of us presented using different apps. Eventually we decided to use padlet to display the information. This is ideal for tracking the progress of the Made2Move club and tracking mentee progress.  ]]> 2019-04-12 15:29:02 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351198569 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351210259 2019-04-12 15:55:18 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351210259 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351378762 This weeks class was based around design thinking. This concept was formulated by Tim Brown. This session was based in the Mardyke Arena. The whole basis of this session was to give us a base level of understanding on how to show our mentees how to use the various pieces of equipment in the Mardyke and the procedures. This was shown to us by a member of staff. He mainly focused in on the muscle groups targeted by each machine, how to use each machine safely and correctly and then on how each machine suits different kinds of people. After this we went to our second station which involved carrying out the mile run where we were shown the various stretches and warm ups required before performing such a task. Then we went and did the mile in the best time we could manage. Finally, Gillian took my group and took us through some useful body weight exercises we could use with our mentees such as planks, side planks and abdominal crutches etc. I found this to be one of the most productive and valuable sessions we had to date as it has further added to my arsenal of resources to use when offering my mentee information and advice. ]]> 2019-04-13 14:29:32 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351378762 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351383235 This weeks session was focused around the different  generations. This is of course speaking about generation A to Z which was theorized by Mark McCrindle which categorizes the generations into groups which all had different variables in their life as they grew up and grew old. We also placed a focus on Blooms Taxonomy. As well as this, we spoke about how we felt the club was going. It was clear from everyone's input that the lack of numbers attending the the pod sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays was a major issue. We then had a group discussion on how we could over come and adapt from this situation. We broke off into groups and collectively came up with ideas on how we could progress the club. Once we had our ideas formulated we placed them on the wall and it was clear that many of the groups ideas were over lapping. One thing was for certain was that a change of time and venue was needed. ]]> 2019-04-13 15:18:10 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351383235 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351383913 2019-04-13 15:26:46 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351383913 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351384006 2019-04-13 15:27:58 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351384006 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351384939 In this session we discussed applications which we could use to benefit our mentee and help them on their fitness journey. The first of these applications was MyFitnessPal. This application allows people to track their caloric intake and their work outs. This will benefit mentees by allowing them to keep what is essentially a digital journal that they can bring with them anywhere which can help keep their nutrition on track and track their progression. We also discussed how to build a competent training program which would suit both the mentees and their mentors. 

]]> 2019-04-13 15:39:04 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351384939 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351385946 2019-04-13 15:52:07 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351385946 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351386165 2019-04-13 15:53:34 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351386165 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351386190 2019-04-13 15:53:58 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351386190 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351386267 This week we displayed information using an application that we were all given to use. We then compared and contrasted one anothers designs. We then submitted our presentations into the WhatsApp group for mentors. We then again went through the various generations from generation X to Alpha. This was then followed by a discussion on which group were the most inquisitive. The general consensus was that generation X checked this box as they did not have the various technologies the rest of the up and coming generations had. It was also apparent that generation Z and Alpha were the hardest to keep constantly stimulated and interested. This is due to the sheer volume of different activities they can do from the comfort of their own home in front of their tablet. ]]> 2019-04-13 15:55:04 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351386267 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351389394 2019-04-13 16:29:34 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351389394 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351390392 2019-04-13 16:40:15 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351390392 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351492454 2019-04-14 18:23:18 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351492454 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351492843 2019-04-14 18:27:29 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351492843 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351492862 2019-04-14 18:27:46 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351492862 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351493012 2019-04-14 18:29:42 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351493012 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351493589 As I mentioned I met my first mentee on the initial laucnh day of the Made2Move club.She is a first year student who is attending UCC for the first time. She is currently studying nursing which means she clearly had a very busy schedule with many lectures, tutorials and practicals. her timetable also never remained consistent with constant changes being made every few weeks. On completing the initial screening phase and getting to know her for a little bit it was clear that she had some good base knowledge of fitness as she explained to me she knew a bit about how to perform various lifts in the gym. She also was not very sedentary, living in city she walked to and from college everyday with the walk being forty five minutes in and forty five minutes back home again. She then explained to me her interests which included swimming and walking her dog. We then parted ways leaving me confident I could build her an activity plan that would not only get her active but keep her active for the foreseeable future. I then began to work on the plan based on the information of her that I had received. I gave her a very balanced plan which she could tweak according to her schedule. The plan had activities ranging from walking her dog, to going doing resistance training in the gym in the Mardyke Arena and swimming. The plan kept her active for the best part of 6 days in the week not even including her commute to and from college daily. It was again very clear to me that she was eager to start her activity plan as she texted me on WhatsApp to know when the plan would be ready. After some fine tuning I gave her the plan. I then met with her to run through the plan and to make sure that everything was okay. I then brought her into the Mardyke and went through the various resistance training exercises just to ensure she was fully competent to carry out each lift. On being satisfied that she was able to perform everything safely and that the program was satisfactory for her we parted ways and I was told we would keep in touch. In the second week I received a text message from my mentee telling me that she was doing great and that the plan was working well for her and that she enjoyed it. On the third week, having not heard from my mentee, I decided to text her to see how she was getting on. In this week she told that she was feeling quite ill but she was still managing to fulfill some aspects of the program. I gave her advice to then rest up and only do what she was able to do and that she could get right back on track when she was feeling better again.  Then in the third week I again had not heard from my mentee so I decided to take it upon myself to text her. She told me that she was fully recovered from her bout of sickness and that she was back sticking to the plan. It was on this week I was also introduced to my new mentee whom was studying mathematical sciences.  He was an avid GAA player and didn't appear to have much interest in the club itself. After filling out the questionnaire and the PAR-Q and completing the initial screening we parted ways and I would never be able to make contact with him again after this despite my best efforts. The following week would also be my final correspondence with my initial day one mentee. Having text her again this week I was informed that she had bought a bicycle so she could commute to and from college much easier and quickly than initially. She was also keeping up to date with the program which is always good to hear and that she was starting to see a lot of progress. Unfortunately, this would be the last time I would speak to her despite my best efforts to reach out to her via both e-mail and text message. I began to wonder what was it that made her lose interest? Was it me or was the fact that she had began to see progress off her program and that she would no longer require my assistance. Whichever it may be I was unable to get back in contact with either of my mentees. For the rest of the semester I was left without a mentee 
When second semester arrived I feel like the situation was much improved. We had been given the opportunity to work with one of our friends or room mates as long as they were currently attending UCC. This means that we had a good rapport with the person before hand and that we would be able to communicate with them much more effectively. After careful consideration I decided to work with my friend who used to play GAA throughout her early life and even played underage for Cork but had slowly but surely stopped playing due to a lack of time and interest. She was studying nutritional sciences in UCC and was in her second year of studies. Having met with her for an extensive amount of time, together we came up with a plan which we both decided would best suit her. She had a busy schedule so we had to create something that was easily manipulated around her timetable. Having recently moved out of home for the second semester she felt as if she had a lot more free time on her hands and had more time to access the facilities that UCC has to offer. Although she had only ever used the treadmills in the Mardyke she was keen to learn some aspects of resistance training. However, she was nervous about going into the weights room on her own so I accompanied her for the first few weeks until she became settled into her routine. I also incorporated some cardiovascular exercise into the plan also at least twice a week. We decided also to keep physical activity low on weekends as she already had a job which required her to be on her feet all day in a kids play center. She also needed time to study too as her course is quite intense. We also decided to mix up her program every now and again to keep things interesting, I brought her to some of the classes that are on in the Mardyke and also took her swimming once a week. Overall, she was getting much fitter and she was feeling even better. She told me on several occasions that her academic performance was being boosted from the consistent exercise. And of course studying nutritional sciences she was keeping on top of what she ate at all times and tracked her macro and micro nutrient in take using MyFitnessPal.  She also sent me her steps for the week the following week. 
Overall to recap I thoroughly enjoyed the program although it had its ups and downs, but I found that when someone was just as invested in it as I was it made the whole experience so much more enjoyable. ]]> 2019-04-14 18:35:22 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351493589 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351499401 1. Treat everybody as an individual and that everyone is unique especially when designing a physical activity plan for somebody. It isn't a one size fits all scenario'
2. The importance of exercising really became apparent to me when I was working with my final mentee. Not only was it having a physical impact on her but it was also having a mental impact on her as she was feeling so much better in herself and her academic performance was boosted. After I came to this realization I swore to never take exercise for granted again. 
3. I learned how to approach different people differently. Not all people will be motivated by the same stimulus or idea so again as I said in the first point treat everyone as an individual.
4. I have also came to realize how much I enjoy working with in active members of the community. I got real fulfillment out of helping people chnage their lives for the better and has made me consider to par take in personal training course during the summer. 

]]> 2019-04-14 19:32:18 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351499401 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351671134 I feel like the governing body of the Made2Move club could easily be translated to a school or community setting. It could be brought into a community setting with help from a service such as the Health Service Executive. The health service executive could easily set up a governing body in most local communities and help to provide effective training for those involved. Furthermore, this club could easily be ran from a school setting also. The club could be set up using a transition year group who would serve as mentors to the club with a group of teachers as the governing body. The group of transition years could serve as mentors to incoming first years. This would allow first years to not only become more active and gain an appreciation for exercise and it's benefits but also to help settle into secondary school life with the guidance and support from an older pupil. ]]> 2019-04-15 14:36:46 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351671134 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351678914 This would be one of the more difficult aspects to carry over to a school setting, however not so much into a community setting. As I spoke about previously in my governance section, if a club like this was to receive backing from a government body such as the HSE, the correct training could be provided to individuals in the community who would be able to oversee the club and provide the necessary supports to the mentors if they were to struggle with advice, programming etc. However, the same can not be said for the school background. As PE students I feel as though we were lucky to have someone with expertise and professionalism of Gillian O'Sullivan to guide us a long our journey and we also had outside influences such as Dr. Wesley O'Brien to provide us with a detailed training with resistance training and having the services of the Mardyke Arena to train us on how to use machines and more importantly how to show people how tio use machines. ]]> 2019-04-15 14:55:11 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351678914 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351688610 I feel like the volunteering aspect worked very well within the cub in UCC. As aspiring physical education teachers we were all eager to begin working with our mentees as physical activity and helping others to become more physically active is a passion of ours. The students in other courses also had the motivation from a passion from their respective courses such as nutrition but they also had the external motivation from the UCC works award. I feel like this merit could be what makes students in secondary school want to participate in such a club if they were to receive some sort of distinction or award. Also, in the community it could be set up as long as there was people in the community such as personal trainers and fitness finatics who were passionate about exercise and wanted to make an impact in their community ]]> 2019-04-15 15:16:56 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351688610 breenthomas1999 https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351700039 Overall the club was ran very well. I feel like there was a very good support system in place and that any queries that arose in regards to any aspects of the club from training, nutrition to motivation was dealt with very effectively and all necessary steps were provided to ensure both mentor and mentee experience was as optimal as possible.The training provided was also sublime as we were informed of the various different training styles and how to effectively implement them into a mentees routine and what suits which mentees. Also, we were shown how to provide motivation to any mentee who was struggling in various different domains. ]]> 2019-04-15 15:43:32 UTC https://padlet.com/breenthomas1999/5sbhahe8t3tr/wish/351700039