By Ruth Cooper-Dickson, Patron.
There is always a focus on mental health in May, Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, and Mental Health Awareness Month in the US. This year the theme for the UK has been set by the Mental Health Foundation as Movement: Moving More for our Mental Health. It is a relatable topic for all, and we must look beyond simply thinking of movement as exercise such as the gym, running or sports. Adults now sit on average for 9 hours a day, which is not healthy and can create a whole host of physical health risks. The pandemic saw anincrease in hybrid and remote working, this could mean the usual commute to the office for many disappeared, so we need to remember to factor in the breaks to step away from our desks. For people that do commute to their workplace, the busyness of the working day may not allow them to step away from the desk to stretch their legs.
Movement can be about how we take the stairs more, dance around our kitchen (a favourite of mine!), spend time in the garden or chase our children in the park, it does not have to be about the idea of sports or fitness. Finding something you love is key to engaging with movement. That has always been for me one of the biggest factors. Not many people know but I am a trained fitness instructor and during 2008-2009 I took a sabbatical from financial services and retrained. I used to teach lots of different styles of gym classes. My favourites were the aqua aerobics with the more elderly class members and my community hall aerobics classes. Why? Because I saw how those classes connected people on a deeper level. It was their social time, their ‘me-time’ each week. They didn’t have to show up in the most expensive outfits and they were not there to be the top of their fitness game. They came to move their body, laugh, and have some fun. I believe it was also down to the music. We know the positive impact that music can have on our mental health, I used to spend hours curating the perfect playlists for my classes, ensuring people felt engaged, motivated, and inspired, with songs they could joyously sing along to with their friends. I saw a stat this week in Runner’s World magazine from a recent academic study, that 78% who say they exercise even when it’s done alone helps to combat feelings of loneliness, I used to witness that each week with my class members, the boost of movement to their mental health.
Science shows that we feel better when we are physically active. The level of chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin, stress hormones and endorphins, change when you exercise. It helps the brain to process information more quickly and increase focus, memory, and brain functioning.
Physical activity can teach the body not to overact to stress by engaging in safe exercise that raises our heart rate. Our brain begins to learn how to deal with the stress, helping our resilience. It can help to calm our stress response too, think about if you’re feeling intense emotions and you take yourself out for a walk, a jog, whatever it is to “clear your head”. Movement can also help to alleviate some of the symptoms of depression or anxiety.
I want to say there is a caveat here when we are unwell whether this is physically or mentally, living with a chronic health condition, or a disability it can make movement hard at times or not as accessible. At these times it can be frustrating to be told to move when we cannot. We can also give our body a hard time when it doesn’t want to move or feelsimpossible to motivate ourselves to get out of the front door. On those days it is important to extend the grace and compassion to meet ourselves where we are at, then next time we try again. Trying another approach, finding accessible support, people who can keep us accountable may be some of the ways to help us move forward with our physical activity goals.
My small challenge to you is what is the one way you will decide to move a little more in May to support your mental health?
