Kath Hudson • Journalist • Health Club Management EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT . . .
Mental wellbeing O
There’s no health without mental health, but gyms very often treat mental wellbeing as less of a priority than physical health. What’s the best way forward?
ne in four people in the UK suffers from mental health issues – that’s one person in every typical family.
Mixed depression and anxiety is the
most common condition, with 9 per cent of people in the UK meeting the criteria. One of the contributory factors is long-term stress – often a result of pressure at work. There’s also evidence to show that depression and suicide have risen in response to the economic downturn. And it’s a growing problem: the World Health Organisation forecasts that, by 2020, depression will be second only to coronary heart disease as a leading contributor to the global burden of disease.
Although GPs tend to prescribe
anti-depressants sooner than they prescribe exercise, research proves exercise can be a very effective treatment for mental health: a study in the British Journal of Psychiatry indicated that people who were not active in their leisure time were almost twice as likely to suffer symptoms of depression than the most active individuals. The more activity, the less chance of being depressed (see p56). Personally, I’ve found that the mental
and emotional benefits derived from exercise are almost instant and certainly come way before any physical benefits. And I’m not alone in this: a survey conducted by mental health charity MIND indicates that many people
exercise to keep their mood steady Indeed, 83 per cent of respondents said they exercised to help lift their mood or reduce stress, while seven out of 10 gym users with no mental health issues thought their mental wellbeing would suffer if they didn’t exercise. This suggests the fitness industry
should be doing more to push the mental and emotional benefits of exercise, rather than focusing so heavily on weight loss. But how can operators go about this? How do you engage people with mental health issues and market programmes without applying negative labels? What sort of exercise appeals to people with mental wellbeing issues? What training do staff need? We ask the experts....
HAVE YOU HAD SUCCESS HELPING THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES? EMAIL US:
HEALTHCLUB@LEISUREMEDIA.COM
BETH MURPHY Head of information • MIND
awareness training and, when dealing with people who have mental health issues, to just be human and real, and not scared of people showing their feelings. They don’t have to be experts to make a difference, but need to be aware that people with mental health issues may initially need more support, such as being greeted at the door and shown around the first time. There are some barriers to this group taking part in exercise.
“W
One is cost, as some find their mental health makes it difficult to work. Another can be finding the motivation to exercise. It’s important to remember everyone will need a different
approach: group exercise is a good way of connecting with people, but for people living with conditions such as social anxiety, this might be off-putting. MIND encourages outdoor exercise such as walking, running and outdoor group exercise, as research shows exercise in nature offers benefits for mental wellbeing. We run organised cycle groups, Bike Minded, as well as an outdoor physical exercise programme, Ecominds. Local MIND branches welcome approaches from operators
about running partnership programmes, as well as any publicity about the benefits of exercise for mental wellbeing.
”
e would urge organisations to give their staff mental health
DEBBIE LAWRENCE Qualification development • Active IQ
“I
don’t think the fitness sector is sufficiently equipped to deal with
people who turn to exercise to help with mental health issues. There isn’t a broad enough understanding of the subject and instructors don’t have the necessary skills, especially soft skills. Maturity and experience is needed to work with people
suffering with mental health issues, and all instructors should have some mental awareness training as a minimum. Ideally, each club would have a specialist who is Level 4 qualified in mental health. This is essential if the club is going to be dealing with people who have more acute issues. With one in four people suffering from mental health issues,
this is a large audience – but they are hard to market to, firstly because of the stigma and secondly because someone suffering from depression is very hard to engage with. The best route is therefore via GP referral or mental health charities. On a broader level, operators could start marketing the benefits of exercise for mental health, getting away from the weight loss aspect and moving towards the wellbeing perspective. Rather than leading to mental breakdown, depression can
often lead to a spiritual breakthrough, so practices like yoga and tai chi often appeal to those with mental health issues.
30 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital ” June 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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