Outdoor activities can significantly improve the moods of those suffering from depression
precise details of the rollout, but there will most likely be specific targeted and adapted activities, support for people who want to join mainstream clubs and take up new sports, taster sessions, fitness classes and support groups. “There is clear evidence that physical
activity as part of a rehabilitation programme improves recovery speed and reduces health costs,” says Mike Diaper, Sport England’s executive director for community sport. According to Mind, research shows that outdoor exercise can reduce depression and anxiety. The charity hopes that the new project will encourage
more people living with mental health problems to take up sport. “Structured physical activity
programmes can help people recover from a mental health problem and stay well long term,” says Paul Farmer, Mind’s chief executive. Mind’s information manager, Sam Challis, adds that for a person with mild depression or anxiety, physical activity gets the endorphins going and can lift their mood almost immediately. “Just being outdoors can help people,” he
says. “There’s light and you’re surrounded by nature, away from bustling environments which hold negative associations.”
Department of Health figures show that one in four people in the UK will suffer from mental health problems in their lifetime. That’s anxiety, addiction, obsession, phobia, depression, bipolar disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia and eating disorders. According to the 2013 Sport and Recreation Alliance report, the Game of Life, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder reduce life expectancy by between 16 and 25 years. People with depression are twice as likely to develop heart disease and 58 per cent more likely to become obese. The King’s Fund and Centre for
Mental Health found that £13bn of NHS expenditure each year is spent on long-term conditions linked to poor mental health and wellbeing. “The horrible thing about mental health issues is they can strike indiscriminately,” says Alex Welsh, CEO of the London Playing Fields Foundation, which set up the Coping Through Football project in Waltham Forest seven years ago. “People go through life and all of a sudden something happens. Some cope better than others,” he adds. Welsh, also a Tottenham Hotspur
The Coping Through Football project in Waltham Forest received an UEFA award this year
sportsmanagement.co.uk issue 4 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
community coach, adds: “Suicide is the biggest killer of 25- to 28-year-old men, alongside road traffic accidents. There’s an over-reliance on medication as a treatment for mental health problems. Coping Through Football takes referrals from GPs, NHS home treatment and
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