9
ISSUES: Fitness & Health
Chapter 1: About fitness
School PE nightmares mean women shun
exercise – putting them at risk of poor
physical and mental health
W
omen with mental health
problems are not exercising
because of bad experiences
with PE at school – putting them
at greater risk of poor physical, and
mental, health the charity Mind has
warned. More than half of women
(57%) do not participate in sport
because they were not good at PE at
school
1
while nearly half (43%) feel it is
too competitive.
In response, Mind has launched a
new motivational website to help
women with mental health problems
choose a sport which is suitable for
them, enabling them to take the first
step and get active to improve their
physical and mental well being.
Women with mental health problems
are more likely to have physical health
problems such as diabetes and heart
disease so being active can be really
important for looking after their
physical health. Mind’s new website is
part of the charity’s physical activity
project, Get Set to Go, supported by
Sport England and the National Lottery.
Mind’s new website asks people to
select reasons stopping them from
exercising, and provides practical tips
and real-life stories to inspire people
to take the first step, and reap the
benefits of an active lifestyle.
22-year-old Louise from London
was diagnosed with Generalised
Anxiety Disorder in her second year
of university. She started running
with help from Couch to 5k after her
GP encouraged her to try exercise and
has found that running helps her to
manage her mental health.
“I’ve found that running has made a
real difference to how I cope with my
anxiety. I was very unwell last July after
I finished university but running makes
me feel in control of the monsters in
my brain. As well as giving me more
energy and increasing my fitness,
being active has made me appreciate
my body.
“Running was a battle with my mind,
more than my body, which is true for
runners with or without mental health
problems. But I’m glad that I pushed
through the negative thoughts telling
me to stop running as I’m so much
more positive now. And fitter!”
Women currently exercise less often
than men,
2
but want to do more
physical activity,
3
so Mind is calling on
women touse thecharity’snewwebsite
to help them break down the common
barriers – including feeling worried
about taking part by themselves and
fear of crowded spaces – which stop
them from getting started.
Hayley Jarvis, Community Programmes
Manager (Sport) at Mind, says: “We
know that having a mental health
problem can make getting active
more difficult. The thought of joining a
running group when you have bipolar
disorder, depression or OCD can stop
you in your tracks – but a mental
health problem doesn’t have to
prevent anybody from getting active.
Our new website is full of practical tips
and inspirational real life stories which
can help people take the first step, and
reap the benefits of an active lifestyle.
“Being active can be an enjoyable, fun
and social way of looking after your
physical and mental health. Lots of
people tell us it is a great way to socialise
and make new friends – and there is a
huge number of activities people can
do if they struggle with social situations
or new faces,” Hayley adds.
Last summer Mind released findings
which showed that 85% of women
with mental health problems did not
participate in sport because they don’t
feel confident in their sporting ability.
More than half (56%) told the charity
they are not “gym body ready”, saying
they are not members of sports clubs,
gyms or leisure centres, because they
are embarrassed about their body
shape or size.
Through Get Set to Go, Mind aims to
support 75,000 people with mental
health problems to improve their
lives through physical activity. The
programme supports people with
mental health problems become more
active through eight sports projects
across England. Those taking part
receive one-to-one support from
others with shared experiences, who
understand the additional challenges
a mental health problem presents
to those who want to get active.
Participants also get support through
Mind’s safe and supportive online
social network Elefriends, by swapping
tips, advice and linking up with others
who are just starting out.
For more information, to find out
about projects in your area and to use
Mind’s new website, visit
org.uk/sport. To talk to other people
about getting started with sport visit
Mind’s social network Elefriends,
.
References
1.
Mind conducted a Survey Monkey
poll of 660 people (488 of whom
have mental health problems)
between 11 May and 6 July 2015.
2.
Sport England: Active People
Survey 9 (1.73 million more
men played sport once a week
compared to women).
3.
Sport England: Go where women
are (13 million women say they
would like to participate more in
sport and physical activity – just
over six million of those women
are not currently active).
11 April 2016
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The above information is reprinted
with kind permission from Mind.
Please visit
for
further information.
© 2017 Mind
