We support #runandwalk for world mental health day

For World Mental Health Day on the 10th October, Fitness First is supporting England Athletics with their #RunAndTalk campaign, created to help people manage their mental wellbeing and help break the stigma around mental health.

England Athletics is encouraging people to run one mile or further the week around World Mental Health Day with their friends, colleagues or relatives, with a RunTogether Group (many of which are hosted by Fitness First).

The campaign aims to help improve mental health through running by:

-Getting people talking about mental health to share their experiences and help to remove the stigma around it

-Raising awareness of mental health problems

-Encouraging people experiencing mental health problems to be physically active through running whether that is to support them in starting, returning to or continuing to run

Physical activity is great for both our bodies and our minds, but often people suffering from a mental health problem can find it difficult to get started with exercise. #RunAndTalk aims to give people the encouragement they need to get out there and help break the stigma attached to mental health.

IMPROVING MENTAL HEALTH THROUGH RUNNING

The #RunAndTalk campaign is being supported by the mental health charity Mind. Hayley Jarvis, Head of Physical Activity for Mind, said:

“We know that being regularly active is not just good for our bodies, but it can also improve our mental wellbeing too, which is why we’re really pleased to support England Athletics and the #RunAndTalk initiative.

“Mind’s own research found that people with mental health problems who increased their levels of physical activity through our Get Set to Go programme felt like they had more support available to them, as well as improved resilience and ability to cope. #RunAndTalk is a great initiative that everyone can get involved with to support their own mental health, while meeting others in their local community and having fun.”

Liz Purbrick, Inclusion Manager at England Athletics, said:

“We are really pleased to once again be supporting World Mental Health Day with #RunAndTalk, along with Mental Health Champions in running clubs and groups across the country. We are passionate about the benefits running can bring to both physical and mental wellbeing. Through this campaign, we can ensure it’s an activity that is accessible and beneficial to all.

“We hope that #RunAndTalk will continue to help to break down some of the stigma attached to mental health and support people to access the social, physical and mental well-being benefits that running can bring.”

Find out more about the campaign here and for more health and wellbeing advice check out our blog, Inside Track.