We know that moving more is good for our mental health, but what if your mental health makes it really hard to get to the gym? Sometimes gyms can be really intimidating, and can negatively impact our mental health if we don’t feel like we know what we’re doing, or think that others are judging us.
But Future Fitness in Glasgow is taking some great steps to look after the mental health of their members, challenge the stigma around talking about mental health and create a safe place for people to say ‘I’m not okay’ and get help if they’re struggling.
At Future Fitness we believe that physical health and mental health go hand in hand. It’s great to want to improve your fitness and lose weight, but we believe that the biggest benefit of training is the improvement to both mind and body which is needed to achieve a good balanced lifestyle. In fact even just going into the gym and doing a little usually makes you feel a sense of accomplishment and in a better mood when you leave the gym
Along with the many benefits exercise brings to mental health such as better sleep and self esteem, we believe the community aspect of the gym is what really helps people. Too often in our busy and social media led lives we are missing out on vital human connections and training in a gym can really help balance this out. This may just be saying hello at reception as you come into the gym or having a quick chat before training. It could be meeting new people and joining in group or team activities which can help you meet new and like-minded people, and make new friends.
We try to hold competitions, challenges and charity events to get people talking and doing things they may not normally take part in. August saw us taking up the challenge of Lifting over 1 Million Kilograms for mental health awareness (which we all smashed at over 2 million!). October we are taking part in Glasgow’s DodgeBall tournament and getting a team who have never played involved in something different!
These are all really good reasons to become a member of a gym and get active to keep your body healthy. However, physical activity isn’t always helpful for everyone’s mental health. Sometimes you may not feel the benefits of exercise, especially if it has always been part of your routine. Some people have a tendency to over train which can lead to health issues in itself or if you have a form of eating disorder then exercise alone is not the answer. That is a big reason that we as a gym are trying to raise awareness of mental health and get people talking about it.
If you are feeling the strain don’t stay silent, we are always happy to have a chat and lend an ear when you need it or refer you onto qualified people we know could help.
