Today (Monday 10th October) is World Mental Health day and the theme of 2022, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is ‘Make mental health and well-being for all a global priority’.

For over 70 years, the Mental Health Foundation have been working to make sure that mental health is treated on a par with physical health. Mental health problems exist in our lives, our families, our workplaces and our communities, impacting everyone – and it is up to us as a community to raise as much awareness and support for those around us.

When it comes to physical activity and sports, people seem to initially associate the benefits with physical health and fitness. However, Ultimate Kids are using this day to encourage our audience, consumers, partners and staff to spread more awareness around the benefits that physical activity can present for our mental health too. So, here are a few…

Exercising reduces are stress levels:

By participating in any form of exercise, it increases concentrations of norepinephrine – a chemical that can moderate the brains response to stress. In both children and adults, making the time in your day to exercise can help the mind focus more clearly and allow the stress levels to drop massively.

Makes you happy:

It’s pretty common that most people know that exercise boosts your brains happy chemicals by realising endorphins which create feelings of joy and euphoria. This relates to mental illness’s such as depression and anxiety as studies have shown that exercising can alleviate symptoms among those who are feeling extremely down, stressed and de-motivated.

Improve confidence and social skills:

On a basic level, exercising can boost self-esteem and improve positive self-image – growing physically and mentally. Alongside this, taking part in sports or team fitness exercise can be a very social activity where you’re interacting with people around you. This can grow social confidence massively as interacting with others and dealing with teamwork, support, resilience and competition can help massively with self and social confidence.

Increases productivity:

We all have days where we feel unproductive, where we might be feeling down or having a bad mental health day and it’s hard to find the motivation to get things done. But research shows that those who take the time to exercise – whether that be a light walk, a run, a game of football, yoga or a trip to the gym, are much more likely to be productive. Consistent exercise will also lead to higher energy levels, which again impact the levels of productivity positively.

Boosts brain power:

Taking part in physical activity has been proven to ‘create new brain cells’ (aka neurogenesis) and improve overall brain performance – sharpening memory and increasing the capability to learn new things quicker.

Prevent cognitive decline:

Diet and exercises can help can help the brain against cognitive decline that begins after around the age of 45. So, working out and taking part in physical activity between the ages of 25 – 45 especially can boost our chemicals in the brain that support and prevent degeneration of the hippocampus which is an important part of the brain for memory and learning.

So, with this in mind, think about what you can do today, this week and for the foreseeable to spread awareness for World Mental Health Day and how you can encourage those around you to participate in sports to boost there well-being.

And remember that if you, or someone you know are seriously struggling, then reach out to someone around you or contact a professional. NHS support: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/