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Victor Brick’s report in HCM discussing the findings of the John W Brick Mental Health Foundation’s Move Your Mental Health Report is timely and particularly relevant for the entire health and fitness industry.

Our industry has a crucial role to play in supporting those with mental health issues and challenges, by providing a safe, positive community for consumers to improve their mental wellness through movement.

As Victor notes in HCM, the pandemic has escalated the mental health crisis – the state of people’s mental health and wellbeing has plummeted globally, with one in five US adults (www.hcmmag.com/USadults) and one in six European adults (www.hcmmag.com/Europeanadults) suffering from a mental health issue.

The first step forward in initiating change is to encourage anyone struggling with their mental health to get physically active – go outside, go for a walk, ride a bike, or join your local health club to partake in physical activity with a community of people. Building relationships with those in the fitness community can also combat anxiety, depression, and loneliness.

The increasing public awareness of the mental health benefits of exercise means now is an opportune moment for the fitness industry to step up its services and programmes. For far too long, mental health has carried a social stigma. It’s time for our industry to work together, sharing knowledge and best practice, to normalise mental health and recognise it as another element of overall wellness that needs to be cared for.

Prescribing physical activity to decrease economic burdens
Along with improving global mental health and wellness, increasing physical activity levels can relieve worldwide healthcare burdens by mitigating long-term social and economic costs. Research shows that billions could be saved on yearly global healthcare costs if more people exercised more often.

Better health is synonymous with fewer trips to the doctor, fewer prescriptions and medications, and decreases the risk of a number of health issues, including mental health problems.

We wholly believe in Victor’s statement that consumers are seeking support for their mental health.

The demand to improve overall wellness is explicit – the 2022 Mindbody Fitness Trends Report highlights that the top reason respondents say they exercise is to feel better mentally.

Now, thanks to a generous grant from the John W Brick Mental Health Foundation, the fitness industry can help change the way the world treats mental health. The IHRSA Foundation has created mental health toolkits to assist health and fitness facilities when designing initiatives and programmes to address consumer mental health and wellbeing.

Mental health issues aren’t clear cut. Operators should tailor personalised programming to fit the individual wellness needs of every consumer.