Ceri Hodgkiss, Training and Development Manager at West Kent Mind tell us about the benefits of moving for mental health 

I am not a sporty person. I like mostly seated or static hobbies. More knitting and crochet than cricket or hockey. I’m also ridiculously clumsy, so the risk of a twisted ankle tends to put me off anything where you’re expected to hop, skip or jump. Exercise for me is a task, the thing I have to do to keep my heart healthy, build bone mass, stave off diabetes and generally keep my body well. I am also acutely aware of the positive impact that exercise can have on mental health. I understand the science behind endorphins and how exercise pumps these up as much as it does muscles. I truly value the connections and friendships forged through team sports, spin classes and running groups. I get the positive effects of a workout on resilience, mood, general emotional wellbeing. But exercise still feels like a chore.

For me it’s the smaller daily activities that make the biggest difference to my frame of mind, my self-confidence, my outlook on life, my ability to cope with pressure… i.e. to my mental health.

My work days vary between sitting at my desk for hours at a time, or standing in a room delivering training. Even on the standing days – where I easily smash my 10,000 steps wandering about – I notice the difference. On desk days, I’ve learned that I need to move regularly to keep my mood balanced. I will never do a lunchtime run, but I love a wander in the garden, weather permitting. At home, tea breaks include a little boogie to the boiling of the kettle. In the office, emails or calls to colleagues are abandoned for trips up and down the stairs to see them in person. From small actions, I get huge benefits. Music brings a smile. A peaceful few minutes walking in nature (yes, even a weedy garden) reminds me to breathe deeply and consider things from a different perspective. Troubles seem further away when I’m stretching to the sky. Ten minutes of lunges and squats renews my concentration and purpose.

Sometimes this means I need my smart watch to remind me to move every hour. Sometimes it means a kitchen disco while making the dinner. I’ve been known to slow-dance with the cat, who has four left paws, practice yoga poses with my 300-miles away sister on Zoom, or pretend I’m at an 80s aerobics class while hanging out the washing.

Moving more keeps my joints from seizing up and can also promote good brain health (scientific fact, through improved neuroplasticity). Most importantly for me movement boosts my mood, my creative thinking, and the way I react to stress.

Maybe it’s just the words: movement or activity – not exercise. Words can alter our mood after all, just as much as physical activity can. Perhaps it’s the bite size chunkiness of it, that it works itself easily into busy days. Definitely it’s the joy I find in music and dance, in stretching like the cat, in not taking it – or myself – too seriously.

I’ll never be one of those amazing people who say “I love running” and mean it. But I do love how my thoughts feels clearer after I’ve got my breath back, and how a red sweaty face reminds me of the power and strength of my body… and my mind.