Sporting Heads - Exploring the impact of Sport and Exercise on Mental Health

The founder of StreetGym® shares his childhood and military experiences which inspired an urban workout designed to reduce stress and build confidence.

We discuss hyperactivity, Olympics, depression and the impact of movement on mental health with one of the most successful divers this country has ever produced

Former Olympic coach Dave Hembrough shares how he has developed a club that is stronger physically, mentally, emotionally and socially

We spoke to Jess, founder of RunTalkRun, about the community running group and her own struggles with bulimia, anxiety and depression

Despite the sore legs and tired muscles, my passion for running grew and it became my rush. The release that I had once found in alcohol and drugs, was now clean, pure and in my control. 

When I developed a dependency on running, it took a long time for me to. Admitting it means you know something is not right and I didn’t want to know something wasn’t right

In my darkest hour, my eating disorder tried to use running to destroy my life. It failed. Running showed me recovery is possible.

In the water in winter the cold numbs all feeling. Physical and emotional pain leaves me from the moment the chilli prickles attack my body and my brain calms me down

It took a lot of perseverance to learn how to manage my mental illness. I was eventually able to start by leaving the house alone, start jogging, then hiking in the Lake District and eventually summiting Kilimanjaro in 2009.

When I’m out pounding the pavements, I don’t have to worry about anything else in my life. It’s become my relief, my refuge and my replacement for booze.

Throughout this whole period, I never fully understood how unwell I was. My moment of hope came when my brother introduced me to his personal trainer.

You bring me laughter, tears, comfort and solace. You are with me every splash, cycle and step of my journey. Through our relationship I have found new motivation, new meaning. Lucy explores her relationship with exercise

As a young girl I enjoyed playing tennis, I was a school champion, but I had not stepped on a court for years. Little did I realise at the time that taking up tennis would help save my life.

I never really entertained the idea that exercise could help my mental health but what persuaded me to go for my first run was the motivation and inspiration from my community psychiatric nurse