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

I realise now that the very process of rowing was my way of moving the grief that had settled so deeply into my bones

A short film exploring how writer Joe found relief, not just in the cold water he swam in, but by being open about his own mental health.

Psychosis for me feels like someone has taken control of my actions and all I can do is sit and watch. Running helps to ground me and prevent any form of psychosis.

At 22 stone, I told my wife I needed to get fit. She just smiled and said she had heard it all before, but this time I was on a mission

I’m standing at the start of the Edinburgh Marathon feeling like a bit of a fraud. Trying to be something I’m not. Who am I to think I can run a marathon?

When I climb, the only thing that matters is my next move, where to put my hands or my feet. It’s an escape from the nightmare that is PTSD.

My Dad was my biggest supporter. When he lost his battle with cancer, school rugby and fitness training became even more important to me

I experienced my first panic attack in my twenties leading to issues with alcohol and depression. Now I am a fitness instructor using exercise to cope with my mental health battles.

Despite international success in business, Matt Miller struggled to find true happiness until he transformed his mind and body through endurance running

Grieving, homeless and with a cocktail of mental health diagnoses I became aggressive, retreated from society and lost a number of friends. In recovery I turned to sport.

Some of my triathlon training is done with a very close group of friends, who know I’ve been ill, so they let me offload. Exercising socially has been a huge distraction and in fact great therapy

Despite suffering permanent injuries from a road accident, Stephen Peel decided to fulfill his dream and cycle solo around the world