Body & Mind

HOW TO START A CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

Lucy Lewis, Dorset Mind Ambassador

We all appreciate the value of speaking openly and honestly about mental health. It can reduce mental health stigma for everyone and make it easier for our loved ones to open up when they are struggling. The real question is: how do we start the conversation? How do we discuss mental health in the most effective and sensitive way? While different approaches may suit different people, here are some general tips for starting a mental health conversation.

Choose your moment Before talking to someone about your own mental health or theirs, make sure it is at a good time and place. This means a time where you’re not in a rush, and somewhere you have privacy. It may be best to talk during one of your usual activities. Do you and your mate have a drink in the pub every Sunday? Do you meet your sister for coffee regularly? Begin there. Talking in a familiar territory can help the conversation feel more natural, even if it is not something you usually discuss.

Ask twice If you are concerned about someone’s mental health, or are just checking in generally, it is important to ask how they are doing twice. When someone asks us how we are, it is a natural habit for most of us to reply on autopilot, with a cheery, ‘Fine, thanks. You?’ As this is our default reaction, it is important to ask again, so the person being asked knows you really want to know how they are doing, and you’re not enquiring out of polite interest.

ChickenStock Images/Shutterstock

"When someone asks us how we are, it is a natural habit for most of us to reply on autopilot, with a cheery, ‘Fine, thanks. You?’"

Really listen Be aware of your body language. Keep your arms and legs uncrossed and face them. Maintain a healthy amount of eye contact and really listen to the words they say. Do not interrupt or interject as soon as there is a pause in speech. Once they have shared, paraphrase what they have said back to them to make sure you have understood. If they correct you, readjust your summary until they agree.

There is no ‘right’ thing to say Many people worry about saying the wrong thing when someone tells them they are struggling. Remember, the main thing is that you are there to listen. Validate their feelings; don’t try to minimise their struggles, tell them you know how they feel, or give unsolicited advice. Instead, tell them you can’t imagine how difficult their situation must be, and you’re proud of them for facing it so bravely. Tell them you are there for them if they want to vent. Tell them you care about them.

Know when to seek additional support Whilst talking is invaluable, there is only so much we can do as a friend or loved one. If they are experiencing mental health concerns that interfere with their daily functioning, encourage them to see their GP or reach out to a mental health service, such as a local Mind charity. If you are not sure if they need professional support, it is always better to be safe, so encourage them to talk to their GP.

Visit dorsetmind.uk to find out more about 1-2-1 and group mental health services. In a crisis, call 999 or Samaritans on 116 123.

ARE YOU WEAKENING AS YOU AGE?

Craig Hardaker BSc (Hons), Communifit

Image: Stuart Brill

Wishing you a wonderful sunny July! It is great to have restarted our over-50s exercise classes, after so long following Covid restrictions. Many individuals were nervous of restarting but as the classes have proven, they need not have been! We have had a great first month back and one area we have been focusing on recently is our strength training. But why is this important?

Strength training is really important regardless of age but becomes more important as we become older. As a general rule, when we reach our mid-30s, our muscles start to weaken. Have you ever wondered why many sports players retire around this age? This isn’t because their ability has decreased, in fact completely the opposite – they are most likely to have become a better performer with experience. Their retirement is due to the body not being able to perform at a high intensity for long durations. Our weakening muscles play a key role in this decline and this process of dwindling is called sarcopenia.

The speed of weakening muscles can be slowed down significantly through strength training. Structured, targeted, and specific strengthening exercises are proven to keep us stronger for longer. It is very important to live a healthy and independent life – making sure we are able to continue to do the things we enjoy.

So, knowing what happens to our bodies as we age, and the benefits of strength training – wouldn’t it make sense to put time aside to complete some exercises? This can be the challenging part! Whether it is a busy lifestyle, work commitments or just simply that you’d rather meet a friend for coffee and cake – putting time aside can seem to be challenging.

Understanding what happens to our bodies, and what can be done to slow down the negative impact of the ageing process is half the battle. This education should be a motivator and provide the catalyst to help us to be proactive and not reactive towards tackling sarcopenia.

Exercising regularly is also very social, for many a very positive factor in relation to good mental health and is something that perhaps we haven’t done much of over the last sixteen months! Exercising with others also makes the experience more fun than when you exercise individually. Many of our groups have formed multiple friendships over the years and socialise outside of an exercise environment.

Together, we can build social networks, have fun, stay strong both mentally and physically and most importantly slow down sarcopenia.

3 REASONS WHY RUNNERS NEED TO LIFT WEIGHTS

Simon Partridge BSc (Sports Science), Personal Trainer SPFit

Last month, I wrote about my top tips for trail running. But I keep hearing the same recurring statement from clients who want to run:

‘I don’t need to do strength training. I run, so my legs are strong already.’ I thought it would be a good time to discuss how important being strong is for runners. Strength is a completely different adaptation than endurance and can go a long way to improve your running. Whether running a 5K or a marathon, you need to include strength training in your programme to ensure fewer injuries, to run faster and more efficiently.

If you are training for a race, plan both your

Sportpoint/Shutterstock

endurance and strength training programmes. Exercise selection is key: select exercises that will work best to produce optimal strength results and remain compatible with your running goals.

Benefits of strength training 1. Injury prevention – Improving strength helps runners prevent knee and hip pain and avoid many running injuries. Running is notorious for creating dysfunction in the hip, forcing the knee to compensate. Performing an exercise like deadlifts to specifically target the hamstrings and glutes, can avoid some of those nagging injuries.

2. Increased speed – Even if you run for fun, achieving a personal best gives you an amazing feeling. Stronger legs, means more force to drive your legs into the ground and the more distance you cover with each stride, the better your chances to beat your personal best.

A recent study found that after a 40-week strength training programme, velocity at VO2 max increased significantly. What does that mean? It means that when you reach the point of maximum oxygen intake, your running speed should be higher.

3. Increased efficiency – Efficiency (or economy) is the energy it takes to run a particular distance or speed. Without being too scientific, your VO2 max is the oxygen you would use running at a particular speed. The less oxygen you use over a particular distance, the more efficient you will be. Thus, the stronger you are, the more efficient your muscles become, resulting in less oxygen intake to cover the same distance at the same speed.

Programming and exercise selection Designing programmes for runners can be challenging. You need to build strength, but also need to avoid increasing your body weight because this can slow you down.

Stick to lower rep ranges for the more complex, compound lifts such as squats and deadlifts. Runners rely heavily on their quads and hip flexors, so include as many posterior chain exercises, such as hamstring curls and calf raises, as possible.

Single-leg exercises like Bulgarian split squats and single-leg deadlifts are key exercises for runners for two reasons. Firstly, running is a series of small, single-leg plyometric-type movements over a long period, so you want your legs to be powerful. Secondly, single-leg exercises improve hip stability, helping prevent injuries.

In conclusion, there are many benefits to adding some weight training to your running plan. Try it and just see how much progress you make. Good luck!

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