The National Institute for Health Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines state that physical activity should be one of the first interventions recommended by doctors for mild to moderate depression. Being physically active can reduce someone’s risk of depression by up to 30%. It can also reduce anxiety and stress, combat low mood and increase self-esteem. Being physically active is especially important for people with severe and long-lasting mental health problems (such as bipolar disorder or schizophrenia), because they are:


• Twice as likely to die from heart disease
• Four times as likely to die from respiratory
disease
• On average, likely to die between 10 and 17
years earlier than the general population, driven in large part by poor physical health


To help tackle these challenges Mind and Sport England launched the Get Set to Go programme, with the aim of engaging 75,000 people with mental health problems in sports and physical activity.                    

The findings show that physical activity has an important role to play in building resilience, enabling and supporting mental health recovery and tackling stigma and discrimination. Recent national government strategies have also supported the fact that physical activity is key for mental health, highlighting the importance of programmes such as Get Set to Go.

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4 years ago  
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