Physical health and mental health
Exercise helps depression
The Black Dog Institute (http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/) in Australia says the power of exercise to improve a person's mood should no longer be overlooked as a frontline treatment for depression
The Institute's Professor Gordon Parker, says "People commonly report feeling better after vigorous activity, yet this non-medical, method to improve a person's sense of wellbeing is under-utilised as a treatment for depression."
Professor Parker says the institute surveyed 500 fun-run participants at last year's Blackmore Sydney Running Festival and 95 percent reported that exercise gave them an "improved mood". Over 90 percent of runners who reported current symptoms of depression said exercise "gives me more energy" and "makes me feel better if I am feeling depressed".
Although it can be very difficult for people experiencing depression to find the motivation to get started, Professor Parker says this is where GPs and other health workers should play a greater role, by assisting depressed patients to become more active.
The Black Dog Institute is developing free customised educational programs - called Exercise the Mood: Exercise as a Treatment for Depression - for GPs and other healthcare professionals to assist them in using exercise as a strategy for treating depression.
Read the full article on stuff.co.nz http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/wellbeing/2338807/Exercise-helps-depression
The annual Feetbeat Challenge, Auckland, NZ
What is Feetbeat?
Feetbeat is an eight week, 30-minutes a day, fun team walking event in the Auckland region.
The programme started six years ago in 2004 and is organised and administered by the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) and this year has been supported again by Fruit Runners.
Feetbeat encourages workplaces and other organisations to enter teams of four to eight people, in an effort to increase physical activity. Feetbeat is primarily a walking programme, but does allow for the maximum of two team members to do another activity such as running, cycling and swimming.
The teams decide on a fun name and set a goal distance they would like to get to by choosing a destination on the New Zealand map. Then they work towards reaching or exceeding this distance, such as walking to Bluff and back!
Their combined activity distances are recorded, with bonus points available to teams encouraging whanau and friends to join them on their journey to health. Exercise is sandwiched in at lunchtimes, after work and in the weekends.
This year, the Feetbeat challenge ran from 14 September to 6 November.
Why was it started?
Featbeat was started as a fun way to encourage employees to exercise every Spring. It was originally promoted only to workplaces, however the popularity and success of the programme has allowed for other organisations and people who want to get together and walk, to enter teams.
It is a great way for workmates to team up and work towards a common goal such as improved fitness, coping with stress or weight loss. Teams in previous years have equated their kilometres to decreased dress sizes and better self esteem. Being active helps to boost brainpower too!
Where is it operating?
Currently Feetbeat is only run in the Auckland region. Teams from outside the region can enter but are not eligible for any prizes.
What organisations have signed up?
In 2009, 316 teams registered from organisations as diverse as the Auckland Zoo (Auckland City Council), Vero Insurance, the Mental Health Foundation, Diabetes Project Trust, James Hardie, Rodney District Council, Waitemata District Health Board, Fisher and Paykel and Manukau Institute of Technology (staff).
Over the six years the programme has been running approximately 1260 teams have participated.
Creative Initiatives?
Apart from coming up with their own creative team names - such as Lost in Pace,
Happy Feet, Hardie's Angels, Are we there yet?, Walking Wombles and the Fat Bottom Girls - the teams have also found ways of combining exercise with community activities like collecting rubbish and raising money for the Tsunami Relief Appeal.
Prizes
Feetbeat sends out a regular weekly newsletter bringing people team updates, motivational and other news and information related to the benefits of exercise.
Prizes are also given to the teams with the best name, the best photo and the best story as well as the first team to register (All Day Every Day), and first team photo and story (Hardie's Angels).
Feetbeat supporter, Fruit Runners, donated a fruit box each week to a randomly drawn team. All teams registered were put in this draw. The lucky teams to receive fruit boxes have included: Mid-Life Madness, Fidelis Footsteps, Super Coga, Step Up and Tachy.
Feetbeat coordinator, Stacey Willcox says the success of Feetbeat is that the programme is designed to involve people of all ages and abilities.
"It is about trying to remove the perception that physical activity has to be hard and expensive.
"It is about encouraging people that physical activity can be fun; emphasising that it can be done at your own pace and creating the social support by doing it in a team; with friends or family members.
"You can walk whenever it suits you and best of all it is free!"
Evaluation
Stacey Willcox says, "The programme is evaluated each year as each participant is sent an evaluation form and feedback is considered.
"From last year's evaluation, we reduced the paperwork and made it more fun and colourful to reflect the programme.
"We will have an online version of Feetbeat available for next year, but hardcopy forms will still be available for those teams not computer based."
If you would like more information about the Feetbeat challenge please contact: Stacey Willcox, Health Promotion Practitioner - Workplace Health Ph: 09 623 4600 ext 28918, Email: feetbeat@adhb.govt.nz or visit http://www.arphs.govt.nz/feetbeat/feetbeat.asp
If you like this article you might also like:
- Walk your way to good health: http://www.mindfood.com/at-walk-walking-good-health-exercise-benefits.seo
- Wonder walkers
- Social exercise a mood buster: http://www.mindfood.com/at-exercise-women-depression-social-family-mood.seo
