Today, Monday 10 October, marks World Mental health Day which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues. We're showing our support by sharing ways in which triathlon can be beneficial to the brain.
Working with British Triathlon Psychologist, Lara Barrett, we discovered that it's possible the following benefits to mental health can be achieved by incorporating triathlon into your lifestyle:
Many aspects of triathlon could contriubute towards improving mental health
1) Physical activity triggers chemicals in the brain called endorphins which act as mood enhancers.
2) Exercise is a stress reliever – it reduces the level of stress hormones in your body and distracts you from day-to-day worries.
3) It improves your self-esteem, especially when you complete your first event or beat previous timings.
4) Training as part of a club or team increases your social support.
5) There are psychological benefits to being outdoors, for example sunshine boosts levels of serotonin.
If you or anyone you know is having mental health issues, good sources of help are:
- Your GP
- The Samaritans on 116123 (Freephone)
- www.mind.org.uk
