This week we spoke to Ella and Sophie, the two medical students behind MuscleMind-a new online support community of people using exercise to promote mental wellbeing.
What is MuscleMind?
Ella: MuscleMind is a new project we set up to try to promote the use of exercise as a therapy for mental illness during our own personal journeys towards recovery. Our website is packed full of information about both mental illness and exercise, where Sophie and I share our stories and tips as well as many others from our amazing contributors to challenge the stigma around mental illness.
Sophie: We’re also trying to provide people with a resource to look to if they’re unsure about what exercises to try out or where to start. Our posts cover a whole range of different ways to get active, from basic yoga routines to the best bikini body exercises. We want to make exercise less daunting and more accessible to those who can really benefit from giving it a go.
Ella: We’ve had an incredible amount of support, including blog posts from well-known Instagrammers such as Bridget from @tinyfeetness, and Hannah from @hannahrosefit, and anyone is more than welcome to get in touch if they have something they want to share.
Tell us a little bit about your personal motivation for setting up MuscleMind…
Ella: We’re both fighting our own battles with mental illness. I have suffered from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder for over four years now, since my very first year at University. I, like most of the general population, was pretty much ignorant of what Obsessive Compulsive Disorder actually was, aside from the hand-washing stereotype we all associate it with. So when I started experiencing intrusive thoughts of harm towards others, began worrying about my own thoughts and analyzing everything I did, I didn’t understand that this was part of the mental illness. It wasn’t until nearly a year down the line that I came to release that I was suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and started to seek help. Sadly, the waiting lists for counseling and behavioral therapy were long, so I started to use exercise as a way of coping with the stress of my ever-worsening symptoms. It did initially become a slightly obsessional activity, but I slowly began to learn how to use exercise, alongside medication and CBT sessions, to help me towards recovery. I wouldn’t say I’m fully recovered and I’m not sure when I will be, but what I do know is that the person I am today is a million times happier than the person I was a couple of years ago, and that exercise and the amazing benefits I have felt from it has played a big part.
Sophie: I started restricting my food intake in 2009 due to a combination of factors, and eventually entered my first bulimic binge-purge cycle a year later. At first I felt in control of my purges, and viewed them as a trick to get rid of any extra unwanted calories, but with the purges came more binges, more emotional problems and less ‘normal’ eating. My illness worsened over the following years as I slowly lost any control I had over food. When I first went to University, I was under the impression that I wasn’t ‘ill enough’ to warrant help, but finally visited the GP about 6 months in when my eating disorder had a disastrous effect on my exams. Exercise is a complex tool to combat eating disorders, with things like cardio easily becoming an obsessive form of purging or weight control, but I slowly began to learn how to use exercise properly to help me toward recovery. Experimenting with weights, yoga and other forms of exercise at the gym really helped improve my mood, self-esteem and confidence when I would otherwise feel unmotivated and lethargic, which is why we at MuscleMind feel it is so important to work out which form of activity will work for you personally. Getting to grips with the right kind of exercise, alongside the right kind of medication, has infinitely helped improve my mental health.
How does exercise help someone cope with mental illness?
Ella: Exercise has SO many benefits when it comes to combating mental illness. On the science side, the release of endorphins and the immediate rise in mood this creates will never get old, and the effects of working on your body and pushing yourself to the maximum will really boost your self-esteem and help you learn to love and be proud of your self. Exercise is also a great way to keep motivated and optimistic; when I’m having a bad day or feeling hopeless, exercise brings me a purpose, whilst also distracting me from the things that have been getting me down-you try worrying about things when you’re half an hour into a spin class!
Sophie: The effect on my mood is definitely the best thing about exercise for me. Leading a sedentary lifestyle makes me feel listless, unmotivated, anxious. Even something as simple as getting out the house and taking a short work in the fresh air can help lift your mood.
What kind of exercise would you personally recommend?
Ella: Obviously it’s entirely dependent on your own mental state and your personal motivation for exercising. Sometimes its best to start out slow and steady if you’re really struggling with a severe mental illness, maybe even just a walk a couple of times a week, or doing some simple stretches in your room just to concentrate on your breathing and mindfulness. If you’re on the road to recovery or trying to combat daily stresses and mood-swings, I’d really recommend running in the fresh air or fitness classes at the gym. My personal favourite gym class is spinning-it’s an intensive cycling fitness class that seriously gets you sweating and leaves you feeling invincible.
Sophie: I totally agree with Ella that, when it comes to using exercise to improve your mental state, you have to find what works best for you personally. When I first turned to exercise, I found short home work-outs such as the Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines really useful when I was feeling unmotivated and didn’t want to leave the house. When I became less afraid of cardio and more in control of my purges, I found quick 30-minute gym sessions an easy way to fit some physical activity around my daily schedule, and I now love being able to join classes, try new things and workout with my friends. One activity I swear by is yoga-something as simple as working on your flexibility to touch your toes can be really rewarding. You don’t have to go in for the crazy headstands and fancy poses, although these do look pretty cool!
So how can people get involved with MuscleMind?
Ella: We have a contact page on our website as well as an email address which anyone can use if you’re interested in writing a piece or filming a vlog for us, or simply if you want more information or advice regarding your own personal journey.
Sophie: We absolutely love hearing from people who want to get involved and really encourage those who feel comfortable enough to share their own stories on mental health and exercise, so get in touch!
Check out the MuscleMind website and Instagram page and learn more about how you can use exercise to promote mental wellbeing by following the links below:
https://www.instagram.com/mymusclemind/
If you’re interested in contributing to the MuscleMind website or have any more questions for Ella and Sophie, please feel free to get in touch via email to mymusclemind@gmail.com, or visit their Facebook page: