A FORMER professional rugby player put his wellbeing app to the test last week as he looks to improve the mental health of young people via exercise.
Ex-Leigh Centurion Jamie Acton invited young people to Wigan Youth Zone on Thursday, January 20 as part of his new ‘Workout for your Wellbeing’ programme.
The six-week programme is inspired by Jamie’s own mental health journey and aims to help young people at improve their mental wellbeing by increasing the amount of regular physical exercise they undertake.
The sessions follow a similar structure to rugby player's wellbeing app, Banish, described as a "pocket PT" which promotes exercise as a way to banish your own demons and check in with your own mental health.
Those taking part in the Youth Zone sessions cited anxiety, self-confidence and body image as daily mental health challenges, and they checked in with their emotions and wellbeing before and after a 20 minute workout with Jamie - with all but one feeling more positive and confident after the workout.
Sixteen-year-old Caitlyn suffers with anxiety and over-thinking on a daily basis but knows that exercise really helps.
She said: “Sometimes I even struggle to leave the house. It started at school and it got worse during lockdown. It was a time when we couldn't see people and our mates and then now it can be a struggle being with people. For me being here today is a big deal."
Similarly, Conor, aged 18, said his anxiety had also been worsened by the pandemic, but felt activity at the youth zone had really helped with his anxiety by offering a real sense of achievement.
Jordan, 19, said: “I have always struggled with body image and confidence, but it has gotten worse in recent years. I am hoping the exercise will make me feel better because I am doing something and not just sitting down doing nothing and finding it hard to motivate myself.”
The ‘Workout for your Wellbeing’ programme will include three face-to-face sessions with Jamie at the Youth Zone, as well as free unlimited access to the Banish app for everyone at the centre on an ongoing basis, and weekly group Banish workouts which will be led by the WYZ trainers.
Jamie, who retired from professional rugby in 2019, said: "In my personal experience, prolonged periods of inactivity always triggered a drastically worse state of wellbeing.
“When I retired from rugby I fell into a very negative spiral. I discovered that for me, daily exercise is essential in maintaining a healthy mental wellbeing. But I know how hard getting daily exercise has been for many people during lockdown, with reduced access to equipment or even lack of space to just get moving.
"I felt that this must have been especially hard for young people – as so much of their activity is usually undertaken in groups, at school or sports clubs.
"So, to start 2022 I was really keen to work with Wigan Youth Zone, an organisation local to me, and offer the young people there some face-to-face sessions and free access to the Banish app.
"I really loved meeting the young people at this first session and seeing the sense of achievement from so many of them. There were moments of real success and pushing through the pain as well, which made me really proud of the group that attended. I am looking forward to the following sessions and seeing how everyone progresses over the next six weeks – and hopefully they use the app regularly when they need a boost."
For more information on Wigan Youth Zone visit wiganyouthzone.org and to discover more about the Banish fitness app, go to banishfitness.com.
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