insight

Although 46% of people identified themselves as overweight, 25% of those admitted they are not actively trying to change this participants, while anxiety improved for 50 per cent of people and 47 per cent of participants had an improvement in their functional capacityor their ability to carry out day to day tasks. Without doubt the health of your mind and body are intrinsically linked, but only 30 per cent of people believe exercise helps their mental health. As with physical health, the nation’s mental health has also been impacted, with women, in particular, feeling the impact of homeschooling, professional pressures and caring responsibilities. Mental health results On average, 41 per cent of people said their mental health is ‘worse than this time last year’, but this rose to nearly one in two women (49 per cent). More than a fifth of Britons (21 per cent) reported low life satisfaction, while over a third (36 per cent) reported high anxiety when asked how they felt on the previous day – 53 per cent of people say they have been less productive during work due to poor mental health, and 56 per cent have gone to work despite their mental health being poor that day. A further 33 per cent called in sick to work because of their mental health, but gave another reason to explain why they were off. There is also significant concern about family members. Almost half (49 per cent) of 25 to 34-year-olds agreed they were more concerned about their parents’ mental health now because of COVID-19, while 47 per cent of parents expressed fears about their children’s mental health.

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Issue 8 2021 ©Cybertrek 2021

Improved mental health was cited as a major reason for exercising

Evidence shows that exercise can help manage mental health and working out has so much potential to enhance our wellbeing. Even lowintensity aerobic exercise, such as walking, yoga or jogging for 30 to 35 minutes, 3-5 days a week over 10 to 12 weeks has been shown to deliver the most powerful stress relief. Health implications The data shows the clear physical and mental health implications of lockdown, which will have serious consequences for the health of the nation, but there is still a disconnect between people acknowledging their worsening physical and mental health – and agreeing to take action.