FITNESS IS ‘A WAY OF LIFE’ FOR MENTAL HEALTH NURSE SHELLEY
IN THE THIRD PART OF OUR MENTAL HEALTH SERIES CATHY LEE SPEAKS TO GOREY’S SHELLEY ATKINS ON HEALTH AND FITNESS
AS OUR main focus continues to be on the ever-changing Covid-19 pandemic, many have suffered in silence when it comes to mental health.
Fitness fanatic Shelley Atkins of Diversefit in Gorey has been working as a mental health nurse during the pandemic but she has been teaching in the fitness industry for over 20 years.
At 18, Shelley travelled to London to study Sports and Fitness teaching and since then has trained with and taught some of the national and international aspiring world championship gymnasts. Last year Shelley qualified for the World championship half Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Dublin to represent Ireland in Taupo, New Zealand and she looks forward to representing Ireland at a later date in 2021. S
Shelley returned to study at Trinity University where she graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Mental Health Science, qualifying as a Mental Health Nurse.
Her paper on ‘the impact of physical exercise on the mind’ was given the highest mark ever awarded to a student and she continues to have a passion for teaching, educating teenagers and adults about the benefits of physical exercise on our mental health and well-being.
Shelley’s passion in life is to motivate people to live life to their full capacity and she speaks weekly on South East Radio giving advice on fitness, health tips and motivation.
She told this newspaper that the pandemic has presented new challenges for clients she deals with at Diversefit, who use an outlet like the gym for positive mental well being.
‘The clients I work with expressed mainly feelings of stress anxiety, changes in sleep and poor levels of concentration at work and home life. For people suffering with mild symptoms of mental health issues, these have been alleviated since Covid began. This has been such an unusual and dramatic change to many lives.
‘Mental health has been affected as people who find exercise beneficial or an outlet in life. They have been unable to attend gyms and fitness classes. I mainly teach group exercise as opposed to one to one training, so previously people would attend my classes and felt a sense of community and would socialise as they work out together as a group. Once the pandemic began and lockdown was initiated, there was an immediate feeling of isolation for many of my clients,’ she said.
At the moment individual training is all that gyms can offer during the level three restrictions, and Shelley said that exercise is beneficial now more than ever before.
‘It is a widely known fact that fitness and exercise improves physical health but many people fail to understand or really take time to process how it helps your mental health improve. Exercise improves mental health by reducing anxiety and a negative mood and by also improving self-esteem. Exercising in a group situation may reduce or alleviate the symptoms of their mental health issues by giving people the chance to feel part of a group and socialise.
‘One of the main challenges I see that Covid presents is the increase of anxiety within our community. From my experience working with people throughout the lockdown, there is a certain amount of fear of re-entering society.
‘I motivate and encourage my clients
to take the optimistic view point, that we can overcome any challenges with a positive mind. The elderly that I have spoken to seem to be more effected for many reasons. Exercise is a way of life for some people who enjoy walking every morning. This has been taken away for people, specially the more vulnerable, for fear of catching the virus.
‘During lockdown social withdrawal was enforced as people were asked to stay in their homes. Some people who live alone depended on seeing other adults on their daily walks or trip to the shops. This isolation had a negative impact on mental health’.
In terms of overall health, Shelley noticed a change in the habits of people during lockdown.
‘Most people I know and teach complained about their eating habits being the big issue over lockdown. Creating bad habits can be hard to reverse and staying at home all day to work meant easier access to the fridge.
‘Boredom eating, emotional eating, lack of exercise caused people to gain weight during the lockdown. Loosing the excess weight or regaining good sleep patterns has now become a huge challenge for many.
‘Due to gym and fitness class restrictions in place once again has caused people to become demotivated. I educate my clients that whatever situation we are presented with, there are no excuses and you can always exercise. I taught all of my exercise classes online through Zoom over the lockdown to keep everyone fit and healthy.
‘Even now I definitely believe there is a nervousness in regards to returning to or newly attending gyms. I personally use a gym and find that I am so careful adhering to all the rules and making sure we have sufficient space between each person and machines while working out. I am not teaching any indoor classes at present due to the rise in cases in our community and have continued all my classes online which I find to be a great success’.
If you have lost motivation, Shelley says that starting back slowly can help.
‘Set a goal and make it realistic. I believe being accountable helps people focus and stay on track. I work with people and monitor them continuously and it proves to be successful. Leading a sedentary life may lead to long term negative effects on your physical, mental health and well-being.
‘To change old habits it is good to create a new well-balanced daily routine. Set a goal each day. Find a new activity. Walking, meditation, listening to podcasts, gardening, online fitness classes. Ask a friend to join in for support.
‘If you don’t feel like your old self previous to Covid, put a picture on your wall or fridge of a favourite time in your life and make a goal to return to that person.
‘For me fitness is a way of life and it is a priority in my own life so I feel happy and energised daily.
‘When you exercise you release chemicals called endorphins which also trigger a positive feeling in your body. This has an effect on other areas in my life such as helping me be a more productive teacher, mother and friend. I strive to inspire other people so they can turn to me for advice and guidance. To be a leader you must inspire others and I explain to people that energy plus energy creates energy.
‘It’s a scientific fact in the sports world that if you work out and stay active you will have more energy and less fatigue in your daily life.
‘Staying active and exercising helps me focus in work, creates a sense of happiness as I feel relaxed knowing that I have improved my cardiovascular system. This is an important factor to reduce long term illnesses such as heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity. ‘If you are struggling, reach out for help, talk to your friends or ask a professional,’ she said.
Although times are tough, Shelley believes that nothing is ever impossible.
‘Exercise is free so don’t make excuses and get active. You can dance around your kitchen, go for walks, get out in the garden. Walking with a big winter coat on can be very refreshing, it doesn’t have to be a strenuous gym session.
‘If you do not feel safe to join a gym you can partake in classes online or go to YouTube and find a home workout to follow. There are so many ways to stay physically active that will help improve your mood, mental health and well-being. Most of my clients reported that life before Covid was going well and they had a good balance of exercise, work and family life. When Covid began people felt it turned their worlds upside down. Others did feel that they actually enjoyed lockdown and it gave them time to rest and work from home spending time with loved ones and spending less time commuting, which can be very physically challenging on the body and mind. One tip I tell people struggling is to seek advice from a trained professional and reach out to someone if you feel alone. There are phone lines of services to help if you are unable to leave your house,’ she said.
To contact Shelley, email satkins@tcd. ie or search for Diversefit on facebook.