Many people use fitness as a means to help manage their own mental health.
Ultrarunners Amanda Basham, Meredith Edwards, and Kaci Lickteig discuss how they use their running to help battle their own experiences with eating disorders and past trauma.
Jim Walmsley, one of the top ultrarunners in the world and winner of the recent 2019 Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run (the world’s oldest 100 mile race, and considered one of the most elite races in the ultrarunning sport), shares how running has helped him manage depression and suicidal ideation after experiencing an adverse event in his professional life as a young adult.
I think it’s great to see elite athletes use their status in the running community to open up the discussion around serious mental health issues, reduce stigma around discussion and asking for help, and act as role models. However, you don’t have to be an elite athlete to enjoy the benefits of fitness on mental health. Incorporating fitness into your commute to work when possible is an excellent way to fit fitness into a busy schedule: walk some or all of the way, bike to work, or run to work.
Have a look at Health and Lifestyle Discounts available to you as residents, and feel free to have a look at the RWO Community Events page, which outlines different community fitness activities available in locations around the province.
RWO Coordinator Aileen explores the alpine on Rainbow Mountain, near Whistler, BC.
