Welcome to the fourth week of Oqea’s physical wellbeing campaign! Over the last week and a half we have been exploring and celebrating the relationship between community and physical and mental wellbeing.

Participating in group recreational and organized sporting activities can be a preventative and therapeutic strategy that promotes positive mental and physical health, and can even combat mental illness.

Finding mental health and wellbeing support in unexpected places is key part of what Oqea stands for and supplies to the community. Everyone has mental health. Whether it is in good shape or in need of some care, it is something we should all be more aware of at all times. So finding the hubs of community that provide the comfort and support we uniquely require is crucial to our wellbeing.  

In this article we wanted to explore community-based exercise through one of Oqea’s founding members, Dr Kyle Hoath, and his experience training for and competing in the Static Monster Challenge with the support of Tribe Wellness Co.

Dr Kyle Hoath is a Consultant Psychiatrist whose main areas are General Adult Psychiatry, Psychotic Illnesses, Bipolar Disorders, Anxiety and Depression. As one of the founding members of Oqea his treatment philosophy is founded on collaborative and patient centred care tailored to the particular needs of each patient. He embraces advances in psychiatric treatment, particularly the use of technology to help patients in their treatment journey.

‍

Kyle and the Static Monster Challenge

Last year, the ever persistent and resilient Dr Hoath decided he wanted to take part in the Static Monster Challenge, to further his physical wellbeing and give himself a fulfilling goal to work towards.

The Static Monster Challenge is an event held simultaneously across the world on the same day - the cool part being you get a world ranking afterwards. The event is designed to give more people access to the sport of strongman by having more events in more regions, while providing an opportunity for anyone to be able to have a go at the sport, regardless of ability.

To help drive his fitness and push his limits for this event Kyle turned to his friends and supporters at Tribe Wellness Co. There is power in having people that understand your limits, and know how to best support you when you are training or just need an emotional boost.  

Through his hard work and support from the Tribe community, Kyle placed 29th in the under 80kg men’s category. Completing an 85 kg Log and 276 kg deadlift for a total combined weight of 361 kg! Bloody good effort we say!

‍

Kyle and Tribe Wellness Co

In the video below we talk to gym owner and dietician Bec about why she chose to open Tribe Wellness Co and how she feels the space improves and maintains the mental health of her clients and community.

Additionally, Oqea co-founder and Consultant Psychiatrist Dr Kyle Hoath talks about his experience at the gym and why it’s good for his mental health and that of his family and friends. The gym community has become a part of his family for Kyle who strongly believes staying physically healthy is a key part of staying mentally healthy. Even within his clinical practice Kyle prescribes physical activity alongside medication to those who are managing clinically diagnosed mental health conditions; and the evidence is clear that it works.

‍

The benefits of community-based exercise.

Community-based exercise is generally defined as activities combining physical activity or movement with social interaction. This includes activities like; walking with friends in the morning, or playing at an AFL club, or social bouldering. Current research indicates that people participating in community-based and social exercise activities can enjoy increased amounts of physical activity, improved fitness, better general health outcomes and better mental health.

If you want to find out more about the mental benefits of exercise in general you can read this article (https://oqea.com/resources/physical-and-mental-wellbeing-what-you-need-to-know). Today we will be exploring how exercising or staying active in a group environment can add to these benefits!

When we combine exercise with social activities so many amazing things can happen! Not only does it provide an opportunity to maintain or strengthen our social networks, encouraging positive behaviour changes. It’s also been proven that people participating in sports clubs or recreational activities are more alert and have more resilient to symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety.

It’s also been shown that participating in community activities massively decreases the potential for an individual to commit violent crimes.

‍

Here is a simple infographic created by the department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries thtat helps illustrate some of these key benefits.

‍

Group exercise and older adults

Community-based exercise also has a range of benefits for older people. Research has shown that the social support and sense of belonging not only makes it easier to maintain good exercise habits, but also increases motivation and enjoyment for these activities.

Cognitive function is a huge area of benefit for this demographic, with or without Alzheimer’s disease there is plenty of evidence suggesting social and solo exercise can help prevent and mitigate symptoms of this condition.

Studies have also shown that community exercise programs are as effective as home-based exercise to enhance functional balance, strength and mobility for healthy older adults. For those suffering osteoarthritis, chronic pulmonary disease and cardiovascular disease, social exercise activities have great potential to significantly enhance physical function and health related quality of life.

Still looking for some knowledge to help empower your exercise journey? Don’t worry Oqea has you covered! Just log on to Oqea.me (https://oqea.me/#/login) and look in the For You section to find our hand picked selection of self-help resources.

Pro-tip: If you are looking for health or physical wellbeing resources, make sure to select “Health” and “Fitness” as two of your five focus areas.

‍

‍

Become an Oqea member today to get the tools and resources you need to start managing your unique mental wellbeing journey: https://oqea.com/oqea-get-started

‍

‍

Find out more about Tribe Wellness Co: https://www.tribewellnessco.com.au/

Find out more about the Static Monster Challenge: https://staticmonsters.com/

Sources

• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3883253/

• https://www.medibank.com.au/livebetter/health-brief/health-insights/join-the-community-can-group-exercise-improve-your-mental-wellbeing/

• https://exerciseright.com.au/top-reasons-community-based-exercise-best-older-adults/

• https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/department/publications/publication/the-relationship-between-organised-recreational-activity-and-mental-health

• https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/take-action-to-improve-health/what-works-for-health/strategies/community-based-social-support-for-physical-activity

• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26921655/

‍