Iron minds

A new show started on TV here last night

Called Iron Minds

The premise of the show is all about the correlation between physical and mental health

The show is presented by Niall Breslin

Better known as Bressie 

Bressie is the former lead singer of the band The Blizzards 

He is also a judge on the Irish The Voice

And has spoken out very publicly about his battle with depression and anxiety

Bressie is regarded as a well rounded individual here 

He also happens to be a 6'2 hunk which gets him a lot of female attention

But more than that 

He is just a really really sound guy

And genuinely wants to help others 

In recent years 

Bressie has turned to health and fitness to help him battle his demons

He runs, swims and cycles

Regularly competing in triathlons and Ironmans

To see if he could help others in the same position 

Bressie recruited four people from the four corners of Ireland

Orla 

Mark

Colm

And Jade

And put them through a series of endurance challenges 

All under the watchful eye of medical experts of course 

All the participants had varying degrees of mental illness 

Jade suffered from depression and tricotilamania 

Both the guys suffered from depression 

And Orla probably had the saddest story 

She had recently lost her Mum to cancer

And her sister to suicide 

She is also a single mother

Orla is actually from my area

She is a Pilates instructor

And attended the same yoga class I did last year

I never really said more than hello to her

But I remember my sister saying that she was a cold fish 

But it turns out she wasn't 

She was actually dealing with a hell of a lot

Her whole world was caving in 

And was probably going around in a complete haze 

It just goes to show 

You can't judge people 

As you just don't know what they are dealing with

Someone who appears unfriendly or distant or cold 

Might actually be going through the wars

Usually if someone is like that with me

I usually presume it's me they don't like or don't wAnt to talk to

But 

As I remind myself regularly 

It's not all about me 

This is a huge lesson

To make allowances for others 

You never know what is going on in their heads 

The four participants all had a base line of fitness

The all ran regularly 

And Mark was a former competitive cyclist 

So they weren't couch potatoes as such

At the beginning of the show

All four spoke about their illness

The crippling low moods 

The heavy feeling in their body

The weariness 

The feeling of being swamped by negative thoughts

I could relate to every word 

I thought they were so brave 

To go on national TV 

And talk about their deepest darkest issues 

It was clear that they all wanted to move forward 

And their strength and honesty shone through

First 

The participants were put through a fitness test 

They were also tested medically and psychologically 

And deemed fit and well to take part 

They were under the care of a team of professionals 

Nutritionists 

Psychologists 

Doctors 

And of course Bressie

Who was there for them every step of the way 

Then

The next challenge 

Was to swim in a body of open water 

Bressie brought them to a lake in the Midlands 

And had them swim 1km

They will all very anxious about the task 

But were determined to finish it

The two girls did well

And completed the swim first and second

The guys however 

Really struggled 

And one had a mini panic attack half way through the swim

Afterwards 

They had a mindfulness session 

And also cognitive behavioural therapy

Again

I was blown away by their willingness to talk so openly 

It really was inspiring

At one point in the show

Orla hit a real low point

And was struggling to cope

The psychologist visited her at home for a chat 

She spoke of how she was struggling to get over the death of her mother and sister 

She was asked if her mother was there 

What her mother would say to her

Orla replied that she would say

'Relax and enjoy it'

She was then asked if her sister was there, what Orla would say to her

She had one simple question 

'Why?

Why did you do it?

Why didn't you speak to one of us?

Why were you so proud?'

It was heartbreaking to watch 

A few weeks later 

And Bressie set their next task

To compete in a half Iron Man

Which comprised a 1km swim

A 20km bike ride

And a 5 km run

Again 

They were all extremely nervous 

But they had all trained hard 

And we're ready 

Brilliantly 

They all finished

With Jade coming first 

I could see they were on such a high

The feeling of accomplishment was clear to see on their faces 

I really enjoyed the show

And probably more so because I knew one of the participants 

I think the concept is a great idea

As I firmly believe there is a strong link between mental health and physical health

I can see it working in my own life 

I walk every day 

Lea especially is always keen to go for a walk 

And that's great for me

As some days it's hard to leave the house 

But I would never refuse my dogs a walk

I also started back swimming recently 

And go once or twice a week

I actually hate the thought of going swimming 

Having to organise myself to go

Getting in to the cold water 

And taking ages to warm up

But once I am there 

I really enjoy it

And I always feel great after pushing myself 

It's great for my mental health 

My confidence

Self esteem 

And it generally gives me a good feeling

I would also love to take up running

But my body doesn't seem to want to let me do that 

So I will stick to walking 

The show also showed 

How important it is to get out there and get stuck in to something 

Be that exercise

A support group

Volunteering 

Being around other people is good for us 

It takes us out of ourselves 

It's talking to others 

And getting out of our own heads 

It definitely helped me see that I need to do this more 

Get out of the house

Get involved in activities 

Meet people 

Learn new skills 

I am a loner at heart 

But I also love people 

So it's something to think about 

The show is on again next week

So I wil update you then

With all that said 

I was wondering about you

Do you believe that there is a link between mental and physical health?

Have you seen that work in your own life?

Do you find that getting out and about helps you?

What role does exercise play in your life?

Inquiring minds want to know....