One in four Fernwood Fitness members look to prioritise mental health

A survey undertaken by leading women’s health, fitness and wellness franchise clubs, Fernwood Fitness has seen one in four members say they’d be prioritising their mental health as much as their physical wellbeing when they returned to their local club.

Fernwood Fitness re-opened its Victorian and NSW clubs on a high note, welcoming back their valued members, along with new joiners (eager to increase their physical activity) en masse, while dedicating time and energy to managing and improving their mental fitness and wellbeing.

Surveying its members* the group found that two thirds of women missed having a ‘structured routine’ during lockdown while one in three admitted they hadn’t had an exercise routine at all.

Mental health and wellbeing programs and services make up a significant portion of Fernwood’s unique health offering, deviating from a traditional fitness-focused gym approach. From yoga and reformer Pilates to meditation and dedicated wellbeing studios, through to wellbeing programs developed in collaboration with Deakin University to better equip women with tools and techniques to support good mental health, Fernwood encourages women to prioritise all aspects of their health - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social.

Fernwood Fitness Wellness, Training & Development Manager and Accredited MHFA Instructor, Emma Robertson says just as people need to workout to train and challenge their physical muscles to become fit and healthy, they must also ‘work-in’ to train ‘wellness muscles’ to boost emotional and mental wellbeing which, along with physical fitness, are equally important for long-term health.

Robertson (pictured below) explained “we each have a slightly different version of what wellness/wellbeing means. In general, wellbeing can simply be described as how you feel about yourself and your life. Physical, emotional and social factors are strongly linked to happiness and life satisfaction.

“Wellbeing is not necessarily the absence of stress, because stress is inevitable. It is having the resilience and ability to manage stress and its negative impacts.”

With gyms and health clubs in Victoria and NSW having beein closed for the better part of two years, business owners have endured immeasurable financial and mental stress while members also suffered mental, physical and social impacts as they were unable to maintain their health, fitness and wellness in a supported environment.

Fernwood Fitness clubs and staff did their utmost to stay connected with members during the lockdown and restriction periods when gyms were not permitted to reopen, but many people grew weary of screen time and motivation levels were understandably low. Individuals were encouraged to stay active at home or outdoors, but this came without the face-to-face support of a trainer and without industry-standard equipment and facilities.

Robertson explained “we were beyond thrilled to reopen our club doors across Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT recently, with many tears shed from franchisees, staff and members alike. No matter your personal circumstances over the past two years, these unprecedented times have been immensely difficult to navigate. We know a lot of women in our clubs are pleased just to be able to set foot back in the club and catch up with their friends.

“The recent lockdowns were particularly challenging for women, both mentally and physically with significant disruptions to our sleep, exercise, diet and nutrition, childcare arrangements and the ability to socialise with friends and family. The more we shine a light on something like mental health, the more we can bring it to the fore and help people through those experiences.

“Stigmas around mental ill-health are slowly starting to dissipate (thank goodness), and more people are starting to engage in conversations about how they are feeling mentally. Fernwood is a safe space for all women, and while we create supportive and inclusive environments where women can exercise and do yoga and meditate, we want them to know that we can also be an ear to listen and point you in the direction of helpful resources and professionals. You are never in this alone.”

Since implementing the MHFA Australia program in franchisee and staff onboarding, more than 400 individuals across the Fernwood Fitness network have been trained in Mental Health First Aid, administered by Robertson. She has received numerous reports from Fernwood staff who have needed to engage their MHFA training to start the conversation with women in club who were displaying signs of mental ill-health.

Robertson added “MHFA can and does save lives. We have seen this firsthand in our Fernwood communities across Australia in the three years we have been delivering these trainings. We are here to empower women to shine, and I love that we are able to do this in a much bigger way with MHFA.”

If you, or someone you know, needs crisis support, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.

For urgent medical attention, phone 000 immediately.

*Based on a survey of 1,700 Fernwood Fitness members undertaken on 6th October 2021.