Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
Have you pondered the relationship between the health of your body and that of your mind?
Our physical and mental health are closely related; tightly interwoven like the threads in this rich tapestry we call life. They cannot be separated from one another without damaging the fabric – if one unravels, the other surely will too.
A healthy mind needs a healthy body to reside in and nourish it; similarly, for a body to function at its optimum level it requires a sound mind at the helm, telling it what to do. You body is the puppet, its actions only as fluid and streamlined as the decisions of the puppetmaster pulling its strings – your mind.
Someone who understands the power and importance of the mind/body connection is Anton Pattenden, a boxing coach living in Kent. Having made the link many years ago, he overhauled his own lifestyle and began reaping the benefits in all aspects of his health and relationships. Keen to pass on what he’d learnt, he began coaching boys and young men in football and amateur boxing.
Fast forward to 2020, and Anton is now a licensed professional boxing coach at Honour And Glory, complete with a fully-equipped boxing gym in the grounds of his Sidcup home. He has witnessed on many occasions the transformative power of exercise in general, and boxing in particular, on the people he trains.
“It’s incredible,” he says. “People who are suffering with chronic anxiety and depression – even PTSD in some cases – have shown a complete shift in their mental state after regular sessions in the ring. Even those who were so traumatised they could barely make eye contact or hold a conversation have totally come out of their shell. You can see the change in these guys’ personalities – and in particular their eyes – as well as their physiques and fitness levels. Their eyes are shining by the end of a session.”
The current pandemic has seen cases of mental health issues soar, with people who may have been struggling prior to lockdown now more isolated and in need of support than ever before. Which is why Anton’s new brainchild, Healthy Minds, a charitable organisation aimed at helping people with mental health issues through the restorative powers of boxing, could not have come at a better time:
“My aim is to help as many people as I can by building their self-esteem and reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety through these training sessions, as well as providing the social interaction that comes with being part of a boxing club; meeting new sparring partners and making new connections.”
Anton’s vision is to connect with other local mental health services and charitable organisations in order that they could cross-refer one another’s services, working together to give their members a multi-pronged, holistic approach to their recovery. He has plans for twice-weekly workshops and a brand new site lined up which is large enough to host them.
This scheme could be a lifeline for those struggling with the crippling effects of depression and anxiety, but is not without a struggle of its own: the one to fund it. Which is where you come in.
In recent months, Anton and his team have been busy training for various fundraising activities, including recently completing a 5-peak climb in the Brecon Beacons, and a gruelling SAS trial. Next week sees the team tackling their toughest challenge yet: the Three Peaks Challenge. This task involves climbing three mountains (Ben Nevis, Snowden and Scafell Pike) spanning three countries (Scotland, Wales and England) in 24 hours. He also has ‘fun walks’ factored in to support the cause, involving multiple 5k coastal hikes. Anton envisages that these types of fundraising missions will become annual events; by bringing people together to participate in these physical challenges they will strengthen all aspects of their health as well as forging social connections whilst simultaneously raising funds for the cause. It’s a win-win.
With so many people, and young men in particular, at grave risk of rapidly spiralling into the depths of depression, accelerated by the current pandemic, this campaign has taken on a particular urgency. Anton, his team, and their supporters are eager to get more of these sessions underway, in order to avoid vulnerable people sinking into the quicksand of mental illness.
Would you like to take part in a challenge to raise funds for Honour And Glory: Healthy Mind? Do you know someone who is struggling with mental health issues who might benefit from the Healthy Mind project? Or would you prefer to show your support by making a donation to this very worthy cause?
Mental illness is something any one of us could succumb to at some point in our lives, due to life events and difficult circumstances, so can we afford NOT to help?
Contact Anton on 07544 737278, or email him at ap@boxingandfitness.co.uk. To make a donation please follow the link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/anton-pattenden
Thank you for reading, and for your support.
Sam x
Fancy reading my back-story before you go any further? You can find my other blogs at:
www.ifyouboozeyoulose.blogspot.com
www.samgoessolo.blogspot.com
www.mummymission.blogspot.com
www.worldwidewalsh.blogspot.com
www.costaricachica1.blogspot.com
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