Mental ill health frequently leads to physical ill health and stress is the root cause of many potentially fatal illnesses, such as depression, obesity, cardiac disease and diabetes.
Since the overall health of our clients is what the health and fitness industry is all about, should we be doing more to help and support people in building their stress resilience?
Research shows that millennials are now more stressed than the 'silent generation', who lived through the world wars.
There are a number of reasons, including the fact that, having been raised with technology, they communicate more comfortably via social media and text than face to face. Social media also brings its own pressures and expectations.
Highly educated, ambitious and confident, millennials have high expectations, but then have to cope with the reality of student loans and few high-paying job prospects.
According to women’s business organisation, One of Many, women are 60 per cent more likely to suffer from stress or burnout than men. They're also less happy than they were 40 years ago, regardless of income, health, job, marital status, age, race and whether or not they have children. Dr Joanna Martin, founder of One of Many, attributes this to women finding themselves running on adrenalin and cortisol – the stress hormones – to fulfil their many roles, and this is not sustainable.
Undoubtedly gyms could help support people to become less stressed. But since stress resilience is not part of PT training programmes, could gyms unwittingly be adding to the problem they're trying to solve? We ask the experts…