Unchanges

As I said last week, January is time for deciding to make changes to your life, or, in my case, to try and unchange my life and get it back to the way it was before Christmas and New Year put a big party sized wrecking ball through my routine.

I’ve done a few paintings to add to my project. I quite like some of them.

I’ve also been trying to get my exercise routine back in order.

Some time ago, I mentioned exercise referral schemes. Edinburgh Leisure has GP referrals listed in their leaflets. The GP referral scheme allows people who require exercise for health reasons to attend the gym for a structured exercise plan for a period of a few months at a much reduced price per session.

I have found that exercise really is by far the most effective medicine for me but at over six pounds per session, the gym is really quite expensive. Most of the year this is not a problem, as I am quite happy to go out and get exercise in the fresh air. It would be good, though, to get access to a gym to ‘tide me over’ the difficult winter months without having to take out a pricey annual membership that would go to waste for most of the year. So I thought I’d see what I could find out about it.

My GP hadn’t really heard of it but wrote me a letter to give to Edinburgh Leisure asking if I could attend the scheme. I then tried to find out what I was supposed to do with it. I carried it about with me for several months, asking at the reception desk of the gym, phoning various numbers at Edinburgh Leisure: no joy. I was told I needed a form; I didn’t need a form, a letter would do but it had to be specific; to phone an office; to ask in the gym and so on. Lack of information, my own forgetfulness and a lot of unreturned calls resulted in not a lot of progress.

Then, last week, I was in one of the gyms run by Edinburgh and I heard one of the instructors mention exercise referral so I grabbed a chance to finally find out about this elusive scheme.

He was very helpful. All you have to do is get a referral from a physiotherapist on an NHS referral form. I asked if it has to be from a physiotherapist and not a GP (their information leaflets use the term “GP referral”). Apparently, only a physiotherapist will do and they must specify the type of joint problem you are having. I then asked about referral on the grounds of mental health. I was told that they no longer do that because they ‘had a few problems with it’.

I could still qualify because of the problems I have had with my hip but that is not really the point.

I’m quite happy to go out and exercise alone most of the year and just to get on with it. However, it has taken me quite a long time to find forms of exercise that suit me and to motivate myself to go and exercise regularly.

For people who have not yet got into a routine of exercise, who have not found exercise that suits them, who need some motivation or who just don’t know where to start, the exercise referral scheme could have made an enormous difference.

I don’t know what ‘problems’ may have been encountered in running the scheme but it seems a real shame it has fallen by the wayside.

In fact, it is not just a shame, it is also a waste. Exercise is a treatment for mental health problems that is not only effective but can also reduce the requirement for prescription drugs. It also has the advantage that the only major side effect is an improvement in fitness. It really does seem like a winning idea.

I may have to do some more digging around to see if there are any other schemes or to find out what caused this one to fail.

Week commencing 15/01/07

Medication: 2 mg Valium
Exercise: 3.5
Alcohol: 8
Anxiety: Fine
Anxiety Level (0-10): 0
Number of Panic Attacks:0
Severity of Panic Attack (0-5):NA
Depression: Feeling much better for getting back in a routine
Depression Level (0-5): 0.5
Mania: Fine
Mania Level (0-5): 0

Summary

Just about back into a routine now and feeling much better.