Dame Kelly Holmes speaks the Olympics, mental health and how we can all be more active

KentOnline / KMTV

Data from Nuffield health shows that we are moving more than in recent years, but little more than half what we should do. And that's why the former Olympian from Tunbridge Wells is urging us all to get more active to improve the health of the UK.

Transcript

00:00 If you think about it, it doesn't actually have to cost a lot to move.

00:04 So you go out for a brisk walk, you don't have to have any form of, you know, special clothing for that.

00:11 Doing anything, setting yourself a goal. I do step goals.

00:15 Sometimes I don't, like I'm sitting here in this room all day long.

00:18 I have a 12,500 step count because I'm mad and I'm, you know, I always set myself

00:24 something higher than I think anyone else is going to do. That's just my brain.

00:29 But I'm sitting here now at 11 o'clock, only done 1,500 steps.

00:33 So somewhere in my day, I've got to think, right, in between my breaks,

00:37 I've got to get up because I've set myself something and it gives me a motivation to do it.

00:42 Exercise is one way of combating bad mental health because actually what happens is,

00:49 is you're going out, you're doing something firstly for you,

00:52 you're doing something that's going to re-energize you, re-motivate you,

00:56 give you fresh air, get the body stimulated, moving,

01:00 and it can have such a positive effect on your mental health.

01:03 And it's something you've actually been really open about in the past,

01:07 talking about mental health and struggles that come along with that.

01:10 And it's something a lot of people deal with and a lot of people have that blockade

01:14 to sort of getting out. I suppose the minute you get out and you get that exercise,

01:18 that starts to dissipate. But how did being open and talking about mental health help you?

01:23 And then I suppose because of the platform you have, how has that then helped others, do you think?

01:27 Well, I think from my point of view, talking about my mental health was critical to realizing,

01:33 to putting a message out there that even though I'd achieved something really,

01:37 really big that was on a public platform, it didn't mean that I didn't struggle to get there.

01:42 And whereas, you know, when I came back, especially from Athens,

01:47 I got put on this real high pedestal because I was the first person to win two gold medals

01:52 at the same games. It wasn't where social media now puts loads of people out there.

01:56 It was in a premier sport like athletics. And everyone thought, you know, I was having

02:01 these titles of superhuman and, you know, incredible and whatever. And I was like,

02:04 well, I've done something pretty damn good. But, you know, I mean, to get there was not easy.

02:11 And I felt that if I was talking about the struggles, that would be more empowering to

02:16 say that even though I've struggled, I still succeeded. Because for me, that's a message

02:21 to say that we're actually really strong people, no matter what we go through.

02:25 A huge summer of sport, Euros, Olympics, Paris, lots of opportunities to be talking

02:30 about watching sport. We're going to be seeing it all over the news, all over our TV screens.

02:35 Do you think this is a huge time where people pick up not only is the weather getting warmer,

02:40 but actually we're seeing some representatives from across the world doing some amazing sport?

02:44 Do you think that's a key to getting people outside?

02:48 I definitely think it sort of promotes that mindset to do more, especially during the summer.

02:53 You know, when you're inspired by something you watch, you know, it does get people think,

02:58 oh, I want to give it a go. And unfortunately, kind of that weans off after. But what it does

03:04 do during there, there'll be a huge amount of people, especially young people that are inspired

03:09 by what the Olympic movement or the Euros or any other major event brings, because everybody that

03:15 takes part started somewhere. Like when I was an Olympian, I started running around Tunbridge

03:22 Athletics Club after being at Hugh Christie School. You know, I wasn't an Olympian. I started

03:26 at a club and I started at that club because I had a talent and I was, what, 11, 12 years old.

03:32 And what happened was, is watching the Olympic Games when I was 14 made me so inspired to think,

03:38 because I loved the Olympic movement. I saw British people achieving and it created a dream.

03:44 Now that dream could have been a fluffy cloud just up in the air, but actually what it did was

03:48 promote a person, a young person who had a talent to commit to doing some training, to see the

03:54 results and to think they want to be better and to, you know, do this massive feat.

03:59 Dame Kelly, it's been an absolute pleasure to talk to you. Just before I let you go,

04:03 if you had to give our viewers one task, one challenge to do tonight to get themselves moving,

04:08 what would it be?

04:09 Oh my gosh. Okay. One, one thing. Well, a lot of people have a phone these days and on it has

04:15 little health apps. Go on there, see how many steps you've done. Now they always used to say

04:20 that 10,000 was like a healthy kind of way of being, but even if you've never done it and you

04:25 get anything between five and 10,000, you're doing great.

04:28 Or 12,500 like you.

04:31 Well, or yeah, if you want to really challenge, you can come on my Instagram and tell me you've

04:35 done 20,000 and I'll have to get my game going.

04:38 Amazing. Dame Kelly, lovely to talk to you. Thank you so much for your time today.

04:45 Thank you. Good to see you.

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