Parisians urged to exercise more to improve their mental health
The city of Paris is planning a new campaign to encourage residents to exercise more in order to combat sedentary lifestyles and mental health challenges.
The city of Paris, in partnership with Asics, is launching a campaign to encourage Parisians to exercise more.
With the Olympic Games less than a year away, the 'Paris, bouge ton esprit' (Paris, move your mind) campaign is intended to help make physical activity a part of Parisians' daily lives, in an effort to improve people's overall well-being and mental health.
The public health project will be launched on Tuesday, and it will involve several free events from November onwards across the capital city.
READ MORE: How close is Paris to its goal of being a 100% cycle-friendly city?
What will the campaign entail?
According to reporting by Le Parisien, local authorities will create an online platform to help Parisians register online for free sport and well-being sessions.
"Sometimes people associate being encouraged to get active with the idea of performance. Here, the primary objective is just to get people moving. The free sessions will mainly involve running and they will be organised by coaches who will be able to give people practical resources and help," explained Eddy Ferhi, the Marketing Director at Asics France, to Le Parisien.
Free events will be organised weekly for people of all abilities and experience levels.
In addition to exercise sessions, the awareness campaign will be posted and advertised across the city starting in 2024, Eddy Ferhi told Le Parisien.
The company Asics will also help to "refurbish public spaces to make them more suitable for sporting activities," the marketing director added.
Why launch this campaign now?
According to a recent survey by YouGov France, almost half of Parisians (45 percent) reported experiencing some type of mental health issue, whether that be fatigue, problems with sleeping, anxiety or depression.
Meanwhile, 88 percent of Parisians responded that physical activity has "a positive impact on their mental health".
Martine Duclos, a medical doctor and head of the National Observatory on Physical Activity and Sedentary Lifestyles, told Le Parisien that these mental health issues are common "for people who work a lot. They might suffer from stress or feel the burden of daily transportation. Everything that living in a city like Paris would entail."
The study also found that almost half of Parisians would like to be more active, but many cited being held back by a lack of time, difficulty accessing sport facilities or inexperience.
The deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sport and well-being told Le Parisien that the public policy aims to "fight against sedentary lifestyles and the associated physical risks."
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The city of Paris, in partnership with Asics, is launching a campaign to encourage Parisians to exercise more.
With the Olympic Games less than a year away, the 'Paris, bouge ton esprit' (Paris, move your mind) campaign is intended to help make physical activity a part of Parisians' daily lives, in an effort to improve people's overall well-being and mental health.
The public health project will be launched on Tuesday, and it will involve several free events from November onwards across the capital city.
READ MORE: How close is Paris to its goal of being a 100% cycle-friendly city?
What will the campaign entail?
According to reporting by Le Parisien, local authorities will create an online platform to help Parisians register online for free sport and well-being sessions.
"Sometimes people associate being encouraged to get active with the idea of performance. Here, the primary objective is just to get people moving. The free sessions will mainly involve running and they will be organised by coaches who will be able to give people practical resources and help," explained Eddy Ferhi, the Marketing Director at Asics France, to Le Parisien.
Free events will be organised weekly for people of all abilities and experience levels.
In addition to exercise sessions, the awareness campaign will be posted and advertised across the city starting in 2024, Eddy Ferhi told Le Parisien.
The company Asics will also help to "refurbish public spaces to make them more suitable for sporting activities," the marketing director added.
Why launch this campaign now?
According to a recent survey by YouGov France, almost half of Parisians (45 percent) reported experiencing some type of mental health issue, whether that be fatigue, problems with sleeping, anxiety or depression.
Meanwhile, 88 percent of Parisians responded that physical activity has "a positive impact on their mental health".
Martine Duclos, a medical doctor and head of the National Observatory on Physical Activity and Sedentary Lifestyles, told Le Parisien that these mental health issues are common "for people who work a lot. They might suffer from stress or feel the burden of daily transportation. Everything that living in a city like Paris would entail."
The study also found that almost half of Parisians would like to be more active, but many cited being held back by a lack of time, difficulty accessing sport facilities or inexperience.
The deputy mayor of Paris in charge of sport and well-being told Le Parisien that the public policy aims to "fight against sedentary lifestyles and the associated physical risks."
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