ASICS and Charity Mind Call Out Intimidating Exercise Culture for World Mental Health Day

This World Mental Health Day, ASICS and mental health charity Mind are calling out the performance-obsessed exercise culture that is putting people off exercising and impacting people’s mental and physical health.

Instead, ASICS and Mind hope to motivate more people to exercise for their mental wellbeing, by redefining a ‘personal best’ to focus on how exercise makes us feel to championing exercise for positive mental health.

‘A New Personal Best’, created by Golin, captures and celebrates how exercise makes us feel in a campaign film, by Agit8, and in a unique portrait series featuring real people moving for their mental health – no stats, no times and no numbers.

The campaign is supported by new research that found 78% of respondents don’t find typical sports advertising motivating and 33% say sports adverts actually put them off exercising. With two-thirds of those who don't exercise (68%), saying they're too embarrassed to go to the gym because they feel they don’t fit the mould of a 'typical' exerciser.

To shift the perception of what a personal best should be, ASICS also engaged campaign ambassadors to support the initiative, including Tom Durnin, whose inspirational story captivated the UK when he finished in last place at the London Marathon 2023. 

Tom says, “For me, it was all about crossing that finish line no matter how long it took me. I run purely because it makes me feel good, I don't worry about my time or being the slowest. I never thought I’d ever be the face of a sports campaign, but I’m honoured to be partnering with ASICS to encourage more people to move for their mental health. If my story can inspire at least one person to take the first step that’s all I could ask for.”  

Mental health activist and TV personality Dr Alex George, also features in the campaign alongside people across the UK from all walks of life and all levels of fitness who have used exercise to support their mental health – from Biola, who started a women’s cycling group to support people experiencing anxiety, to Adam, who has reclaimed his relationship with movement on his own terms after years of exercise being a cause of anxiety and depression.  

UK Ambassador for Mental Health Dr Alex George says, “As someone who is passionate about the benefits of exercise on mental health, it’s upsetting but unsurprising that people feel excluded and alienated by the sports industry. People need to know that regardless of the type of exercise they do, or the times or distances they achieve, any movement benefits mental health and is something that should be celebrated.” 

ASICS is calling on people to share their own ‘new personal best’ images on social media - whether it’s doing a short walk, playing a game of football with friends, or making it to your first yoga class. Every image shared with #NewPersonalBest on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok or Twitter between 10th October and 10th December 2023 will raise £5 for mental health charity Mind. 

To see all the ambassador's stories and to discover more about the 'New Personal Best' campaign visit here. 

Gary Raucher, EVP, ASICS EMEA, says, “The sports industry has been telling us for years that the only thing that matters is a faster time, a longer distance, a higher score, and more reps. Although it’s aimed at motivating people, our research shows it’s having the reverse effect and instead creates an intimidating culture that’s putting people off exercise – something we’re committed to change.  

ASICS was founded on the belief that sport and exercise benefit the body and the mind. It’s why we’re called ASICS. It’s an acronym for the Latin ‘Anima Sana in Corpore Sano’ or ‘Sound Mind in a Sound Body’. And for the sake of everyone’s mental health, we believe it’s time we celebrated the benefit, not just on the body, but also on the mind. Because a personal best is not a number, it’s a feeling.”  

Alex Wood, executive creative director, Golin, says, “Exercise is about more than times, distances and reps – so it felt right to reject the intimidating sports marketing model still dominating the industry. By redefining ‘A Personal Best’ as something you feel, rather than something to be beaten, we hope to make space for more nuanced and inclusive stories about people’s relationships with exercise; while celebrating unconventionally-inspiring people like Tom”.  

Hayley Jarvis, head of physical activity at Mind, says, “For people who don’t exercise, taking that first step can be daunting, especially if they’re also experiencing a mental health problem. When you add the pressure of performance so often seen in sports marketing or on social media, for some it can feel impossible to get started as they don’t feel like they’re ‘good enough’. Mind’s belief in the power of movement to support better mental health is very much shared by ASICS, so we’re proud to see some of our ambassadors as the faces for this campaign and we hope their stories will inspire others to start getting active themselves."