A Lincoln Gym owner is lifting 5,224kg every day in November to commemorate the number of lives lost to suicide in 2020.
Photo: Ryan Payne Media
Joe Green, 23, is the owner of Grid Gym on Lincoln High Street and wants to encourage young men to speak about their struggles with mental health, without feeling embarrassed or judged.
Joe hopes by taking on this challenge this Movember he can demonstrate to others that mental health issues are nothing to be ashamed of and there is always an opportunity to get help. Joe told The Linc, ‘For me it’s all about the support, I feel like there’s a big void in support for men’s mental health and as a previous sufferer, I think it’s really important for men to seek help’
He added, ‘fitness has always been my passion, I think it’s always been a release of stress and my way of getting rid of whatever’s happened in the day. Exercise is a powerful stress-reliever, even going for a walk or lifting weights or finding something that you enjoy will give people a little bit of something to dissipate their problems.’
Speaking from his own experience, Joe found it difficult to open up to those closest to him about his issues, he hopes to change this by starting the conversation. ‘It needs to be talked about a bit more so people feel like they can be transparent with their feelings, there’s such a stigma surrounding men showing emotions and being seen as weak or vulnerable’
Hoping to help those suffering in silence, Joe says, ‘It’s just about spreading a positive message, whether it’s work stress, social stress or to do with relationships, I’m just trying to point people towards resources that were really helpful for me, to help people get out of that rut.’
Passionate about making a difference, Joe sees Grid Gym as a friendly, safe community
where he hopes members feel comfortable to speak out if they are in need. “I’d like to think we run a relatively open forum and we are a nice, tightknit community and hopefully even just coming to the gym or having a coffee here helps.”
Joe hopes to continue this tradition of completing a challenge every Movember going forward, whether it being lifting weights or simply just growing his moustache!