Mental health tips during lockdown: How to cope with no access to sports or gyms - experts

“If you regularly exercise then training is a big part of who you are and what you do, so you lose part of your identity. Going to a gym or sports club may also form the main part of your social life, without it you may feel extremely isolated.

“We all need an escape, from work life, home life or other stressful situations and without it our problems are magnified. Regular exercise can boost your mood if you have depression.

“It can improve your confidence, allow you to improve your sleep and enable you to better deal with stress and anxiety. Exercise is a wonder drug for managing depression, improving your mood, your memory, your sleep and enhancing overall well-being.”

What advice would give people during the lockdown?

Doucette: “The best thing you can do is to still maintain your fitness through outdoor activities. Running, working out in public places is a great way to get out and use up some of the energy you are storing.