Shifting Our Mental Health with MOVEment

Sue Abell, instructor and owner of MOVE in Burlington, participated in Run for Women last year and had the largest team in Oakville. She made the decision to join when she saw how the COVID-19 pandemic placed enormous stress on the community and her members.

“As the time went on with the pandemic, we experienced things like isolation, fear, worry about the future and missing our friends. I think when the race came up, it was such an obvious fit for us. When I spoke about mental health to my members, each and every person had a personal story to tell.

I felt the impact. My family felt it. Children felt it. When this came up, this was the perfect timing.”

In the beginning, a few members joined but then it began to grow and give people something to be excited about outside of their pandemic life.

“When you’re going through some tough times, for me, the most impactful thing is transparency. I shared my story with my members and it’s interesting how it creates light for someone else.”

“Physical movement, to me, is one of the key ways that we can shift our mental state, even if it’s for thirty minutes. Those thirty minutes are going to create a little light.”

Run for Women shows people dealing with mental health that they aren’t alone in their journey. It’s an opportunity to come together with the community and be there for each other while supporting mental health resources.