“We know that physical activity creates connections between individuals, and we also know that socializing and healthy eating improve our mental and physical health. These are things we can control,” Fredeen says.
“At Move Your Mood, we ran an eight-week research project with children. The children came to see us three times a week and exercised with us. We measured the children's mental health outcomes at the beginning and end. After four weeks, there was a significant improvement in the way the children were coping, but there was no significant change in their mental health.”
Fredine said a big mental shift occurred during the eighth week.
“We saw significant changes in depression, anxiety, self-esteem, mood and generally how people felt about themselves,” she says.
“We know being active helps, but it has to be sustained from eight weeks to life.”
The goal of “Move Your Mood” is to show people that exercise should be fun, she says.
Fredeen also pointed to participationACTION's recently released national report card, which said Canadian children and youth received a grade of D+ (up from a D in 2022) when it comes to overall physical activity.
The report found that only 39 per cent of Canadian youth aged five to 17 were meeting the recommendation of 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity each day.
In the latest adult report for 2021, Canadian adults were given a C+ for light physical activity, a C for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (up from an F in 2019) and an F for active transportation, which includes human-powered movements such as walking, cycling, wheeling, skating and paddling.
As of the morning of June 9, Red Deer is ranked number one in Canada in the Community Better Challenge, which you can track here .
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READ MORE: Red Deer aims to reclaim title of Canada's most vibrant city
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