People in Motion is promoting healthy lifestyle changes for people living with mental illness through a year-long program.

We offer our activities in modules. We start with walking and meet as a group at least twice a week. We build our endurance and speed towards a 5Km Goal Walk. There is 10-week module of relaxing, stress-releasing Yoga. We include a 3-month module at the YMCA; we meet once a week as a group and learn the machines, equipment and what the Y has to offer. Participants are given a free 3-month membership which allows them access to the Y anytime during those 3 months. After completing the program, members are invited to a 3-day Camping Adventure. We encourage everyone to join us for walking and/or yoga after they finish the program. Our program is free, exclusively for people with mental illness, and integrates people into the YMCA fitness classes.

For health promotion in other areas, we offer two 5 week nutrition cooking classes led by a registered dietician, who provides education on how to incorporate healthy eating into one’s diet. The cooking classes are nutritional, prepared by members, with recipes from the registered dietician. People in Motion is led by a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator. We are in the process of creating a smoking-cessation module into our program.

People in Motion is now part of Waterloo Regional Homes for Mental Health Inc, our funder for the program. We use the services of the YMCA in Kitchener and Cambridge; they both provide the staff to teach our groups how to use the Y's equipment and classes. The YMCA provides an introduction to fitness at a gym within an inviting environment for the members of People in Motion. The Y also provided the space for our group to do our Yoga which is led by a certified Yoga Instructor. We walk at the track at Waterloo Recreation Complex and we meet at the Running Room in Waterloo on the free clinic evenings to walk with the 5KM group. We use the kitchens at St. John's Kitchen in Kitchener and the Self-Help Food Bank in Cambridge.

Members who graduate volunteer at the different groups and provide support for other members. For example, the Peer Support Worker (a graduate) co-leads People in Motion. We have members who led our walking groups. This helps build confidence and leadership skills.

The program helps people manage their mental illness through exercise and healthy eating. It also builds confidence, helps with stresses of returning to school or work, takes away anxiety of being out in the community and gets isolated individuals out socializing with peers. A challenge is attendance: members return to school or work; and transportation is an issue, though we provide bus training and bus tickets.

For more information, contact:

Gayle Parker, Coordinator
People in Motion
618 King Street West
Kitchener ON  N2G 1C8
Phone: 519-742-3191, ext. 433
E-mail: gparker [at] waterlooregionalhomes [dot] com
 

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