McGill University researchers shed light on Optimal Ways to Boost Mood and Sharpen Mental Fitness as Canadians recover from the Pandemic

MONTREAL, Sept. 8, 2022 /CNW/ - Physicians and psychologists announce the launch of a new custom-built program, Mood Booster^TM, which provides "on demand" tools and techniques to boost mental fitness.

Many Canadians have experienced worse physical and mental health during the pandemic due to numerous factors including: less exercise, more screen time, poor eating habits, weight gain, increased social isolation, and loneliness. Making matters worse, our usual access to health care services has been limited. One possible solution, "on demand" tools and techniques, delivered digitally, to provide a much needed physical, mental, or emotional boost while we get back on track and push the pandemic behind us.

The situation may be particularly challenging for Canadian Veterans who in a recently released study were shown to have experienced increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the pandemic. *  Female Veterans experienced worse symptoms than males and approximately half of all Veterans reported difficulty accessing traditional healthcare services. Nearly 20% used telehealth services to access mental healthcare and the results were so good that over 72% indicated that they would stick with telehealth over face-face healthcare if it was not readily available or convenient.

The MissionVAV.com online health program (Funded by the Veteran and Family Wellbeing Fund) has been available to Veterans and their family members throughout the pandemic with excellent results. Recently presented data demonstrated participants could be trained to exercise more, sleep better, reduce stress, eat better, and lose weight. Female participants once again demonstrated worse mental health symptoms and fatigue at the start.

The Missions really worked with significant improvements in daily exercise, sleep, fatigue, and mental health symptoms. Over 40% of those who needed to reduce their weight lost at least 5 lbs. Moreover, nearly 80% finished the Mission to adopt healthier lifestyle habits. And those who registered their dog to exercise with them did even better with a 95% completion rate!

With the feedback received from women Veterans, and new funding from Veterans Affairs Canada, the MissionVAV team is now launching the Mood Booster Mission. The Mission is an online challenge that provides participants, with digital tools and techniques at their fingertips, while tracking their physical, mental, and emotional health when they need it most as children return to classes and adults return to work.

And the best part of this mission is that it is free, fun, and completely confidential.
If the idea of trying and learning new techniques and equipping yourself with "on demand" tools" sounds empowering and exciting, you are ready to join the 8-week Mood Booster Mission^TM.

The Mood Booster Mission^TM is an 8-week team-based mission starting September 12, 2022. Each week, you will learn and put into practice a different technique that you can customize to your own personality style.  And of course, exercise is part of the program as well.

This mission is a great way for Canadians and their families to work as a community and support each other while learning to master their mood and boost their mental health.

Interested?

Check it out...it's free with no commitment and your personal details are never shared with anyone.
You can even join under an alias and remain anonymous.

It is open to everyone who wants to push past the pandemic and improve their physical and mental health.

To Register

Missionvav.com

Assemble a team with team your family, friends, or colleagues.  If you don't have a team, you can always join the MissionVAV in-house team and make new friends.

MissionVAV Organization

MissionVAV is an online health & wellness program for Veterans of the Canadian Armed Forces and their families.  The program has been designed to help Veterans adopt healthier lifestyles while building a deeper connection with the Veteran community across the country.
The MissionVAV program has received 5 years of funding support from the Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund.

*https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/20008198.2021.2012374

SOURCE McGill Comprehensive Health Improvement Program (CHIP)