Ride Don’t Hide is Back

May 7, 2021

Move more. Give back. Feel better.

CMHA Nova Scotia is excited to bring Ride Don’t Hide back to the province – this year with a twist. After taking a pause in 2019 and 2020, this year’s event invites participants to: “ride your way”. What does that mean? Ride Don’t Hide 2021 lets you decide how to participate. Ride Outside, Ride Inside or Ride in Spirit — because it doesn’t have to be a literal ride.

Cross fit in your basement, do yoga in the living room, take a brisk walk before you start work or take 10 minutes in your day for mindfulness. However you take care of yourself this spring – that’s your Ride.

Why Ride?

So many of us don’t feel like ourselves these days, and the COVID-19 pandemic is making it harder to get the help we need.

Each year 1.6 million Canadians report unmet mental health care needs, and the demand for services has and will continue to rise due to the pandemic. Ride Don’t Hide is a way to take care of your physical and mental health, while raising vital funds in support of CMHA Nova Scotia’s programs and services!

Throughout the month of June, you can ride, walk, run, do yoga, cook, bake, meditate, garden – whatever it is that you do for mental and physical well-being. Be active on your own, or build a team!

Visit Ride Don’t Hide Nova Scotia to register

Did you know?

In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness. In fact, by age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness. Mental illnesses are cost Canada about $20.7 billion in 2012. This cost is growing at a rate of approximately 1.9 per cent every year and is expected to rise to $29.1 billion annually by 2030.

It costs approximately $330 for every Canadian to have access to mental health resources in Canada.

You can help someone – maybe yourself, maybe a loved one – get access to services when they need it.

This June, join thousands of riders—and walkers, runners, yogis, spinners, dancers, families, rope-jumpers, HIIT trainers and more—in communities across Canada as we bring mental health into the open.

Are you in? Here’s what to do!

1. Register and choose your own adventure – pick the route, the activity and the goal that excites you.
2. Set your own goal for total minutes of activity in June 2021 (Pro tip – you can start on the road to that goal right away!)
3. Set up your personal Ride Don’t Hide page to track your activity and achievements.
4. Connect with others – create or join a team of family and friends, or maybe in your workplace. Use your fundraising dashboard to send emails, post to social media, and get others on board. At Ride Don’t Hide, #NoOneRidesAlone.
5. Download the Ride Don’t Hide mobile app to automatically track your activity, and to fundraise effortlessly from your phone!
6. Raise funds for mental health. $330 helps CMHA provide one more person the community mental health programs, services and support they need, when they need them.
7. Ride! Or run, walk, jump rope, do yoga, dance, climb stairs, lift weights, play tag with your kids…Move more, give back, feel better.