Saskatoon woman wants to walk 1M steps to fundraise for mental health, Meewasin Trail

Frances Sreedhar is a woman on a mission. For almost a year she's been walking every single day on Saskatoon's Meewasin Trail and now she's fundraising for an important milestone. 

Sreedhar is going to reach a million steps on the trail by the end of March. To celebrate, Sreedhar is fundraising for two organizations she said could use the help right now: The Canadian Mental Health Association Saskatoon and Meewasin Valley Authority. 

"There's so many people who are struggling and in crisis and need help and Canadian Mental Health Association, the Saskatoon branch, they have great programs and services. They're underfunded, Meewasin is underfunded," she said. 

"This idea came into my mind of 'This is something I can do," Sreedhar said. "Maybe I can have an impact. Maybe we can all join together and start raising money so that these programs and services will keep going."

Sreedhar, who is a mental health worker, wants to raise $10,000 for the two organizations. 

When the COVID-19 pandemic came to Saskatchewan, Sreedhar said it was very stressful and there was a lot of anxiety around the pandemic's impact and the incoming changes. 

"I recognized really quickly that I needed one thing a day that would just help me to decompress," she said. "I needed to sort of stabilize and start to feel like I had some control and I needed that mental break."

Sreedhar had always been an avid walker and enjoyed the trails so she started walking daily, she said. In the beginning, Sreedhar said it took everything in her to force herself out the door, but it became more than simply taking steps. 

"I realized probably by the summer that walking was this great regulator of stress and anxiety for me as we were moving through the pandemic." 

Sreedhar decided to continue walking and aimed to continue an average of 3,000 steps a day. The numbers quickly started adding up and she continued even as the weather got colder by bundling up. 

It takes about five to 10 minutes for her to reach a rhythm, she said. She starts to notice which birds are flying around, the sound of the ice crackling on the river, the sounds of the snow. 

"It really becomes a mind-body experience for me, and I use all of my senses," Sreedhar said. "It becomes an exercise in mindfulness and usually by the end, I feel more regulated. I feel more present."

As well, simply passing other people on the trail, seeing and petting their dogs helped with the feelings of isolation, she said. During the winter, it was becoming challenging and Sreedhar needed a goal. She decided to start fundraising. 

"Every donation that gets made — small or medium-sized, if it's large — every little bit helps," she said. "This is my way to give back." 

As of Saturday, Sreedhar was at 927,000 steps on the Meewasin trails. She said she's on track for her goals and encourages others to track their exercise or activities too, gather donations or pledges and support the organizations as well. 

People hoping to donate to the initiative can go to the Meewasin Valley Authority site, under the donation page.