Miss SA Shudu Musida to host virtual run for mental health

Miss SA Shudufhadzo Musida is taking her mental health campaign a step further by hosting a virtual running event on Thursday to highlight wellness of the mind and raise funds for the SA Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag).

The event will be hosted on Strava, a social network for athletes, together with Discovery Vitality.

Discovery Vitality said it was supporting Musida’s initiatives because it was “deeply invested in improving mental wellbeing, particularly through physical activity”.

The collaboration came about after Vitality became aware of Miss SA’s Mindful Mondays initiative, which aims to create awareness of mental health.

“Mental health and wellbeing are causes that are extremely close to my heart, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when people are faced with losing loved ones and economic challenges,” Musida said.

Having recently launched a mental wellbeing component to the rewards programme, Vitality will donate R20,000 to Sadag in support.

According to Vitality, worldwide more than one-billion people are affected by mental or addictive disorders — about 16% of the population.

Vitality head of wellness Dr Mosima Mabunda said: “We know mental and physical health are connected.

“While living with a chronic condition increases the risk for developing poor mental health, the opposite is also true — poor mental health increases the risk for developing chronic conditions.

“For example, depression is associated with an 18% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.”

The public can join Miss SA by downloading Strava and creating a profile on the platform, join the Team Vitality running community (at no cost) and track their run.

“This is all for a great cause with the aim to inspire more people to ask for help when they’re feeling overwhelmed, anxious or depressed,” Musida said.

“I want people to know there are resources available, including those from Vitality’s online platform and the Vitality Sadag line, where they can get help, with the toll-free 24-hour helpline on 0800-01-02-03.” —  TimesLIVE