When you think about physical activity opportunities in Hudson Bay, Rita Robertson and Sherry Mitchener immediately come to mind.
Rita has been a fitness instructor since 1999 and Sherry, a former student of Rita’s, became an instructor in 2003. Initially, Rita and Sherry volunteered their time to run a women’s fitness program at the local school two nights per week. After working together for three years, they decided to team up and form their own company. They now lead numerous programs, including “Into It”, a Special Olympics fitness program and their physical activity bootcamp. Rita and Sherry actually dreamed up their bootcamp idea while they were cross-country skiing!
Both Rita and Sherry have always been passionate about physical activity. Not only do they have a personal passion for activity, but they also share a passion for inspiring others to get and keep moving. What drives Sherry and Rita to keep going is the response they get from their participants. One of the most rewarding parts of their job is when someone who has never set foot in a gym begins to believe that they really can run on a treadmill or lift weights.
Rita and Sherry both enjoy running and walking to get their daily physical activity, but most of all they just love to be active in the outdoors. They both acknowledge that in Saskatchewan the weather can definitely be a barrier, but they believe there is always a way to overcome it. Sherry and Rita encourage their participants to use a buddy system so they have someone to motivate them to keep moving.
Starting up a high school mentorship program is next on the list of things that Rita and Sherry want to do for their community. They hope to inspire inactive youth to move more and more often! If Rita and Sherry could share one message with parents of young children it would be “get moving and have fun!”