BYU Move is helping BYU students strengthen their bodies, minds, and sense of belonging. Twice a week, students gather for a free 50-minute movement session that blends rotating fitness modules with gospel-centered discussions. Initially created as an internship experience for exercise science students, the program has quickly expanded its purpose to help participants build healthy habits that will benefit them throughout life and foster meaningful connections across campus.
Exercise sciences professors Mandy Christensen and Allen Parcell crafted the program to assist students in discovering approachable and sustainable ways to stay active, focusing on exercises that can be done anywhere and without equipment. Christensen explains that one of their goals is to “show students that you can exercise wherever you are.” Parcell adds that they hope to broaden students’ understanding of movement so they can continue staying active long after they graduate.
Parcell hopes these habits will also enhance students’ academic experience by easing stress and improving focus. To gauge the program’s impact, participants complete a brief survey after each session, rating how they felt before and after. Early responses show consistent boosts in mood and overall well-being, with students sharing that after these sessions, they felt more energized and at peace.
Looking ahead, Parcell hopes the program will continue to grow and reach more students across campus. Christensen envisions BYU Move becoming a valuable resource for incoming first-year students, helping them begin their university experience with confidence and healthy habits. She also sees room for greater involvement from exercise sciences students. “We want to provide our own students with experiential learning opportunities,” she explains, “that help them serve other students on campus.”
Parcell affirms that BYU Move is all about students serving one another. He has enjoyed watching students enter the program as strangers and, by the end of the semester, show up to support one another at their activities. Through building connections, participants work to establish an environment of trust and belonging. Parcell notes that service reminds us we are all children of God: “It softens the heart and helps the spirit grow; serving is an antidote and a treatment for a lot of things.”
He invites students who feel overwhelmed to look outward and find ways to serve and uplift others. “When we step outside ourselves and really see other people, it opens conduits between us and heaven,” he says. “It helps us feel the Holy Ghost and recognize our own potential.” Parcell adds that while service doesn’t erase life’s challenges, following the Savior’s example can bring peace and support.
BYU Move promotes wellness in every aspect of life. Christensen emphasizes the connection between physical and spiritual health. “To thrive as a human being, you've got to hit all the components of who you are—mind, body, spirit,” she shares. This holistic emphasis reinforces the idea that wellness is more than physical activity and helps students see movement as part of their spiritual growth.
Grounded in this vision, BYU Move is dedicated to fostering belonging and helping students build lifelong wellness habits. Students can learn more or get involved by visiting the BYU Move website.