Fitness for the Social Soul
Becoming a parent changed everything for me in ways I didn’t see coming. You quickly realize that it’s not about you anymore. Your life shifts from “what do I want to do?” to ” what does my family need?.” Those lazy mornings are long done, but in their place is a life that is 100 % focused on raising my family.
I remember very vividly one fall afternoon, exhausted and disheveled desperately waiting for my husband to come home from work so that I could take a break from our three young children (who were all under 20 months of age at the time). It was from that moment that I knew I needed more than just a nap, I needed to find myself again.
I had always been curious about running but I had never been very athletic growing up, let alone a runner. But I knew that I was at a point in my life where I needed something for just me, though the feeling of guilt for taking time for myself was constant. This was the start of my group fitness journey with Frontrunner’s running clinics https://frontrunners.ca/.
Frontrunners Half Marathon Clinic, Winter 2020
Building connection through fitness is a very important topic for me because I have experienced first hand the mental health benefits of sweating, struggling, and succeeding alongside strangers who turned into life-long friends. The bonds that I have formed with other runners are like any other friendships I have had. These life-changing experiences are what led me to choose this topic.
My initial goals for my inquiry project are to weekly document my time spent with Frontrunner’s half marathon clinic and at Oxygen Fitness studio https://oxygenyogaandfitness.com/langford-location/ where I train several times a week. My plan is to connect with others and learn firsthand how being part of a fitness group has supported their personal journeys.
It is with this inquiry project that I want to show that the vulnerabilty of speaking about mental health is seen as a strength, and that building connection through fitness can be healing.