Over the last year, I've had the opportunity to be involved in an amazing project - the creation of a community-based recreation association. It's the brain-child of a dear friend whose dedication and belief in making fitness and movement available to everyone is unmatched.
It started out with a visit to a local facility that was closed by the province and then purchased by a local construction family. Their objective is to convert it into a community within a community and they're doing just that. It's called The Gallipeau Centre and with over 800,000 square feet of buildings on more than 350 acres, it's a sight to behold. A beautiful location just outside of town with mature trees and lots of greenspace. Included on the site was a pool, gymnasium and numerous classrooms all in one area of the facility (starts to sound like a cool rec facility no?) The catch? The facility had been closed for a few years and the pool out of commission.
Over the last year, we participated in the Aviva Community Fund in which we won $99,000.00 to refurbish the pool, got access to some grant funding and have enjoyed the generosity of members of the community who have donated their time, money and expertise. The result is a virtually brand new pool that will be opening in 3 weeks offering swimming lessons, public swimming, aquafit and the like.
The last year has involved significant time and effort from many of us; it has meant missed family dinners, time away from home at meetings or weekend events and festivals to tell people our story, countless hours working on a website, logo competitions, managing a facebook page and conducting interview. There are days I've been exhausted and didn't even want to think about it.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of spending the day signing kids up for swimming lessons, adults for aquafit memberships and families for swim memberships. It was one of the best days I've had all year. It reminds me how important this is for the residents of our community and the surrounding communities who don't have access to this kind of facility today. But they will. In 3 weeks. And that makes me exceedingly happy.
This has occupied countless hours of my time outside of my day job and teaching. Now multiply that by about 10 - volunteers who run a regular Tuesday night BBQ to fundraise, board members scraping, patching and readying change rooms for paint, doing all the media interviews, working with contractors and the list goes on. All of it done by volunteers.
If you want to learn more about us, check us out - we're called The Hub and our members affectionately known as Hubsters.
From this Hubster to everyone who has supported and continues to support us - thank you. Without volunteers, this never would have happened.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Saturday, August 10, 2013
yay for vacation time!
Ah, just settling back in after a few days out of town. Took a week off and headed to New York City for a few days. It was my parents first visit to the Big Apple. I think they liked it!
Vacation time is something to be treasured. Not just because it's "vacation" but moreso because it gives a chance to take time away from work to spend time with family and decompress. It's well documented that a great deal of vacation time goes unused. In some cases, vacation time is taken but people work anyways, answering emails and phone calls. The impact? We start to feel stressed and overwhelmed because we never have a break. That can lead to illness, feeling unhappy - none of it good.
Does this mean that work is bad? NO! Work can be enjoyable, productive, enriching and offer an opportunity to contribute meaningfully. BUT, we can do all of those things more effectively and efficiently when we've had time away. We also tend to enjoy work more when we've had some time away. Time away gives us perspective, time to look at things differently, maybe even find a creative way of solving that problem that's been nagging at you! The absence of time away can lead to increased stress, frustration, lack of creativity and worst of all - the potential to no longer enjoy the work that we do.
Vacations don't have to be lavish, expensive jaunts around the countryside or world. They can be at home, with little day trips here and there to explore a local countryside, doing a project around the house that you've wanted to, or just sitting and reading the books that we haven't gotten to. Vacation time is whatever you choose it to be.
So use those vacation days and enjoy your time off! Put down the blackberry, turn it off, leave it behind. It's good for your health and your happiness.
Vacation time is something to be treasured. Not just because it's "vacation" but moreso because it gives a chance to take time away from work to spend time with family and decompress. It's well documented that a great deal of vacation time goes unused. In some cases, vacation time is taken but people work anyways, answering emails and phone calls. The impact? We start to feel stressed and overwhelmed because we never have a break. That can lead to illness, feeling unhappy - none of it good.
Does this mean that work is bad? NO! Work can be enjoyable, productive, enriching and offer an opportunity to contribute meaningfully. BUT, we can do all of those things more effectively and efficiently when we've had time away. We also tend to enjoy work more when we've had some time away. Time away gives us perspective, time to look at things differently, maybe even find a creative way of solving that problem that's been nagging at you! The absence of time away can lead to increased stress, frustration, lack of creativity and worst of all - the potential to no longer enjoy the work that we do.
Vacations don't have to be lavish, expensive jaunts around the countryside or world. They can be at home, with little day trips here and there to explore a local countryside, doing a project around the house that you've wanted to, or just sitting and reading the books that we haven't gotten to. Vacation time is whatever you choose it to be.
So use those vacation days and enjoy your time off! Put down the blackberry, turn it off, leave it behind. It's good for your health and your happiness.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
when did pant size become a marker of health?
By today's standard, the 21 year old college me would be viewed as healthy. PFFT!!! Not so much. My diet consisted of ramen noodles (a lot of them), chocolate croissants from a pastry shop at the school, pizza, burgers and oh yeah, hot dogs from the street cart after a night at the bar (read: beer and cocktails) with girlfriends. I worked out maybe 5 times a year. But I wore a size 5, so all good right?!
Like it or not, that's the message women and girls are bombarded with today - size matters. Size 10 is generally considered large and the insinuation is that = unhealthy. (It would seem I am doomed).
When did this happen? I honestly don't remember it. When was it that pant size became an indicator of how healthy a person is? And why the hell is it seemingly acceptable to judge people on that basis? Slim = healthy and fit. Size 10+ = not healthy, not fit.
I am not skinny; I likely never will be again (I was 20 for God's sake). Am I strong? Yep. Have a lot of muscle? Yep. Do I eat well? Yep. Exercise regularly? Yep. High blood pressure? No. High blood sugar? No. Heart disease? No again.
But I'm in the large category. Pity the size 16. And bigger than that? Well, you're just a lost cause.
Pay attention - that's the message women and girls are getting. You are a lost cause and you don't belong. There's a reason people with weight concerns steer clear of gyms, studios or go for walks at night when it's dark. Because they hear and society tells them you are a lost cause and you don't belong. They hear it and see it in the looks they get; in the remarks made quietly when you think they can't hear you; when they can't buy a simple pair of workout pants because they aren't available in plus sizes; when you sneer at their food choices (an occasional ice cream treat doesn't get a 2nd glance if you're slim, but God help you if you're overweight, even if the rest of your week is spent eating kale and drinking lemon water). In a million little ways, the same message gets conveyed over and over again.
So let's stop. Please stop. Change the message and stop judging. It starts with each of us. Don't judge. Don't assume. Be helpful. Be compassionate. Be kind.
I will never forget the story of a friend. A family medical emergency was her wake-up call. At the time, she weighed almost 250 pounds - at just over 5 feet tall, she was obese. She decided it was time to get healthy. She bought a gym membership. She showed up, got on the treadmill and someone laughed at her. She cried. She didn't know how the machine worked. Someone else took the opportunity to talk to her, to help her and offer her support. It was thanks only to the person who helped her that she stayed. She still wanted to run out of there every day. But she stayed. And she changed her life.
That's what each of us can do. We can help change someone's life.
Like it or not, that's the message women and girls are bombarded with today - size matters. Size 10 is generally considered large and the insinuation is that = unhealthy. (It would seem I am doomed).
When did this happen? I honestly don't remember it. When was it that pant size became an indicator of how healthy a person is? And why the hell is it seemingly acceptable to judge people on that basis? Slim = healthy and fit. Size 10+ = not healthy, not fit.
I am not skinny; I likely never will be again (I was 20 for God's sake). Am I strong? Yep. Have a lot of muscle? Yep. Do I eat well? Yep. Exercise regularly? Yep. High blood pressure? No. High blood sugar? No. Heart disease? No again.
But I'm in the large category. Pity the size 16. And bigger than that? Well, you're just a lost cause.
Pay attention - that's the message women and girls are getting. You are a lost cause and you don't belong. There's a reason people with weight concerns steer clear of gyms, studios or go for walks at night when it's dark. Because they hear and society tells them you are a lost cause and you don't belong. They hear it and see it in the looks they get; in the remarks made quietly when you think they can't hear you; when they can't buy a simple pair of workout pants because they aren't available in plus sizes; when you sneer at their food choices (an occasional ice cream treat doesn't get a 2nd glance if you're slim, but God help you if you're overweight, even if the rest of your week is spent eating kale and drinking lemon water). In a million little ways, the same message gets conveyed over and over again.
So let's stop. Please stop. Change the message and stop judging. It starts with each of us. Don't judge. Don't assume. Be helpful. Be compassionate. Be kind.
I will never forget the story of a friend. A family medical emergency was her wake-up call. At the time, she weighed almost 250 pounds - at just over 5 feet tall, she was obese. She decided it was time to get healthy. She bought a gym membership. She showed up, got on the treadmill and someone laughed at her. She cried. She didn't know how the machine worked. Someone else took the opportunity to talk to her, to help her and offer her support. It was thanks only to the person who helped her that she stayed. She still wanted to run out of there every day. But she stayed. And she changed her life.
That's what each of us can do. We can help change someone's life.
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