Despite Will Farrell, Christopher Walken, and Saturday Night Live making cowbells more famous than we could ever hope to be, we love to bring out the cowbell from time to time, to make a little ruckus in the stadium. Today’s shenanigans were #firedrills, during which everyone did a set of something other than climbing stairs. One set was 10 pushups, alternating with 10 squats.
Now, if you’ve never seen hundreds of human beings moving together, like we do in community on Wednesday mornings every week in the stadium, I say it’s worth showing up just to see that amazing organic thing that is collective movement by a large group. And if you’ve never seen that same group all go to the ground to do pushups, or all turn and drop their booties to the seat behind them and stand up forcefully, well, you’re missing out.
To the individual, it might only seem like you’re interrupting stairs, which are hard enough, to do something else that feels really hard to do right in that moment, and then try to continue back to stairs, which is harder now. But the collective is something else. Today I stood taking photographs of the group–which is common–but the experience of watching the entire group go from moving up and down the stairs, to moving differently, yet in unison, was awe-some. So freaking cool–impossible to capture fully on camera–and quite like something you’d see in nature. If you’ve ever watched a school of fish swim, or a flock of birds fly through the air, and to see how seemingly impossibly they navigate the space together, adjust movements, change direction, and still stay together…that’s kind of what it’s like to see the fitness community we’ve got move together like that.
Now, nature doesn’t seem to have a giant cowbell that clangs to signal the birds to shift their formation, to swoop right or left, to take-off or to land. We do. It’s fun and silly, even a little obnoxious if you happen to be standing too close to me when I ring it. But it gives us this great moment to swoop together, to rise and fall together, to adapt, adjust course, and still stay in that amazing formation of community.
Naturally I love it when everyone gets a great workout–and the cowbell certainly assists in that happening. But I also love it, regardless of whether I’m working out during the 5:30 group or shooting photos during the 6:30 group, I love it when someone locks eyes with me and almost whispers so no one else around them can hear, “I think we need…more cowbell.”
We do need more cowbell. We need more silliness and ridiculous, fun reasons to move our bodies in powerful, purposeful ways. We need more community, more fitness, more freedom to explore the space as individuals and as a flock of birds, school of fish, swarm of bees, or whatever we want to be. More cowbell usually means it’s just better.
Keep showing up and we’ll keep giving’ you more of that cowbell.
announcements
FRIDAY 2/14 at 5am is our February WOahMAN of the winter series–just because we love you, we’re doing it on Valentine’s Day and even if it’s cold, dress warmly and in layers, and we’ll all be okay! Definitely bring a whole set of warm, dry clothes (underwear, socks and shoes too!) so you can change when you finish WOahMAN. Read any additional info you need HERE, and please message me (EMILY SAUL) if you have any questions. REGULAR HILLS will still be happening at 6:30am!!!
MONDAY 2/17 at 6:30am our workout will be at the Workout Station on the Esplanade. Frost Fit with the Esplanade Association is showing up too, to support free fitness during the frosty months, so #justshowup! Location HERE.
BUFFS are still here…if you ordered buffs and have not yet picked them up, please come get them. Just show up to any workout and you can get yours!
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