Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
Like our twin in Oakland, today is our pledgeversary in Providence (Happy birthday Oakland!)
On January 10, 2018, two Wednesday workouts took place. A 5:27, we had a total of 3 people. All of them are still with us (we love you Katie, Brett, and Adam). At 6:27am, we had 8, of which five still greet us with hugs and smiles every Wednesday (we love you Darran, Meghan, John, Kim, and Lauren).
Last week, we asked our tribe to help us write this blog. We gave them two questions to answer. They could be anonymous or sign their name to it – whatever they wanted.
The two questions:
1) What was the best part of your 2018?
2) What are your resolutions and/or goals for 2019?
We had so many answers. And they are all amazing, inspirational, funny, and gave us some incredible insights into our tribe. It gives us the ability to know one another more thoroughly. And it gives us the chance to know not only what people’s goals are, but also to help them on their path to achieving them.
Getting out of bed in winter can sometimes be a challenge. Usually it’s because of snow and ice and the bitter cold. Today though, it was the rain.
So as I was driving to Prospect Terrace Park, I got to thinking about what weatherproof really means. About how rainy days, and cold, and snow and ice affect our desires to be places. About how much easier it is to turn inwards, snuggle with a loved one, a pillow, or your adorable cat Millie.
‘Twas the night before NP, when all through my apartment,
my phone beeps with text messages, “make sure your alarm’s set.”
My man tights and mittens draped over a chair,
just high enough to avoid the cat hair.
The tribe was most likely at home fast asleep,
dreaming of what Wednesday morning would be.
Holly in Knockarounds, and I in North Face; Debating the merits of running some race
Then I turned on the news and saw such commotion, Kendama in hand, at 7-11, was Brogan.
We have been trying to bring the holidays into our workouts this season. Last week, we took on some fitness dreidel action, pairing stairs with the luck of the spin, and the opportunity for some burpees if it all went wrong.
This week, we were visited by three ghosts – past, present and future, with the tolling of the bell, while undertaking some “reindeer games” of plank tap/mountain climbers, and V-Ups, because reindeer have the sickest abs of all magical flying creatures probably.
The Ghost of Christmas Past visited us with the sole chiming of a bell – super spooky, right? Totally. To visit the past, we took a stroll down memory lane – specifically, a dirt path making its way through the lawn of the State House.
One of the reasons I love Thanksgiving so much is it gives us a chance to reflect on the things in our lives that make us who we are. It lets us revisit those things without which we could not continue to thrive. It lets us take an assessment of where we are as humans, even when things are going horribly wrong, then look at things and think “Wow, I’m so grateful for that.”
So that’s the question we posed today during our bounce – what are you thankful for? One another, for NP, for friends, loved ones, dinner, airplanes…myriad reasons give us the opportunity to express our gratitude, and take a look at our lives, where we are, and where we are going.
Thanksgiving gives us that chance to “go home again,” and be a part of the lives maybe we have grown from, but have established us as the humans we are.
And it gives us the chance to give back.
Today, we asked our tribe to bring a canned good with them for the workout. We brought a small(ish) bucket to carry them to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
What happened instead was people started to show up with one BAG of cans. A case of soup. Jars and jars of peanut butter, apple sauce, vegetables, fruits, and a whole assortment of things. Suffice it to say, my car is beyond full. Each and every one of you answered the call to give back. To help bring something to help out someone else this holiday. And we couldn’t be more proud.
We have joined up with our friend Sasha Watson of Ritual Sweat Society (Thayer St, Providence) to help support The Women’s Center and the Commonwealth Mental Health Services this holiday season. Our goal is to help out women and children in our area who are in need, or have special circumstances and need our help.
The cold weather…it’s almost here. Which is kind of great, if you think about it. Last January, we started our Pledge tribe in the heart of the coldest cold I can recall (but let’s be honest, I can’t remember much these days).
But a lot of our tribe hasn’t yet gotten the opportunity to see what it’s like to work through winter. But soon enough, we’re going to get the opportunity to enjoy all that New England has to offer (Plus, it’s kind of rad to tell your co-workers about how you crushed stairs early o’clock in the chilly days of November – you look badass and probably get promoted more.)
We believe barriers to fitness shouldn't exist, one of the reasons we are a free fitness group (no money in, no money out) and our members don't pay any fees. Because of this, we need your help.
The forecasts for this week called for rain, and rain was had. In fact, “rain” doesn’t describe the amount of precipitation that took place. Deluge seems a bit more accurate, because things got floody.
It was the type of day where you wake up, see the weather, and think “I’ll stay home.” Which was a terrible choice, frankly. Because the rain made it SO. MUCH. FUN.