Free Fitness Movement. All you need to do is show up!
Another morning in January, but different than yesterday, and different than last Wednesday. Today we ventured to the Rideau River Adàwe Crossing for 30 minutes of movement. New Wednesday, new bridge, new workout, new people! We bounced, we worked on our ability to not dominate the entire bridge for the commuters and we moved.
This title has nothing to do with the workout and everything to do with the “bounce” we did to start the morning off. We sang and played a game you may or may not have played since Junior kindergarten. Just a reminder not to take ourselves so seriously. Some how those mornings bring that kind of spirit out in us, even if weird, you know nobody is judging you for singing and laughing and enjoying the childish entertainment. We played on a bridge, ran around, worked with a team and moved our incredible bodies.
It was another Wednesday morning, another morning at November Project. It could have been just the same as every other morning. But somehow it was more than that. Starting our day, the decade, 2020, with human connection. There may be some exceptions, but everyone I spoke to had rang in the new year just 6.5 hours prior, wherever New Years Eve plans took each person. If that is the case, likelihood is, those individuals didn’t go to sleep at 12:01. And likelihood is, nobody woke back up at 6:28 to make it in time to meet at the spider at 6:29. In and around the 3-4 hour timeframe of sleep is likely what most people got who showed up this morning.
Ah the sweet sound of a bounce dedicated to PR DAY. Ah why yes that was this morning. As the holidays begin to approach like black flies while camping deep in the woods we have some suggestions to make these times that much more memorable.
First of all, put down the Deet as you are not camping and it’s minus 5 out there. We live in Ottawa so one needs to make sure you dress appropriately for all outdoor winter activities. Outdoor winter activities you say, eh? Here are a couple we can suggest off hand:
Morning. It is well past 7am by now and your fingers have surely defrosted. We were back on the lawn of the Supreme Court of Canada. High fives and hugs (mittens connecting) were being dished out in the transition area as we heard movements and reps being shared. When you reflect back on mornings like today, you can use them as a conversation starter, a pick me up or a refresher of how fortunate enough we are to workout in the greatest city of them all. How lucky are we to make the most of these shortest days of the year, by starting early and dark being surrounded by such wonderful souls? To have that extra reason to peel yourself out of bed to make those mornings brighter with some HIPS IN HUGS! (This was reviewed today, in case you missed it- hips in, eye contact, embrace. It’s important to keep the standards high and hold each other accountable. We can get lax on the quality of those hugs if we’re not careful).
This mornings workout was comprised of 3 moving parts. The first, being a run down to the gate and back up the hill. The second, a burpee step up with a clap over the head and the third, a Toulouse side swivel. The intention of this workout like all other Wednesday mornings was to have members of various teams connect with one another. Whether that was by handing out some high fives along your way down to the gate, chatting as you took over the burpee step up or having a laugh with your teammate as they did their very best side swivel. You had the opportunity to push yourself and those surrounding you harder. The workouts are designed so YOU can challenge yourself in any capacity and yes we design them with the intention that you will probably run faster if you know someone has to complete copious attempted, amounts of side swivels or burpee step up and claps over the head. I’m not too sure about you, but I know that I ran faster today up that hill knowing that one of my teammates was just swivelling from left to right waiting for me to relieve them. Holding your teammates accountable by accumulating burpees as you go, collectively allows you to push just a little bit harder. If your team is at 80, are you going to meander through 14 burpees, or are you really going to push to finish 100 before you run down the hill? It’s the little things, done over and over, that make us better.
Hi friends! Lots of recognition this morning. Birthday booms, PR chains, fastest male and female, positivity award. We do have a hard time explaining what this thing actually is, this November Project “thing”. Yes we run, yes we move, yes we do some body weight movements. But how to you explain this bounce thing, the feeling you get when you smile as soon as you see people walking up to the centennial flame, when you overcome the fear that comes from showing up to something new where you don’t know anyone, where you overcome uncertainty. How do you explain when you see people noticing how hard you are working, or how much you are improving. How do you explain the feeling of truly being part of something? Of being part of a community that gathers so gosh darn early and dark in the morning? It’s something special and something you can only experience when facing that fear or discomfort of showing up for the first time, or battling that feeling of showing up again instead of staying in bed. So we understand when you are telling people about it, it’s difficult to explain. They may have to experience it for themselves. Bring them along next week, we are at Parliament Hill. (Podcast below in announcements for more exploration on what this thing is with NP co-founder Brogan Graham).
Like so many Wednesdays long ago we found ourselves watching human after human make their way towards the Centennial Flame once again. The closer they approached the more you began to crack a smile, maybe opened-up your arms for a warm embrace or held out a hand to be high-fived. To the new faces amongst the group that was one way to kick off an introduction to November Project.
Do you ever question how you’ve become part of such a large, exuberant, extended family from time to time? Well let us introduce Danielle, she has questioned it herself maybe not just once but numerous times over the past two years. If you have yet to meet Danielle she is a generous friend who listens, takes time to digest what you’ve shared with her and will whole heartedly speaks the honest truth back at you. This environmentally friendly, biker gang member has seen her relationship with NP grow and has some words to share. We thank you, Danielle for continuing to show up, be present and encourage others to step outside of their comfort zone. It’s about time you meet Danielle.
PR Day- back at our winter home. This transition is one that brings us back to downtown, back to Parliament hill to start off the bounce. We are fresh from the stadium stairs for the winter, mornings are getting colder and darker in this dark season, and we know we have an opportunity to maximize the space this city has to offer. One of the ways we do this is to head back to the locks by the canal and Ottawa River. It’s a TOUGH hill and stairs to climb up and down. as. many. times. as. you. can. It’s TOUGH. One of the things that makes for a great workout is where you think after- I would never do this by myself. And would you? Would you ever climb/run/walk/sprint/ up and down this hill for 25min and 1s? would you ever wake up at whatever hour gets you to the centennial flame by 6:29 and then run over to the hill to tackle this by yourself all through the winter? Please come tell us if this is part of your regular routine. This would not be something I would do by myself but I sure find myself smiling more, pushing harder, time flying faster and encouraging other people around me way more than alone. And that’s maybe why we show up. Seeing people pushing each other along, and making sure nobody is walking or running alone is the best thing to see.