Fitness Tips from Fitness 2J2: Enjoying the North
- Joel Pedersen | October 15, 2016
Functional Fitness is about making useful exercise transferable to everyday life activity. It’s about improving your quality of life so you can physically participate in recreation and sport. We want to prepare you to enjoy life through the sport of fitness.
September finished off with a drive to LaLoche for a week of programming with the school and community. As many of you who travel to and from the north do often, 600km may not seem long, but for this guy it is. One of the things I like about the long drives is it provided me time to reflect on the different communities, the number of people I have had the privilege to meet and train with over the last few years in the North, and building fitness foundations with communities.
Between counting the telephone and power poles on the way, and knowing that someday the Northlands College Power-line students we have trained with over the past two years would be climbing those poles! So people from the North with pride can service our communities. I know we are making a difference for people in making healthy and positive lifestyle choices.
The first communities in the NorthWest I programmed in were: Green Lake; Beavaul; IlealaCrosse; and Pinehouse. As I pass through the Green Lake and Beauval, past IlealaCrosse turnoffs they are becoming more and more familiar. It is still a feeling of newness, a discovery for me of where our people in the North have always been. I am grateful for each experience, to connect with the lakes, rivers, forest and wildlife.
I enjoy history and knowing about our communities involvement in the development of Canada. It was our people that in the 1660’s assisted the European explorers in getting around the north. Our people joined the army in early conflicts in 1800’s and significant contributions during Boer War in South Africa; WW1; WW2; Korea; Peacekeeping; Afghanistan War. We are so fortunate that in the north, our communities have brought and are still bringing so many resources to our country and the world. Yet we still have so much untouched and incredible land that we get to explore.
So how do we enjoy our North? For me, it’s a physical one, a canoe or kayak. Hike or a run, snowshoe or ski. Enjoying the wind and the water speeding up the Churchill River just missing some rocks. Ski-doo into the unknown with an Elder through a whiteout on Reindeer Lake, and fishing at the spot that has been in his family for as log as the rivers have flown and the grass has grown. So functional fitness is about being able to actively enjoy all of this: it is a freedom that is yours if you choose.
Looking forward to traveling to Wollaston Lake this month, we are going to put on the first youth soccer skills camp, then remainder of the week programming at the school and with community, thanks to NSCRD, TransWest Air, and the RCMP detachment. Training with the Canadian Ranger Patrol and Junior Rangers.
In Treaty 6 area we are programming at St.Mary’s School in Pleasant Hill YXE, no cost Functional Fitness and Askiy Run Club. Looking forward to Whitecap Dakota First Nation continuing session’s of bootcamp this time at lunchtime.
Related: Fitness program preps grads to become instructors
Saskatoon Indian MetisFriendship Center and SaskPoly Tech have partnered to bring in 2J2 programming for the Indigenous Student Center. We are excited to provided for the students: PowWow-Fitness; Functional-Fitness; and self-defence for women. We encourage you to come out and give some of the programming a go! You will thank yourself when you’re done. It is open to all ages male and female, all levels of fitness and ability.
More from Fitness 2J2:
- Backpack training for strength and conditioning
- Rowing for fitness, strength, and endurance
- Lifting and leading
- Journey from cancer treatment to a healthy lifestyle
Fitness 2J2 is a socially responsible community based health and wellness company. Contributing to the success and vitality of our communities, promoting healthy and positive lifestyles for Indigenous people of all ages and abilities. STRONG HEALTHY PROUD