Last weekend I was able to take part in something extraordinary. The second annual Christmas Santa Shuffle as a part of the campaign “WE MOVE THIS TOWN,” founded by Matt MacDonald. It was the perfect way to get outside, get some exercise, and meet new people.
If you have not heard of “WE MOVE THIS TOWN” yet, consider yourself out of the loop. This is a campaign rooted by Matt MacDonald of Antigonish, NS, whereby individuals of the community come out once per week to celebrate movement by moving together. It is a simple concept; an innate desire to move in a social setting. The movement has grown from its original numbers of about eight participants to last weekend having over fifty individuals walking/jogging/running at St. Francis Xavier University on the outside track.
During the Santa Shuffle last Sunday afternoon, I was able to chat with fellow students about their fitness goals, academic goals and get to know more about them as individuals. I met one new gentleman from Calgary, AB. We chatted and talked about jobs, careers, funny stories, etc., and before we knew it, ten laps were on the board and 4km was in the bank both physically and emotionally. In total, all the participants MOVED over 218 KMS!
Now, it is obvious why I am writing this blog about “WE MOVE THIS TOWN”. It is a phrase which when condensed means “Wellness”. Social, emotional, spiritual (arguable.), physical and intellectual dimensions of wellness were all things I was investing in by taking part in this MOVEMENT. I honestly cannot think of anything else one could do this time of year which celebrates all of these dimensions of wellness with such simple movement. Just maybe this campaign could stretch all across the world as well with the correct resources and individuals involved. It takes a four year human kinetics degree and condenses it into one hour of your life each week. It reminds you of the active friendships within your local Community which you can invest emotional and social cash into each week. I encourage you all to take a look at the website www.wemovethistown.com to discover more about this movement and how you can get a t-shirt and be actively involved in your local community! Also be sure to join and like the Facebook page and finally...like the back of the T-shirt says, “tell two people, who tell two more people.”
Ryan Fahey
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