There is a right way and a wrong way to do fitness

 

The majority of my fellow bloggers went to AHS in Berkeley, California the weekend of August 7. A big part of my heart desperately wanted to, too. Berkeley is one of my favorite places in the world, and that weekend it was filled with some of my favorite people in the world. Nonetheless I chose to expand my horizons differently this August weekend.

Instead of  flying across the country to AHS, I drove a few hundred miles up the Atlantic coast to Auburn, Maine. There’s not a whole lot up there in the middle of Maine – aside from rivers and trout and good people and grass and serenity – but what is there, is astounding.

I am talking about Wolfpack Fitness. You may have heard me singing Wolfpack’s praises on Facebook before. This past weekend, however, was my first opportunity to actually see what this awesome community of women, men, and children has going on in real life.

August 7-9 marked Wolfpack’s second annual Strong is Beautiful celebration.

At Sib2 I got to witness, finally, a real life gym that does fitness right.

 

 

Here is what I got to witness while I was there:

-Scalable workouts that are possible for anyone of any skill level.

-Short bursts of high intensity exercise that never leaves anyone over-drained.

-1-3 intense workouts a week, and no more.

-Workouts that focus on abilities rather than on numbers on a scale.

There are no tens, twenties, or fifties at Wolfpack Fitness. There are, instead, cinderblocks, iron chains, buckets full of bricks, and tractor tires. There are no treadmills, but instead bear crawls. The Wolfpack leader, extraordinary energizer bunny Luke Robinson, celebrates being fit enough to keep up with toddlers, push a stalled car, or help friends move from one side of town to the other.

-A focus on strength rather than appearance

All body types are welcome and celebrated at wolfpack fitness. No one applauds anyones physique, nor denigrates anyone’s rolls.

-Community support

Members of Wolfpack fitness – at least so far as I can tell! – do not compete or try to tear each other down. They cheer for each other, chant each other’s names, and hug each other out of exultation and pride.

-Family

Members of Wolfpack fitness treat each other like their own.

-Fun Workouts are accompanied by fun outfits, pop music, and – admittedly bad, but appreciated nonetheless – jokes by leader Luke.

-Seriousness about health.

People at Wolfpack fitness focus on health first and foremost. While so much of what they do is about having fun, it is fun focused on healing the body and the spirit. This community is 100 % about empowerment. Nothing like a number on a scale.

-Community involvement and outreach

Wolfpack fitness won Robb Wolf’s farm-to-gym challenge for good reason. They are loyal customers of and advocates for Nezinscot farm, an organic farm with grass-fed, pasture-raised cattle, pigs, goats, and poultry. (If you’re in Maine, a visit to Nezinscot farm is a must!)

-Sustainability

Wolfpack fitness runs it’s own garden, completely directed and sustained by its members.

-Inclusivity

All with a positive attitude are welcome as one of their own at Wolfpack fitness – an incredible feeling I can personally attest to.

 

At Wolfpack fitness, there was no:

-Body shaming

-Food shaming

-Putting each other down

-Injury-prone exercising

-Obsessive fitness mentality

-Competition

-Hopelessness

-Calorie counting

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Before I drove up to Auburn, I suspected the Shevoles of Wolfpack fitness would show me that all the good fitness stuff I’ve always dreamed of is possible. Boy, oh boy did they ever deliver. I am so glad I went, even though it meant I had to miss AHS. And while I have moved work outs out of my own life to help me minimize body image issues, the Wolfpack had me charmed. I knew that if I lived in Auburn, my life would be enriched by joining, no questions asked. I wouldn’t be drawn into body image issues. I’d be held as a member of loving community.

So at the very least, I returned home with a warm, grateful feeling in my heart.

Wolfpack is a community focused on strength — which includes physical, mental and spiritual strength — that delights in each other’s spirits and capabilities of their physical bodies. This is how fitness should be done. If you are a fitness instructor, junkie, or participant, read through this list again. Check out Wolfpack’s Facebook page. Maybe you’ll be inspired them. I sure as hell was.