Bridge to Wellness

September: Workout partner could strengthen muscles and motivation

by Gary Hicks

Thanks for the great ideas on interesting workouts to do with household items from the August Fitness Challenge. I even heard some great suggestions from one of the guys during the Monday evening golf scramble at Waterloo Golf Course. It’s always a welcome thing to see people taking interest in their health and fitness.

The year is getting long, and some people might be losing the motivation they had at the beginning of the year. One way to rejuvenate that lust for fitness is to take on a workout partner. If you can find someone with similar goals, workout time availability, and/or taste in workout tunes, it could really spice up your motivational juices.

Not too long ago, I had the pleasure of working with a partner who I was very compatible with. I have since retired, so I work out alone again; however, I continue to talk to my workout partner every Tuesday. It keeps both of us on track because we are still accountable to each other even though we are not training together.

Remember, your partner doesn’t have to actually be present to train with you, and you don’t have to be at the same fitness levels. Even if they don’t work out with you, a fitness partner can be a person who is interested in your health (vice versa is also nice) and/or someone who is willing to discuss progress and struggles with staying fit.

Monthly Fitness Challenge for September

The Monthly Challenge will be to find a workout partner. Your partner could be someone to physically assist with exercise, a walking partner (person or animal), a Facebook friend, or anyone you can share your fitness experience with.

Share your experiences with other readers so we can learn from each other. Here’s the Facebook link: https://www.facebook.com/bridgetowellnesschallenge

Upcoming SAWC or wellness-related Community events

• Open Air Market of Stockbridge: Fridays, 4-7pm. Weekly markets on the Stockbridge Town Square, near the gazebo.
• Harvest Moon Festival, Friday & Saturday, 10 & 11 in Stockbridge.
• Monday, 13: Outreach’s Fresh Food Distribution for anyone who needs food—no registration required, just show up. Jeruel Baptist Church’s parking lot. 4-5pm. Curbside pick-up.
• Clean-up Club: Next gathering will be Saturday, 18, at 2pm, at the Beckwith Preserve parking lot on M-106 (heading east out of Stockbridge). All welcome! Bring gloves, pruning shears, weed whackers, rakes, and a water bottle—we’ll be cutting down autumn olive trees and dispatching other invasive species.
• Stockbridge Area Arts Council sponsoring a Fairy/Gnome house placement in Beckwith Preserve at 3pm on Saturday, 18, following the Clean-up Club event. Bring your own biodegradable house to place or make one on the spot. All ages. Free.
• Movies on the Stockbridge Town Square, 7pm: 17, “ET”; Oct. 31, “Hocus Pocus.”
• Stockbridge Community Outreach’s Free “Cooking with a Pro” class runs weekly for six weeks from Tuesday, 19 – Tuesday, Nov. 23. Call 517-851-7285 for more info and to register.  Instructor: Jackie Scheller. Underwritten by 5 Healthy Towns Foundation.
• Sunday, 24, Stockbridge Area Arts Council hosts local standout pianist Adam Knight for a free concert in the Township Hall, 3pm.

This column is sponsored by the Stockbridge Area Wellness Coalition. Remember, if you have health challenges that could hamper your ability to exercise, check with your doctor before taking on a new exercise regimen. Gary A. Hicks, a veteran police sergeant with a passion for fitness, writes the fitness portion. He has over 35 years of experience in teaching, coaching, martial arts instruction, and police academy instruction.