(Source: Beverly Childress)

As something of a rabid capitalist, I find myself with conflicting feelings when it comes to the realities of the fitness industry. Make no mistake, fitness is big business. There are real dollars to be made, products and services to be sold, and strategies that can turn the right idea into an empire.

Like any industry, there are charlatans and geniuses, conmen and gurus. There are those who labor tirelessly in the pursuit of their craft, freely sharing their demonstrable expertise, and make very little money doing it. There are also more than a few who know next to nothing, but market very well, and so make a killing while improving almost no one.

In short, the fitness industry is nothing like a meritocracy. Very often, the cream is not allowed to rise to the top, for the simple reason that many of the best minds in the industry are motivated more by altruism than money.

High financial barriers to entry combine with the laughably low value most Americans place on their health to force the vast majority of fitness professionals into a voluntary vow of poverty if they wish to ply their trade.

So it is that I am of two minds. It isn’t right for anybody that so many gyms, studios, competitions, and races have to rely on people working for pennies (or less) to perform critical functions.

On the other hand, present economics being what they are, many of these places that I know and love simply vanish, in the absence of all that altruistic, drastically undercompensated work.

The way we fix this broken system starts, as with most things, by changing minds. A larger segment of the population has to become convinced that taking care of their bodies should occupy a higher line item on the budget than, say, a daily $7 cup of sugar from a coffee chain that, curiously, contains no coffee.

Unfortunately, I don’t know exactly how we’ll crack that nut. If I did, I’d be off doing it and making millions of dollars, instead of penning an article that will try to convince you to do a little work for no dollars. But that last part is exactly what I’m going to do.

What Do You Owe to Your Sport?

As a late-blooming athlete, I have a somewhat unusual perspective on my athletic pursuits. There is such a sharp difference between what my life looked like eight years ago and what I am today that I feel it is a moral obligation to share what I have been given with those who may not yet understand it.

In fact, my first forays into coaching amounted to my exuberance overflowing onto a couple of my unsuspecting friends, one of whom was my wife (the most wonderful woman in the world). Fortunately for our marriage, she survived my early efforts at coaching.

Mountain bike racing was my gateway drug, all those years ago. The organizers of a local race series befriended me, got me solidly hooked, and unintentionally helped change my life.

That’s no exaggeration: when I bought my first mountain bike, I was carrying 50lbs of extra fat, smoking a pack a day, and getting winded walking up stairs. Four years later, I was crossing the finish line at a 100-mile mountain bike race.

With everything this sport has given me, how could I say no when they needed something back? The same local race series that got me started was suddenly in need of a race director, and I jumped in with both feet.

Tonight is the first of our eight-race season, which means I have been pulling my hair out since January, going to meetings, recruiting sponsors and volunteers, checking trails, testing new timing equipment, and promoting our events.

The series benefits the local IMBA chapter, which means nobody makes a dime, least of all me.

Your Sport Needs Your Help

In a perfect world, I’d get paid for all the hours I pour into making this race series a reality.

So would the dozen or so people who turn up with smiles on their faces to help mark the course, run registration, and take care of the hundreds of odds and ends that make our little race series the most fun you can legally have on a Wednesday night.

But those economic realities I spoke of earlier mean that the best we can hope to do is take care of our costs and scratch out a few hundred dollars here and there to pour back into local trail work and expansion of future riding opportunities.

These circumstances hold true across the vast majority of small-time athletics. It’s not lip service to say that your hometown marathon (even if your hometown is Boston) would never happen without the hundreds of volunteers working the expo, the water stops, the medical tent, and the post-race beer garden.

All those judges at your local CrossFit throwdown are there for the love of the sport, not a paycheck. Even the semi-pro teams in your area rely on a big team of volunteers to keep the crowds fed, beer-ed, and entertained.

As much as it chafes my inner entrepreneur, this is the reality. If we want our sports to continue to thrive, we will all have to put in the sweat to see them grow.

Recreational athletics is a very competitive space, in terms of available activities. Without opportunities to compete, to ride, to race, people will just go somewhere else.

It’s Time to Give Back

If you can’t remember the last time you put down the barbell, parked the race bike, or kicked off the running shoes to go help out, maybe it’s time you should. Your sport needs you.

After everything it has given to you, after the way it has shaped your life and created your circle of friends, how could you not want to give that gift to someone else?

There’s no glory in it (and exactly zero dollars), but in your own small way, you’ll be working to make the world a better place, in the best way you know how.

Who knows? Maybe by working our butts off to grow the things we know will improve the lives of others (if only they’d try them), we can demonstrate enough value to shift the culture.

Maybe if we work hard enough, we won’t always have to do it for free.

But even if that never happens, we’ll go to bed at night satisfied that we gave back to the world at least as much as it gave us. Isn’t that what it’s all about, anyway?

The post When’s the Last Time You Gave Back? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

Moving Beyond Myself

When we first get started on our fitness journey, it’s easy to get caught up in ourselves. We are making healthy changes in our lives and often for the first time we are making ourselves a priority. That’s great, but at some point we have to think about giving back.

I truly believe that we should give back in all aspects of our lives. The fitness side of our lives shouldn’t be any different. So, now that you’re on the road to health and fitness what can you do to help others reach that point as well? I’ve got some ideas for you.

1. Cheer On Your Teammates

Let’s start easy. One of my favorite ways of giving back is cheering on my teammates. It may sound cheesy, but sincere encouragement can help get someone through a workout. I know when I’m struggling and someone yells out, “Amy, you’ve got this,” it helps me refocus and realize I am capable. Give it a try the next time you’re in a group workout.

2. Be the Team Mom/Dad

If you didn’t know, it’s frickin’ hot in Florida during the summer months. But that heat doesn’t stop the Saturday morning workouts at Body by Boris, where I train. Luckily for us, one of the participants, Free, consistently brings extra gallons of water to share with the class. The generosity and extra hydration keep us pushing through the workout.

Group workouts end happy when we stay well hydrated.

Another group I’m lucky to be part of, Running Man Club, has multiple weekend workouts to choose from. The team mom/dad rotates weekly and one person volunteers to bring a refreshing watermelon for a post-workout treat. As the sweat is running into your eyes during the final tages of a forty-plus mile ride, the thought of that sweet, cold, juicy melon keeps you pedaling.

3. Find Out What You’re Good at and Share Your Gift

My friend Jayme is great at talking and pumping people up. He’s taken his gift of grandiose gab and puts it to good use as he volunteers to emcee for local strongman and CrossFit events. Even if it’s not an official event, members of his gym family will ask him to show up when they are going for a heavy personal record. His hype-man persona helps them lift more than they might without him.

4. Donate or Discount a Membership or Training Plan

If you are a trainer and know someone who wants to change his or her life, but can’t afford a gym membership, donate or discount a membership or write up some training plans he or she can do at home with minimal equipment. Participating in a fitness program shouldn’t be something only for the wealthy. Plus, this act of kindness could turn people into paying clients once their finances improve.

5. Buy a CSA Subscription for Someone in Need

Maybe you know a family that is trying to eat healthier, but they can’t make all the changes they want because they simply can’t afford it. When eating healthy, a big portion of the grocery bill can be the fresh produce. Consider finding a local CSA (community supported agriculture) and purchasing the family a three-, six-, or twelve-month membership.

CSA haul

6. Swap Babysitting Duties

Can’t afford to purchase a gym membership or CSA for someone? No worries. Generosity doesn’t mean you have to spend money. If you’re a parent, then find another parent in the neighborhood to swap babysitting duties with so you can both get your workouts in.

7. Create an Event

My ever-inspiring friend Anna recently created a Facebook event for Women on Okinawa Trails. This event challenged us to run 100 miles on trail before Labor Day. Those who chose to participate sent Anna a nominal entry fee via PayPal. All challenge finishers will receive a window cling to commemorate their accomplishment. All the money left after the window cling purchases will go directly to a local orphanage in Okinawa. With social media and PayPal technology, it is easy to raise money for a cause you believe in.

8. Sponsor Free Monthly Seminars

If you’re a gym owner, sponsor free monthly seminars for members and non-members alike. Body by Boris hosts monthly talks on topics ranging from nutrition to mindfulness and they are open to the community. Everyone benefits from having healthy citizens, even if they aren’t your clients.

Free seminar at Body by Boris on Injury Prevention

9. Run/Walk a Shelter Dog

You can get your exercise while helping a dog in need. Plus, dogs that are exercised regularly are more likely to be adopted into permanent homes.

Look at that face! Now go walk a shelter dog!

10. Donate Your Old Running Shoes

Depending on the organization you choose, your old shoes could go to kids in developing countries or be used to make track and playground surfaces.

11. Volunteer for an Event

Race directors are always looking for people to help. You can man a water table, pass out medals, help with registration, or assist with any number of other things. No experience needed! And if you’re participating in an event, go ahead and pay it forward by thanking the volunteers.

12. Volunteeer for an Organization

There are tons of fitness-related organizations that would love for you to donate your time and talents. The one I volunteer for is Girls on the Run. This non-profit “inspires girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum that creatively integrates running.”

Find an organization you love and volunteer!

I’m the Program Director for our local council and we are constantly looking for volunteers to coach, serve as running buddies, participate as SoleMates, serve on the board, and help in a ton of other ways. I’m sure your local council could use help, too. With hundreds of councils across the United States and Canada, there’s bound to be one close by.

So, how are you going to give back? I would love to read your suggestions in the comments section.

The post Giving Back: 12 Ways to Pay It Forward in Fitness appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

At one point I decided to try belly dancing because I thought it might help me to move more fluidly. Of course, I was a disaster. My instructor tried to help me and mentioned that there would be a show coming soon for me to participate in. There was a zero percent chance that I would ever dance in public and when I told her that, she was confused. She asked me why I was taking the class if I didn’t want to show everyone what I learned. I told her I just wanted to learn how to belly dance. Learning in itself has always been enough for me. I’ve never had the desire to display my skills in public.

In the jiu jitsu community there is a lot of pressure to compete and show your skills in tournaments. Over the years, I found the times leading up to tournaments stressful because I never wanted compete and found myself constantly having to justify my decision to teammates and coaches. I just didn’t want to. Still, I finally competed in two tournaments a few months ago and recognized their value as a learning tool. After the competitions I put my medals in a box and I haven’t looked at them since, but I think a lot about what will help me to do better next time.

Although I look at tournaments differently now, I still don’t want to compete at every single one of them. For people like me who only want to compete at a few tournaments a year and for those who don’t want to compete at all, there is another way to participate: volunteering.

It takes a lot of people to run a tournament, so volunteers are in high demand. Usually, a Brazilian jiu jitsu club owner or coach is the person who begins organizing the tournament, booking the venue, ordering medals and trophies, etc. But it takes more than one person to run a successful event.

On the day of the tournament, people are needed to weigh the competitors, ensure they are registered properly, and collect the tournament fees. Once competitors are weighed in and registered, bracket organizers are the people who take the list of competitors and break it down into brackets according to experience level, weight class, gender, and age. These people also set up the matches in each bracket. Once the brackets are organized and mapped out on a flow chart, they are assigned to a mat, where the volunteers assigned to each mat take over.

The Abhaya Open Grappling Championships 2013 was this weekend and I volunteered to help out. I couldn’t be a referee since I don’t know the IBJJF point system, so instead I asked to be a timer or scorekeeper, thinking it would be an easy day. Believe it or not, flipping numbers and keeping time is kind of hard! Keeping track of which competitor scored which points and watching the clock for time required a lot of focus. With friends and competitors stopping by to say hello or ask when they were up next, it would have been easy to make mistakes.

Being a referee at a BJJ tournament is a tough job, too. Competitors and spectators watch scores very closely and decisions are sometimes questioned, so referees have to know the IBJJF rules and regulations very well. These rules are required knowledge for coaches who volunteer at the event if they want their athlete to succeed.

Volunteering goes beyond just the event staff. Photographer David Brown is at every local tournament volunteering his skills and everyone looks forward to seeing his photos posted on the Maritime Jiu Jitsu Facebook page after the day is done. It was also fun to watch the matches on Facebook the next day and I was happy to see so many people had volunteered to be videographers for some of the competitors.

At the end of the day, volunteers are needed to round up the winners and distribute the medals and prizes correctly. Often there is a podium and it’s a great time for friends and family to take pictures of the athletes’ shining moments. Athletes who have businesses can also contribute to the day by donating prizes or providing sponsorship, and professionals in the medical field can offer their services to competitors or spectators who have medical emergencies during the tournament. Everyone has something to offer. Simply volunteering to clean and maintain the venue is a huge help.

Given that volunteers are putting in time for free, I think they should also be treated professionally in return. In my opinion, volunteers should be organized and scheduled the same way they would be at a business in order to accommodate breaks, lunches, and availability. During the day I had to ask people to get water or cover me if I went to the washroom and I didn’t get a chance to eat from 11:00am until 8:00pm. If we had been scheduled in three or four hour shifts, I think it would have been a much easier day. Another option could be to have a volunteer distribute snacks and/or lunch to people who were on duty for long periods throughout the day. Tournaments make a lot of money for the hosting club and it would be a small expense to show appreciation for the volunteers’ efforts and encourage them to do so again next year.

Overall, though, I enjoyed volunteering at the Abhaya Open this weekend. I was able to meet a lot of people from different clubs, watch some fun matches, and learn a lot of the IBJJF rules, which will help me when it’s my turn to compete. In the meantime, I look forward to volunteering again!

Have you volunteered at an event? Why did you do it and what did you get from it? Post to comments below.

Photos 1 & 2 provided by David Brown Photography.

Photo 3 provided by Sally Arsenault.

Jiu Jitsu cartoon from https://www.facebook.com/bjjisawesome

The post BJJ Needs You: Be Part of the Competition by Volunteering appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

“I went snowboarding one day and I was hit with this idea,” Steve shared with me when I interviewed him recently. At the time he was working for a different mentoring program.

I was in Whistler and I thought, “Oh, I should take the kid who I’m mentoring here. If he saw these mountains, he’d lose his mind.” A lot of inner city kids are never really going to get a chance to just go out of the neighborhood and experience something different and push themselves physically and mentally.

From that inkling of an idea Larosiliere partnered with Sal Masakela, action sports commentator, and formed Stoked Mentoring in 2005. Stoked currently serves communities in New York and Los Angeles, but plans to expand to other cities.

“If you don’t have hope then it’s hard for you to see that you can take a different path,” said Larosiliere. “We’re like the uncles, aunts and coaches that made an impact for you growing up. But all our coaches are skateboarders and surfers.”

Stoked’s program is multi-faceted and goes beyond the typical mentoring program where kids simply spend time with adults. Stoked’s after-school workshops start kids off with a skateboard building project which takes them from design to completion. Along the way they learn project management, teamwork, communication, and collaboration skills.

Later on in their time with Stoked kids will also learn photography and design, go on group skate- and snowboarding outings, participate in volunteer work in their community, and eventually be paired with their own individual mentor.

And for the kids who participate in Stoked Mentoring’s programs, it makes a real difference. Said Larosiliere:

The kids we tend to attract are not the high achieving kids. They’re not the really smart kids from the inner city, nor are they the really bad disadvantaged kids. These are the kids that are at risk at any moment and they’re on the fringe. They could go to school, but nobody would really notice. Or they don’t go to school, they could drop out of school, they could join a gang. These are the kids that are most vulnerable. They’re the ones right in the middle. Without a role model these kids could end up in really bad situations and environments.

If you are interested in helping Stoked Mentoring on their mission there are a couple ways you can do it: donate money or goods or volunteer your time.

With the help of corporate sponsors, volunteer workers, and donations Stoked Mentoring will continue to help the kids who need it most, all while flipping the paradigm of action sports on its head.

“It’s not just about taking a kid on a mountain and taking them out of their environment,” said Larosiliere. “It’s about how can you take those skills and provide a program so they can have something to put on their college applications and resumes. Our mission is to promote academic achievement, personal development, healthy living through action sports.”

For more information visit the Stoked Mentoring website.

The post Stoked Mentoring: How Skateboarding Can Change the World appeared first on Breaking Muscle.