We all are aware of the need for health and fitness in our
lives, but how many of us can honestly say we make health and fitness a
priority?
Canadians are not well. Mind, body and soul. When I first
began to observe this, my first thought was that being fit had something to do
with privilege. Growing up in working class neighborhoods that poured into
affluent suburbs, I always noticed that my friends that lived in houses went skiing, went to the cottage, and swam with dolphins during March break or rock
climbed in Nevada during the summer months.
Yet across the street, we did nothing. Our annual trips to
Center Island and Canada’s wonderland were the closest we got to being outdoors
with our families and being physically active.
Everyone in my community was unhappy. When I say everyone I
mean adults. The Canadian working class community is the backbone to the
stability and functionality of Canadian society. My own father worked 14 hours
a day, 7 days a week. I loved my father. He meant the world to me. He was university
educated from a British Ivy league university who broke his back and spirit
under the weight of having to stabilize and maintain function of Canadian life
for all its citizens.
My mother was just as brilliant. Educated abroad and here in
Canada, my mother struggled with not being able to pursue a career and the
confinement of the immigrant women’s experience as symbolic border guards. Forced
into a domestic role with no familial or community support, like many mothers
isolated to their domestic realms, my mother was unhappy. My parents, my family
and family friends all had poor mental health. Growing up I knew how great it
felt to be active. I experienced it firsthand. I also knew even as a young
child, that the adults around me were overworked, over-stressed and so busy
providing that they felt there was no time to care for themselves. In all
honesty, there wasn't.
I blamed the system, the nation, structural oppression,
colonialism, racism, and classism. I was hurt. I was devastated. I was angry. As
I matured, my heart always stayed close to the community and I began to engage
in community development. I began to see similarities in my surrounding community
and my family and friends. I felt that if I could only help communities
overcome structural challenges, they would be able to lift themselves out of
the labour class and forever break the cycle of impoverishment, my community
would have more time for self-care, thus improving mental health.
Years went by, even decades and although I was inspiring and
motivating community members to raise their consciousness through my
affiliation with various community groups’ mental health was not improving. In
fact, I came to realize that poor mental health was the bane to bridging the
gap between the labour class, brain drain and a higher income potential.
The world of community development already knew what I was realizing
but like myself many of those in the trenches of community development felt
with the limited government funding available, education and training should be
a priority for community development. After all self-care comes at a cost. Many
community workers felt that if individuals could just get earning everything
else would fall into place. Especially mental health.
What a grave error.
Let us fast forward now 6 years. My passion for health and
fitness stayed close to me. As an adult, mother of three, post-secondary
student and working individual, I struggled to maintain a sufficient level of
fitness to keep me energized and strong enough to manage my lifestyle. At
first, I blamed myself. I think the blame game, self-guilt are the premise to
the negative internalization of motherhood or for any familial relation for
that fact women have to their families and society. Thank socially constructed
femininity for that.
I knew I still loved to be active, but just could not find
the time. Was really time the barrier holding me back from physical fitness or
was it because I did not see it as a priority?
A few more years went by and things took a toll for the
worse. One morning as I watched the sun climb up over the Humber River sipping
my tea and appreciating creation, life and all its splendors. I decided to wake
up the family and plan a family bike ride down the trails. One by one, I woke
up each family member and tried to get everyone ready. My two little ones
dragged themselves across the living room and while rubbing their eyes turned
on the t.v. and plopped right down in front of it. “Ah, hello? We are going for
a bike ride? Go get ready while I fix breakfast?” I said to the kids. Like little
zombies they turned to me and said, “We are tired, Mom, we just got up, we need
some time.” Were this kids for real? Tired from resting?
I walked to my eldest child’s room found him awake but still
lying in bed. When questioned he gave a similar response. I almost choked. What
the heck was going on? I felt like I was losing my mind. Took another few steps
towards my own bedroom and heard my partner give the same response as the other
three. I could have just fell over and died. How can you be tired of sleeping
and need more time to rest from resting?
I was sickened to the core. I felt disgusted. Disappointed
in myself (there’s that motherly guilt rearing its ugly face again). Guilty or
not, I knew something had to be done. I had been busy the last few years
completing my undergrad, and because of my busy schedule, health and fitness
for my family had been brushed under the carpet.
I had to do something and fast. I did the only thing I knew
best for my family which was to be a leader. As leader of my household I needed
to lead by example. But how? Well, I became a personal trainer. Yes, I was
passionate about health and fitness my whole life. As a child I heavily
participated in hurdles, 100 m sprints, 400 m relay, volleyball, tennis,
badminton and running long jump. I loved track and field. Even as I write about those
times I feel a tingling sensation running through my body. That’s my body
remembering too.
Somewhere in my identity a link was disconnected from my
past fitness level, to understanding the importance of health and fitness and
my current fitness level. That link was knowledge. My knowledge as a personal
trainer bridged the gap between what I knew I needed to do for myself and as
well as my family and those closest to me and to incorporate it into my life,
without having to sacrifice the things my family and I were already involved in.
As amazing, talented and multifaceted I felt my life was, to
my family, I was just Mom. Really to them, what did Mom know about health and
fitness? I felt that by becoming a personal trainer I would have more credibility.
It turned out personal training did more for me than I could have ever
imagined. I transformed my life as well as my families.
Through this personal transformation I came to another
revelation. Canadians are not well. Mind, body and soul. You see, after
becoming a personal trainer, I began to see commonalities in the level of
fitness through the members of my gym. Members that were a part of all levels
of society. Business professionals, people in trades, students, seniors and
domestic workers. What I found was Canadians in general, regardless of their
class were unhealthy. Severely unhealthy. Poor mental health, high body fat
percentages, little to none upper and lower body strength and upper cross
syndrome in epidemic proportions.
All this time my passion to help my community through advocacy
and education towards upward mobility was being fought through a weak angle. Pun
intended. Poor mental and physical health was not just a labour class problem.
Canadians from all walks of life are unfit. This realization made see that its
time Canadians got real about their health.
My goal for this blog is to inspire, motivate and ignite a
new passion for health and fitness in each and every Canadians life. My posts
will involve personal stories of transformation and an outlet to provide
Canadians with information related to health and fitness. The fitness industry
is just as misleading as any form of enterprise in our capitalist society. I
would like to provide a medium where anyone can access tips and motivation
towards incorporating health and fitness into their lives at a level which can
actually improve their body composition, reduce body fat, increase agility,
balance, flexibility, mobility, speed, strength and of course mental health. It’s
not about having enough money or having enough time. It’s about self-care. It’s
about making physical fitness a priority. It’s about investing in your senior
years now, just like RRSP’s but for your physical and mental self. Exercise is
the best medicine. It’s about being a better you, the best you can be, no
matter who you are.
Please join me in my mission to help each and every Canadian
live the GoodLife for themselves and everyone around them.
Shazia Sharif
Personal Trainer &
Transformation Coach
Shazia.Sharif@goodlifemakesiteasy.com
