I have realized over the last few years, or remembered, that I love to work out with other people in community. There is a certain epic energy in doing physically challenging stuff together, pushing through pain, celebrating our human bodies, with nothing more than human kindness to bond one to another. Strangers become best friends. And certain crazy hours on certain days of the week become my church.
November Project is a world-wide free fitness movement (okay a workout and happiness cult) that was started ten years ago by two Northeastern rowers in Boston.
I generally attend the Harvard stadium run on Wednesdays at 6:30 AM and the hill workout on Fridays at Summit Avenue in Brookline at 6:30 a.m. here at the Boston NP. If you are in the greater Boston area, please, please, please come to the stadium on a Wednesday morning. It doesn’t matter what age, fitness, gender, race, creed, sexual orientation, or political party. We just have an amazingly good time and pay special loving attention to new people. Watching the sun rise over the stadium is to see the face of God. Really. If you are not from Boston, go to the link at the start of this paragraph and find the NP group nearest you (all over the country and world).
Here is a cool little video Wired Magazine did on the SF NP.
“A recent meta-analysis found that people who do muscle-strengthening workouts are less likely to die prematurely than those who don’t, adding to previous evidence that strength training has long-term health benefits.
The study found that just 30 to 60 minutes a week of strength training may be enough. Those who worked out for this duration had a 10% to 20% lower risk of dying during the study period from all causes, and from cancer and heart disease specifically, compared to those who did no strength training,” according to a Harvard Medical School article based on the Study published online in June of 2022.
At 57, strength and flexibility are key elements of continued health. Our muscles atrophy and we get tight with age. For several years I did Crossfit at a very competitive “box.” Then I took 5 years off. After moving a year ago, I found a Crossfit gym that is perfect for me less than 10 minutes away (Crossfit Iron & Grit in West Roxbury, MA). It’s a very friendly and laid-back atmosphere. The coaches are awesome. Many of the other members are my age. I am definitely drinking the KoolAide. Going to the box is the highlight of my day (along with NP) because of all the friends I have made while getting strong. 5 million people worldwide cannot be wrong. Crossfit includes extensive mobility work (you can’t do the movements unless you limber) as well as the best strength training around. At our box, they also offer “Big Engine” workouts that are longer to increase endurance.
If you decide to give it a try, my advice is to start really slow. Use lighter weight than you think you need to and do less repetitions. Just spend the first month getting used to the movements. Most people get hurt (younger males generally) in the first month of Crossfit because they use way more weight than they should before they know proper technique. Every workout can be scaled to a level that is right for you. And your coach will help you figure that out. Now go find a box near you! You will love it, I promise.
Here is my coach Miguel recently talking about the role of ego in our Olympic Lifting class:
My third form of exercise most frequently is running. The coolest running experience I have recently is the Ragnar Relay in which you get in a van full of other lunatics taking turns running until you have covered 200 miles.
After Ragnar I was kind of hooked on the group running experience. So I ran a half marathon with an old friend in Portland, Maine. Then I decided to sign up to run Boston for a charity I care a lot about (you can see my marathon page here and can contribute if you are so moved). I have run the Boston marathon twice before, once when I was 16 and once when I was 29. I will be 58 this time so literally double the age of my last run. But I am feeling fit and getting stronger.
While running can be a solo activity, it doesn’t have to be. When I was a kid I spent many hours running on dirt roads and country trails around my childhood home in Amherst, Massachusetts. Then it was an escape from a difficult adolescence. But these days I am returning to running but really enjoying running with others. I often get up early to run ten miles with a friend in Cohasset, Massachusetts along the ocean. I also go to the north shore to Singing Beach to run with another friend to do speed work. And our Ragnar team has kept in touch using the Marco Polo video chat app so we can encourage each other.
Between November Project, the Crossfit gym I adore, and my running family I get lots of exercise and lots of hugs. And am a much happier man as a result.
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I do not check social media much other than to post, so if you want to be in touch about this article or anything else email me at [email protected].
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Tom Matlack | Father, Husband, Sober Seeker of Spiritual Enlightenment
I have realized over the last few years, or remembered, that I love to workout with other people in community. There is a certain epic energy in doing physically challenging stuff together, pushing through pain, celebrating our human bodies, with nothing more than human kindness to bond one to another. Strangers become best friends. And certain crazy hours on certain days of the week become my church.
#workout #hugs #community #Crossfit #NovemberProject #RagnarRelay #BostonMarathon #Running #Love #Hard
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This post was previously published on LINKEDIN.COM and is republished on Medium.
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You may also like these posts on The Good Men Project:
White Fragility: Talking to White People About Racism | Escape the “Act Like a Man” Box | The Lack of Gentle Platonic Touch in Men’s Lives is a Killer | What We Talk About When We Talk About Men |
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