Getting Fit with a Club Fat Ass Friendly Fitness Challenge

• By
• Curb Ivanic

Image by Curb Ivanic
The Bagger Challenge is an extreme example of a good support network.

Having a support network of people who like exercising together is the best way to get fit and healthy

It's hard to live a healthy lifestyle if all your friends smoke and their idea of a workout is walking from the barstool to the washroom.

Playing on a sports team or belonging to a club such as Club Fat Ass makes getting fit fun and challenging.

Club Fat Ass Organizes Unique Fitness Challenges

I confess I'm a Fat Ass and proud of it. The club puts on some very unique events and get togethers.

One event involves getting together for a Saturday night party. What's so healthy about that? Before the party starts you have to do a 90-minute run in the dark through the trails of the Capilano Canyon.

Another, more extreme, event is the Bagger Challenge, which takes place between June and October.

This event was the brainchild of David Crear and has caught on with many of the members. It involves reaching the peak or "bagging" as many of the 44 North Shore mountains as possible during the dates of the competition. The challenge includes only peaks you can reach without climbing or ropes, though some of the trails can be hazardous.

While the Bagger Challenge is one of the tougher events, the club puts on many other beginner-friendly events, and you don't have to be an elite athlete to participate in most of them.

What you do need is a sense of adventure, a love of the outdoors and a good attitude. And while there is an element of competition, the events are not races. Camaraderie is emphasized as much as competition, as is environmental stewardship.

Fitness Groups Make You Accountable

Becoming part of a group makes you accountable to reach your fitness goals. Every January 1 many CFA members publicly list their fitness goals for the year.

Having some social pressure isn't always bad thing. We can often rationalize to ourselves if we get off track with our goals, but it's much harder having to explain it to our peers. 

Come out to a Club Fat Ass event and see for yourself how much fun you can have while pushing your limits. I'll bet you'll end up a Fat Ass yourself.