A Challenge for You This Week

Small steps, big impact: How consistent habits transform wellness for kids and adults

Hi friends,

We're switching it up this week. Instead of hearing from a local expert, you're going to hear a (hopefully) helpful rant. 

I've spent most of my life in sports. 

Today, most people know me through endurance sports. I've raced all sorts of crazy challenges from Ironman to Hyrox and more, all that involve getting up way too early and willingly spending house moving my body. But before any of that, I was just a kid playing team sports. 

I played because my friends were there. I played because it was fun. I played because I loved being part of something bigger than myself. 

Looking back, sports taught me so much more than how to run faster or throw a ball farther. They taught me leadership, work ethic, perseverance, and how to be a part of a community. They taught me how to handle failure and bounce back. They taught me how to support others and work toward a common goal. 

Most importantly, they taught me that movement could be fun.

Lately, though, I've been thinking about how much that feel seems to be disappearing. Sports and fitness have become increasingly competitive, expensive, and exclusive. We see it in youth sports. We see it in adult recreation. We it on social media, where every workout is tracked and analyzed, every race needs to be a personal best, and every hobby somehow turns into a performance metric. 

I was at an Ironman event this past week. Endurance sports are hard by nature, and many athletes joke about embracing "Type II Fun," the kind of experience that isn't fun in the moment but becomes rewarding afterward. 

But what I saw wasn't that. I saw people who genuinely looked miserable. Not tired. Not challenged. Just miserable. 

And it made me wonder: if we're spending our free time doing activities we don't enjoy, have we lost sight of the point? 

For most of us, the goal isn't to become professional athletes. The goal is to live healthier, happier lives. It's about having enough energy to play with our kids, hike with our friends, travel, garden, golf, bike, paddle, dance and enjoy the bodies we've been given.

The best fitness program is the one you'll actually do. If your current routine feels stale, maybe the answer isn't more discipline. Maybe it's curiosity. Maybe it's finding fun. 

Around Dane County, there are countless ways to move that don't involve staring at a treadmill. 

• Rent a kayak and paddle on Lake Mendota, Monona, or Wingra. 

• Join a beginner pickleball group at Pickleball Kingdom

• Try indoor climbing at Greater Heights

• Play disc golf at Elver Park

• Take a fitness class at Burn Boot Camp or a wellbeing space

• Check out Race Day Events to sign up for a local 5k

• Play a round of golf with friends and sign up for Aces for Active Youth golf classic

• and of course, join us at Birdie Derby!

You don't have to be good at something to enjoy it. In fact, being bad at something is often where the fun begins. 

This matters for kids, too. Competition has value. Hard work has value. But so does play.

Kids need opportunities to move simply because it's enjoyable. They need unstructured time to run around with friends, ride bikes through the neighborhood, throw a ball, and discover activities they genuinely love. The goal isn't to create the next professional athlete. The goal is to help young people build a lifelong relationship with movement. It's exactly what we're doing at Active Youth Wisconsin. 

So here's my challenge for you this week: choose an activity based entirely on whether it sounds fun. Not whether it's the best workout. Not whether it burns the most calories. Not whether it improves your race performance. 

Just fun. 

Invite a friend. Bring your family. Try something new. Because the truth is, movement has always been about more than fitness. It's about connection. It's about community. And sometimes, it's simply about having a good time. 

Thank you, 

Amanda Marek

Birdie Derby Race Director