Exercise has been a big part of my life for a very long time.
It’s something I commit to, not just because of what it does for me physically, but because of what it does for my head.
It helps me manage stress. It clears my thinking. It gives me energy and, particularly when life and work are full, it’s one of the things that helps keep me grounded.
And I genuinely enjoy it.
Especially when other people are involved.
There’s the banter, the encouragement, the shared suffering when something is particularly brutal… and, if you’re anything like me, perhaps a healthy dose of competitiveness thrown in too. 😏
There’s something about exercising with other people that creates connection in a completely different way.
You see another side of people.
Who has a crack at something even when they’re not confident.
Who encourages the person beside them.
Who makes everyone laugh.
Who gets ridiculously competitive over something that absolutely does not matter.
And who surprises themselves.
Which is why, when my friend Stavros from Base Attak told me about something he’s involved in, I thought it was a brilliant idea.
He’s bringing together exercise, connection and food as part of Fresh Winter Warmers: Get Fresh. Get Active.
Rather than meeting people across a networking table and starting with the inevitable “So, what do you do?”, people will be doing something together first.
The workout is called Deck of Destiny. The cards call the shots, nobody knows what’s coming next and everything can be adapted to your own fitness level.
So you don’t need to be super fit or prove anything.
You can challenge yourself as much as you want, have some fun and meet people in a completely different environment.
And afterwards?
Everyone sits down and shares a banquet together.
I love that.
Because by then you’ve already broken the ice. You’ve laughed together, probably struggled through something together and you’ve got something to talk about that has nothing to do with your job title.
And sometimes that’s where the best connections start.
Stavros is a great friend of mine and I love supporting good people doing good things. This is also something I genuinely believe in: move your body, get outside your normal environment, meet some new people and have some fun while you’re doing it.
So I’m sharing this one with you.
It’s happening Saturday 22 August from 11.30am, and you can choose to do the workout and banquet, or skip the workout and come along for the banquet.
If it sounds like your kind of thing, check it out and register here
You might surprise yourself.
And if you’re competitive like me… good luck pretending you don’t care what card comes up next. 😉