How fitness connects Indigenous people to the land, themselves and each other
They say physical activity is good for the body, but did you know it's also good for the mind and the heart? Today, how fitness is inspiring Indigenous people to connect with the land, themselves and each other.
When Clarence Scott was 18 years old he started a nine-year jail sentence. He got out about a year and a half ago, and credits a transitional house for at-risk men in Winnipeg with helping him turn his life around. But Pan Am Place isn't your typical transitional house. In order to live here, residents have to do spend a certain number of hours volunteering at the shelter, and working out.
Every Tuesday in London, Ont., a group of Indigenous people get together to run. Members of the running club say the group is about having fun, but for some — the weekly workout has changed their lives.
No matter how motivated you are, exercise can seem like a bit of a chore. And it turns out it doesn't get any easier with age. At least that's what the staff at the Jimmy Erasmus Seniors Home in Behchoko, NWT discovered. They were having a bit of trouble getting the elders to exercise, so they decided to root it in culture and launched Tlicho yoga.
What used to be an old hunting ground for the Simpcw First Nation is turning into more than 15 kilometres of paths and bike trails. As the CBC's Jennifer Chrumka finds out, it's brought new life to an old forest — and for people of the small village in B.C.'s Thompson Valley, it's brought a sense of fun and freedom.
A group of First Nations near the Manitoba/Ontario border created a unique baseball league that foes beyond the winner or loser in a game. Formed with help from the Toronto Blue Jays, the league promotes volunteerism, pride and culture. Matt Prokopchuk travelled to Kenora, Ont. for the year-end tournament to find out what makes the league so special.
This Week's Playlist
Rez Official - Keep On Movin'
Buffy Sainte-Maire - You Got to Run
Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson - Have a Light Heart on Your New Journey