How did Madeleine get started?
Remember, Madeleine is 17 and had spent a lot of time sitting around – a “couch potato”. She skipped Phys. Ed. in school, always felt clumsy and uncoordinated when she had to do physical activities with others and preferred reading or watching TV to intramural sports or being active outdoors. Her friends kept trying to get her to join them in physical activities both during and after school, but she always said no. The more
she sat on the couch, the more tired she became. She was overweight as well. How could she possibly put on tights and go to a gym class, she would ask herself. Gradually her friends stopped asking her to do things with them and Madeleine sat on the couch even more. Her mom told her she needed exercise so she would have more energy. She told her to get out with her friends and swim, walk, bike or dance. One day her mom gave her a copy of the Handbook for Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living and asked her to at least read it. Do something, she said. The only idea she liked was dancing...well, maybe I can, she thought. So she took her first step. She talked to a friend at school. The friend told her that aerobic dance class was now being offered in Phys. Ed. and suggested she come and watch. “It’s fun,” her friend explained. “And you like to dance, so you might decide to join us.” Madeleine thought about it. She was still pretty nervous, but her friend kept encouraging her. One day she finally went and just watched. She knew a few people in the class and they sure seemed to be having fun... Eventually, she joined in and found to her surprise that she could follow all the steps. The teacher encouraged her and so she tried another class and then another... finally she decided to take the plunge and sign-up. She liked it! Another of her friends in the class also took yoga and encouraged her to come and watch that too – so she went and watched again. This time it did not take her so long to sign-up. In just over a year, Madeleine is now in two classes, goes out Saturday nights with her friends, is no longer a couch potato, feels a lot better about herself, and
is even getting better grades at school.
Remember, Madeleine is 17 and had spent a lot of time sitting around – a “couch potato”. She skipped Phys. Ed. in school, always felt clumsy and uncoordinated when she had to do physical activities with others and preferred reading or watching TV to intramural sports or being active outdoors. Her friends kept trying to get her to join them in physical activities both during and after school, but she always said no. The more
she sat on the couch, the more tired she became. She was overweight as well. How could she possibly put on tights and go to a gym class, she would ask herself. Gradually her friends stopped asking her to do things with them and Madeleine sat on the couch even more. Her mom told her she needed exercise so she would have more energy. She told her to get out with her friends and swim, walk, bike or dance. One day her mom gave her a copy of the Handbook for Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living and asked her to at least read it. Do something, she said. The only idea she liked was dancing...well, maybe I can, she thought. So she took her first step. She talked to a friend at school. The friend told her that aerobic dance class was now being offered in Phys. Ed. and suggested she come and watch. “It’s fun,” her friend explained. “And you like to dance, so you might decide to join us.” Madeleine thought about it. She was still pretty nervous, but her friend kept encouraging her. One day she finally went and just watched. She knew a few people in the class and they sure seemed to be having fun... Eventually, she joined in and found to her surprise that she could follow all the steps. The teacher encouraged her and so she tried another class and then another... finally she decided to take the plunge and sign-up. She liked it! Another of her friends in the class also took yoga and encouraged her to come and watch that too – so she went and watched again. This time it did not take her so long to sign-up. In just over a year, Madeleine is now in two classes, goes out Saturday nights with her friends, is no longer a couch potato, feels a lot better about herself, and
is even getting better grades at school.
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