Summer can be a great time to get outside and get active! Most of us are aware of the benefits for physical fitness but many find the hardest part of getting active is finding the right activity to motivate you to keep going. Recently Global News published a story titled “Canadian Wins Cheese Racing” which goes on to explain that the winner must hurle themselves, and a wheel of cheese, down a hill. Who ever can get themselves and their wheel of cheese down the hill first, wins! This might not be your style of physical activity, so here are a few other unique ways to get active:

If your barrier to fitness is that you work too much, you might want to try out Office Chair Racing. This is an endurance event that lasts nearly 2 hours where competitors race around a 180 meter course. During the event safety is of utmost importance and participants must wear helmets and elbow guards.  

Chair racing might seem a bit too dangerous for some, but if animals are more your thing you might want to travel to Tobago for the Goat and Crab Races. This annual event has been running for nearly 100 years and resembles that of a more traditional horse race. Since goats are a bit smaller than a horse, “jockeys” hold a rope attached to their goat and run barefoot behind it. This race is pretty straightforward, but the crab races are a bit more complex. Just like in the goat races, “jockeys” are connected to their crabs by a rope, but unlike their goat counterparts, the crabs need a bit more of a push to get them to cross the finish line. For this, participants use a stick to poke and prod the tiny crustacean across the finish line.

Maybe those animal are a bit too obscure for you? Don’t worry Weiner Dog Racing might be more your style! This racing requires significantly less physical activity, but the dogs are so cute in their little bun costumes. 

For some of you allergies might be an issue and that means animals are out! Well maybe not all animals? Hobby Horse Racing allows you to participate in typical equestrian events but does not require you to own a live horse. This helps cut back on costs of boarding, feeding and cleaning up after a horse. 

The idea of Feel Good Fridays started because we believe the simple things that bring a smile to our faces, are some of the best things. Smiling and laughing has been proven to reduce stress in our lives! When we smile or laugh it releases neurotransmitters in our brain called endorphins, which are in charge of making us happy and helping to relieve stress.