Celebrating National Health and Fitness Day with movement

By Rick Garrick

BEAUSOLEIL FIRST NATION — Spirit Fit owner Scott Simpson highlighted the importance of health and fitness in advance of National Health and Fitness Day, which was held this year on June 7.

“Around 29-years-old, I ended up getting sober and taking my life into my own hands, getting back into the health and fitness industry, and regaining all of my fitness certifications,” Simpson says. “I started to become more aware of myself, and it wasn’t just about physical aesthetics, it wasn’t just the way I looked, it was the way I felt. That’s kind of where I turned my personal training business that was, at that point of time, in Toronto and Pickering area more into community-based wellness in First Nation communities. It wasn’t just about sets, reps, it was more about creating a healthy relationship with movement and doing it in a positive way.”

Simpson says he began his personal training business about 15 years ago with a focus on bodybuilding-style training before moving on to mixed martial arts-style training.

“I enjoyed [the mixed martial arts] because personally, I like having a punching bag and for me it’s giving a chance to zone out, listen to music, and that is what kind of took my mind off of any kind of a stress I was going through,” Simpson says, noting that he introduced the mixed martial arts-style training to his clients as well. “The benefits of it was, of course, gaining a little bit of muscle mass, cardiovascular, but to me, it was more about the emotional and mental aspects of it. Of course, body weight and body fat came off of me, that was a byproduct of having fun, but I think it was more of an emotional and mental outlet for me when it came to the mixed martial arts training.”

Simpson says the training he does now with people features generic functional movements that they can benefit from, adding that it is the most proactive form of wellness.

“I kind of found a very specific sweet spot and that is putting functional movements into play,” Simpson says. “I do a lot of full-body exercises, I try and hit every muscle every single workout, depending on the way I’m facilitating the fitness program.”

Simpson says he usually holds his training sessions inside community centres or in open spots in nature.

“So we can be at one in nature and not think of it as this is a workout,” Simpson says. “We move with purpose, sometimes maybe in the forest.”

Simpson says people sometimes need to take one hour out of their day to focus on their well-being.

“It doesn’t have to be a workout, it can be a walk in the park or a walk in the bush — to me, I always say a walk in the bush is very powerful; just take a walk in the bush and you can regain your thoughts, your feelings, reflect,” Simpson says. “A lot of the times we don’t necessarily think of exercise with a mental aspect but even if you go find a forest near you, go for a nice light jog, do some shoulder presses, do some squats and just go sit down on a rock — really powerful things can happen if you just go and take a piece of paper, a pen, and go and find a nice spot, sit down and relax and just be one with yourself.”

Simpson says he has regained his health and wellness since he began focusing on it in his late 20s, when he was overweight with class 2 obesity and suffering from addictions.

“I can lead multiple fitness classes a day,” Simpson says. “I wake up every morning with energy and a smile on my face, knowing I’m helping other people live a healthier life, that is what is important to me, that is my sobriety journey and my weight journey — my health journey.”