Reliving one year of FitFam Changzhou as the community celebrates its first birthday
Just over a year ago on November 9th, 2018, Michael Liu headed back to Changzhou from Shanghai like he would do every Friday afternoon to spend time with his family for the weekend. This time it was a little different.
Michael who has been a proud FitFammer since January 2017 had an extra spring in his step, eager to lead the very first FitFam Changzhou workout. Having led workouts in Shanghai since January 2018, Michael was armed with a wealth of knowledge gained from the Shanghai team. Michael scouted the most ideal venue to trial and gathered support from neighbors, friends and family to begin the journey.
“I wanted to introduce FitFam to my local city and I knew I could work out consistently with Changzhou on the weekends. I was unsure of whether FitFam could work in an entirely local Chinese community led by a Chinese leader.”
On a cool 15 degree morning at 6:30am on the November 10, 2018, seven brave souls turned up and for the very first time and did one hour of a FitFam HIIT (high intensity interval training) session at Qingfeng Park bravely endured their first burpees and jump squats and thoroughly enjoyed the laughter and high fives. This was just the beginning...
As the Autumn ended and winter began, Changzhou stayed strong and dedicated. 365 days and over 400 workouts later, FitFam is thriving with 27 leaders and 6 locations across Changzhou. ‘I'm so proud of the Changzhou leaders and their development over the last year, from never having led workouts to now leading multiple sessions weekly（HIIT, Yoga, Running, Dynamic Aerobics) with notable confidence. They have positively influenced thousands of people to get up and move!’
One year later, it was time to celebrate. Changzhou leaders and supporters kicked off the celebration with an extended morning workout composed of an all-star visiting team from Shanghai and Wenzhou team. Kevin, Edita, Aurora, Steven, Frida, Sarah, Mu, May and Meijuan helped lead a workout for over 130 people. They then stayed the weekend to connect with the Changzhou FitFam community and helped celebrate the milestone with a big celebration.
FitFammers peeled off their spandex and dressed in their best. A delicious banquet started with speeches and video messages from the global FitFam community followed by 12 performances of dancing, Shaoxing opera，cucurbit flute，taijiquan, singing, cross talk, stage play and even acro yoga to entertain the FitFamily. It was capped off with birthday cake cutting to mark the special occasion.
We asked Michael about how this has influenced his family life…
‘My daughter and son have joined Shanghai Jiaotong University workouts and a couple of times in Changzhou. They both love FitFam movements and it makes them smile. They even led a Tabata workout for my wife (their mother) in our living room. I was beaming with pride. My son was then inspired to lead a workout for his kindergarten classmates captured on video by his teacher. FitFam has really had a massive impact.’
We can't wait to see what Changzhou has planned for the next 365 days. Our Changzhou family welcomes you to visit, sweat and connect with them.