In Term 2 2019, Year 11 students Lily and Theresa had only completed five Fit For Life Sessions between the two of them. A Fit For Life session includes a range of classes offered by the School to choose from or students can attend the Fitness Hub, a motivational space in the Artemis Centre, equipped with spin bikes, weights, lifting platforms and multi-station jungle gym.
“In Term 2 I didn’t do any Fit For Life sessions,” Lily said. “I don’t really have a good enough reason for not being active, I just couldn’t be bothered. But at the end of Term 2, my friends and I made a bet that if I could get in the top three Fit For Life participants the following Term, I’d get $30.”
Every Term, the Fitness Coaches publish a list of the top participants in Fit For Life sessions to celebrate the Grammarians who have completed the most. Considering Lily and Theresa weren’t regular participants when they took on the bet, they had some work to do.
At Melbourne Girls Grammar, our innovative Senior Years Program gives students time in their day to focus on their wellbeing, with access to support to balance mental, emotional and physical wellbeing.
“We started off just riding the bikes and created a little achievement list on my phone. We set some goals and we achieved most of them by the end of last Term, like we wanted to be able to pull down a certain number of kilos and other goals,” said Lily.
“We got inspiration from our friends and fitness coaches too,” said Theresa. “There are so many times when I’ve just gone into the Fitness Hub and just asked one of my friends to write something down for me to do. I know that if I wrote it, I’d just write the same thing over and over.”
Fit for Life sessions replaces Physical Education as a mandatory subject, which means that our Grammarians build a strong focus on their wellbeing that extends beyond their time at school, which emphasises the importance of participating in any activity that gets them moving, and has them feeling good.
“Regular physical activity has made me feel more complete, because I felt like it was an area that was missing from my life. Now I have it, I feel a lot happier,” said Lily.
“It’s made me feel more connected to my friends – makes me feel healthier, happier and more energetic,” said Theresa.
The holistic education at Melbourne Girls Grammar fosters independence and confidence in our students, so that when the time comes for our graduates to move on from the School, we know that they have the skills to take on anything.
“If we hadn’t had access to the Fitness Hub, we probably wouldn’t have done anything,” said Theresa. The School provides Exercise Physiologists and passionate staff who help to motivate and support students towards their fitness goals.
“They motivate us quite a lot. I’d never really gone in the Fitness Hub and the second time I was there they knew my name already. They also teach us new stuff and how to use new equipment that we’ve always thought was scary,” Theresa continued.
The overarching goal of Fit For Life sessions is to encourage every girl to be active every day, and stories like this one of Lily and Theresa is a testament to the success of the program, and of the students themselves in doing something outside their comfort zone and overcoming their personal barriers.