Kids outdoor fitness program in the Ottawa Valley beating the pandemic blues

MCNAB/BRAESIDE, ONT. -

On a frigid Saturday morning in McNab/Braeside, Ont., Meagan Mask had about a dozen local children come out for her winter boot camp.

Mask, a mother of three boys, saw her family struggling through the pandemic; too much screen time, minimal physical activity, and next to no socialization. She felt the need to do something about it, and started her youth fitness program 'Bring It On'.

"It is basically a safe environment where I can get these kids together and get them moving," Mask tells CTV News Ottawa.

"I started it actually because of mental health. Being isolated away from their friends, it wasn't good for them and I can see that, and I thought what can I do to make it better."

Mask says she is originally trained in kickboxing, and brings her years of experience teaching fitness classes to create a program that at first look appears unconventional. The space is filled with tires attached to ropes. Participants pull them through the snow along trails, around figure eights, and over suspended beams. 

There's also battle ropes, medicine balls, parachutes for running, and climbing walls. A homemade ice rink sits at the centre of the space, a treat Mask says she saves for participants after a session of hard work is complete.

"Different things, anything that I can think of that's outside of the box that gets these kids moving," laughs Mask. "A lot of the times they don't even know they're working out. It's just fun for them."

"They shut down hockey just after Christmas, and we thought, 'Oh we've got to keep him active,'" says Rob Saunders, who brought his 9-year-old son out for the second time this winter.

"It's different than what they'd be doing at school," says Saunders, who is happy to have his son in the fresh air and away from a screen. "It's a little bit of old school stuff and using different muscles, doing something they might not be doing in gym class."

"It's good exercise," adds fellow parent Ashley Mitchell, who regularly brings her 6 and 9-year-old sons to the program. "I come with my kids too at times and it's something different to try as a family. You get active, get out, socialize, it's great."

Mask's youth fitness programs began as a summer endeavour and expanded to winter this season.

Drop in sessions cost $25, while a membership - which consists of 10 sessions - costs $200. Sessions run after schools hours Monday to Friday and one weekend day, depending on which day has better weather.

Although it's not the most glamorous option, it's an option that is achievable within COVID guidelines. Mask hopes to continue to build her programs, offering more options as funding becomes available.

"Seeing the confidence in the kids when they are afraid to try something and then they do it and accomplish it," says Mask, "the smiles on their faces, it's all worth it to me."