Chestermere focused on health by hosting the Chestermere Moves event.
The City of Chestermere partnered with Harmony Health and Fitness at John Peake Memorial Park on Saturday (July 5) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The inaugural event included local wellness vendors, outdoor activities, and food trucks. Participants also took part in fitness classes under the gazebo, led by various instructors throughout the day.
The event featured a variety of classes, including dance, barre, kickboxing, and yoga.
Harmony Health and Fitness, which first opened in 2020, is co-owned by instructors Mel Cornforth and Amanda Medeiros.
"We're a one-stop shop for everything," Cornforth said. "We have strength classes, cardio classes, yoga, knee drop, and flow yoga. We've got barre, Pilates, dance fitness, spin, and then power flow yoga."
The community event aimed to inspire residents to get active and to highlight the small businesses that support mental and physical well-being.
"The premise behind this is to not only showcase all of the small businesses that are here that can take care of your entire being, but also to get people moving again and find that space that they resonate," Cornforth said.
Cornforth revealed that she started her dream of being a fitness instructor four years ago, and shared that her motivation came from reclaiming her own fitness journey.
"A lot of what I do now is because I struggled, and it wasn't until I actually started moving just for me that things actually became more sustainable," Cornforth mentioned, reflecting on her past fitness journey where she restricted food, focused on losing weight, and pushed through workouts she didn't enjoy because of societal pressure.
"At the end of the day, you're coming to move for you, no one else."
Cornforth also noted the challenges of running a small fitness business.
"It is quite expensive to have a storefront here in Chestermere, so with that barrier, a lot of these citizens don't know that we actually exist. They don't know that there are shops for every facet of their being right here in Chestermere."
Cornforth emphasized the fact that movement isn't just for the body.
"Yes, we move our body, but in return, we move our soul, and in return, we move our mind."
The co-owners offered encouragement to newcomers to overcome the fear of joining public fitness groups.
"Try a class," said Medeiros. "Try different classes because that is where you're going to find what works for you."
"Community is everything, and we do lose that, especially as the city grows, so it's the masses that make the impact. When we set our egos aside and come together as a collective, things like this happen--and this is magic."
Harmony Health and Fitness hopes to make Chestermere Moves an annual event.