What started as a fitness challenge for Vulcan has become the annual County Wide Wellness Challenge that's been running for 10 years.

Gail Wark, the Executive Administrator for Vulcan County Health and Wellness Foundation, explains how they changed things up in 2020.

"We pivoted quite hard and brought in more pillars of Wellness. So, more focusing on your mental wellness, social wellness and environmental wellness. We did a lot more events that were not root-based but more independently based, and we just keep going and adapting," Wark said.

"It runs for the entire month of June and the goal of it is to focus on yourself for the entire month and try on some different programs to see what works for you. Really it's to kind of turn the tide, focus on your health for an entire month and maybe by the end of it you feel better, and you pick up some healthier habits post-event."   

Wark mentioned that they have received a ton of help from their partners, a major one being the Town of Vulcan Rec Department which has helped with running wellness events throughout the month of June.

"With our partnership with the Town of Vulcan Rec Department, they put out a spring/summer rec guide and there is five pages in that rec guide that our dedicated to the Wellness Challenge with a complete calendar of events for the month of June. We have several instructors that put on different fitness in the park opportunities," she said.

"The Town of Vulcan Rec has stepped up and offered Aquafit classes free to participant members, so you can go from a boot camp workout, right into the pool for an Aquafit class."    

With 200 participants in the annual event, the Vulcan Wellness Challenge is also getting help running events in other surrounding towns like Champion, Milo, Carmangay, and Arrowwood.

The wellness challenge isn't only to help your physical well-being but meditation and calming martial arts like Qigong are available for people wanting a slower-paced type of event to take part in.

"There is an entire list of events, the kayaking events tend to be kind of spur of the moment. Multiple participants will decide when it's a good day to go kayaking and then post that on our social media and whoever can attend is welcome to attend. The library does a book talk chatter, so it's kind of like a book club meeting. So, we can get together and discuss literature and have a nice relaxing experience and have a little bit of a snack," Wark mentioned.

"There is just all kinds of things that address your social health, physical health, and your mental health. It's a pretty robust program now, we keep expanding and pivoting on this. It just keeps growing and changing, it's very fun."

The cost to join the Vulcan Wellness Challenge is only $20 and it's a perfect way to try new activities that people may not have had the opportunity to try. Everyone who enters the challenge gets a shirt with Vulcan Wellness on the front. Wark explains that the $20 that people spend basically just go towards the shirt, so getting the most of your money is not an issue. If people are spotted wearing the t-shirt while working on their health, the watchdogs in the community can award you extra points in the challenge.

If you missed out on getting your registration in and you want to still be involved, Fitness in the Park does accept drop-in fees if you weren't registered for the challenge.

For more information on all the events and locations click here.