Elizabeth

NAME

Elizabeth

AGE

37

HOMETOWN

New Maryland

OCCUPATION

Teacher

ACTIVITIES

What activities do you participate in to stay active? 

• Boxing (level one instructor certification)
• Ultimate frisbee (recently helped found Fredericton Ultimate, a non-profit organization, and was elected President)
• Hiking
• Biking
• Walking my dog 🐕
• Strength training

IMPACT

How does being active make you feel and why is it important to you? 

When I started boxing, I felt empowered and strong. The boxing club was the first place I ever felt confident and a sense of belonging in a sport setting. Developing that confidence led me to be able to start playing Ultimate frisbee. I am still actively working on fighting imposter syndrome, but I am proud that I put myself out there and am willing to try new things and take risks! My mantra has become “you don’t have to be good to have fun”!

SCHEDULING

How do you implement being active into your busy schedule?

Many of my physical activities double as social activities. I have made so many great friends at both the Fredericton Boxing Club and the Fredericton Ultimate community! Also, having a dog makes me prioritize walking 2-3 times a day.

BARRIERS

What barriers have you faced or are you currently facing when it comes to being active? 

I was born with femoral anteversion, which caused my legs to rotate inward. This resulted in a variety of procedures to straighten my legs, including a major femur surgery in the fifth grade and again in the seventh grade. As a kid, I was very hesitant to participate in sports at any level. In fact, I was extremely self-conscious about any physical activity. In elementary school, when all the kids would play “French fries vs English muffins” soccer, I would take on the role of “announcer” to avoid having to play. In middle school, I would look for any excuse to avoid having to participate. I always felt out of place, self-conscious and like an impostor in any sport environment. I quickly adopted an “if I don’t try, I can’t fail” mentality as a coping mechanism.

MOTIVATION

What motivates you to continue to be active? 

Looking forward to seeing friends is a great motivator. I also know how much better I feel when I am active. Physical activity has been great for my mental health and helps me channel energy when I am anxious or stressed. I also want to be able to enjoy an active lifestyle as I age, so I see physical activity as an investment in my future health.

ROLE MODEL

Do you have a role model and/or would you consider yourself to be a role model to others?

I hope that I can be a role model to some of the students I teach. I try to model my mantra, “you don’t have to be good to have fun”! Our school loves to do Student vs Teacher sport games, so I make sure to get in there and participate even if it’s a sport I have no experience playing. I wish I had been pushed to try new things and take risks more as a child, so I try to encourage my students to believe in themselves and take those risks. It’s important to do things that are outside our comfort zone – it’s how we grow!