Burpees have changed my life - both physcially and mentally. During the pandemic, burpees were the one exercise that excited me, terrified me, challenged me and made me feel empowered all at the same time...and I wanted more and more people to try them too. During the long months of isolation, I began running fitness classes/challenges for my friends and family online, and somehow, the burpee always seemed to sneak it's way into my programming. Remember the December 2020 Burpee Challenge (100 burpees a day for 30 days)? I DO!!!
For me, burpees became more than just an exercise, but a representation of the ups and downs of that year. My mindset became: "If I can do burpees, I can do anything!" So why not attempt the Guinness World Record for Most Chest to Ground Burpees completed in 12 hours? The current record is set at 2500 and my personal goal is to reach 5000 - a record no female has attempted yet!
AND I DID IT! On December 11th from 9am-9pm I completed 5032 burpees in 12 hours! Lots of people came out to revibe to support, donate and a few even jumped in on the burpee fun with me! Hour 7 & 8 were the hardest hours of my life, but the motivation and support I recieved from my friends, family and colleagues pushed me towards me goal! Thank you so much for everyone who came and tuned into the live stream. Your presence made every rep and each minute a whole lot easier!
The burpee is all about picking yourself up after falling down time and time again, and I wanted to raise money for a Foundation that helped people do just that! I've already surpassed my $2500 goal, but how amazing would it be to reach $10,000 by Christmas? CAMH is Canada's leading mental health hospital who has helped many of my friends/family during their mental health journey's. They believe that mental health IS health. Did you know that 1 in 5 Canadians experience mental illness in any given year? And that 4,000 Canadians die by suicide every year—almost 11 people per day? And yet, many don't realize that, in its most severe forms, mental illness can be fatal.
This is my way of giving back to my community, who unknowingly supported me, and gave me purpose during those long tough months of 2020. With your support, we can change how the world sees and treats mental illness. We can break down stigma and lead important conversations about suicide prevention. We can give people time to get the help they need; families time to heal; and researchers and clinicians time to make breakthroughs and offer new treatment options.
Please donate today.
Together, we can give people hope for a better tomorrow. #burpeesforbetterdays
