Spark has hosted their annual Recovery Olympics, with nearly 100 clients and colleagues getting involved in the CrossFit inspired games.
Their popular Olympics inspired event is held every year to celebrate National Recovery Month – a big awareness occasion in the recovery community calendar.
Gruelling activities took place throughout the afternoon, including a team cardio challenge, group exercise, and a relay race with a twist.
Joanna Clarke, Service Manager at Spark, said: “It was great to see so many people, colleagues and members of the local recovery community coming together to connect and have fun”.
She continued: “The jam-packed day was great at inspiring people to work together and motivate each other to achieve a common goal. There were prizes up for grabs for the lucky winners too”.
“Huge thanks to the 180 Project for hosting the day”
The event was hosted by the 180 Project and held at Delta Fox, Blackburn with Darwen’s first ‘official CrossFit box’. Located at Albert Mill in Lower Darwen, the space offers the perfect environment for weightlifting, expert coaching and fitness.
In 2019, DeltaFox partnered with The 180 Project which offers a unique programme for those in recovery from addiction. Thanks to this partnership, clients from Spark attend weekly CrossFit sessions.
Joanna continued: “The turnout demonstrates the wonderful recovery community we have in Blackburn with Darwen. Huge thanks to the 180 Project for hosting the day.
“This is just the first of many events for us in September, we hope to see more people join us as we continue to celebrate Recovery Month.”
CrossFit is a high-intensity fitness programme that incorporates elements from several sports and types of exercise, including weightlifting and cardio.
Libby Winstanley, Admin Assistant at Spark, said: “It was a great turnout. I went expecting egg and spoon races, but they made us do proper CrossFit training. It was tough but so much fun. Everyone got involved!”.
Experts think regular physical activity can act as a healthy stand-in for addictive substances, because exercise and addictive substances work on similar parts of your brain. They both activate your reward pathway, which triggers the release of feel-good chemicals like serotonin and dopamine.
To find out more about Spark, please visit sparkbwd.org.uk or call 01254 495014.