CHAARG History
CHAARG was started a little over 6 years ago at Ohio State University by a girl named Elisabeth Tavierne. She saw that when she would go to the gym, there were mostly guys on the weight floor. She saw how this could be intimidating for girls. So, she started putting the CHAARG movement in motion.
CHAARG is now a national organization at over 60 colleges. Its headquarters is in Chicago, IL. There, they have a group of girls who help all the chapters run smoothly. They also have CHAARGterns. These are college girls who want to do more with CHAARG and they help with social media, the CHAARG shop, and more!
What is CHAARG?
CHAARG is an all-girls fitness movement that embodies health + wellness as a whole. There are chapters at many Universities that act as a club. However, if you do not have CHAARG at your college, you can bring it there or partake in the national events.
The national events include:
+Fit Plans (Include a workout plan for the week for about a month, a meal plan, motivational materials, social media challenges to keep you connected, and more!)
+ RunCHAARG (A running challenge. A mile would usually be a bolt and every time you do cardio for a mile, you count it like a bolt. This is a fun little challenge to keep girls motivated.)
+CHAARGmas (Like secret Santa, but you can be paired with any girl around the nation who is involved in CHAARG. It allows you to get to know them, which is super fun!)
+ Body Positivity Challenges (The new version of Fit Plans!)
+ A Post Graduate Membership (This connects you with other girls that have goals similar to yours!)
Individual CHAARG Chapter Events
I am on the executive team as one of the event coordinators for UCF CHAARG. In case you don't know, UCF stands for the University of Central Florida which is located in Orlando, FL. Most of the schools run CHAARG the same way that we do, however, this is what you can expect from joining CHAARG at UCF:
+ Weekly Workout on Tuesday nights (This includes trying a new workout every week!)
+ A small group weekly workout with up to 10-15 other girls (You choose the time + day that works best for you!) Sometimes these can be social to help become closer as a group
+ Getting connected with about 200 other girls who may have the same goals as you do (Through GroupMe + Facebook!)
+ A retreat +/or formal
+ Opportunity for leadership (As a small group leader or being on the executive team!)
+ A world of motivation + support through Instagram using #UCFCHAARG! (Every CHAARG girl is encouraged to make a CHAARG Instagram post about fitness, health, + all things CHAARG)
+ Weekly Newsletters (This helps with motivation, health + wellness tips, keeping you updated with all things CHAARG, etc.!)
Why I CHAARG
I joined CHAARG when it was first brought to UCF. My first good friend at UCF told me about it because she saw it on Facebook. It was when I was going to the gym a lot, so she thought it would be a great fit for me! We both put our e-mails under the post to get more information. She ended up not going to a lot of the events because she was busy. However, I still went to the meetings. Everyone was so nice + welcoming. I remember my first small group was filled with about 15 girls and our leader was a girl named Celine.
We all got very close and motivated each other. Celine was the one who pushed me to move forward with creating a club cheer team. UCF Club Cheer is now still in motion and I am so happy about that. The next semester, I became a small group leader with my summer roommate, Rachael. That small group also became very close. I have been really good friends with one specific girl named Emily. She helped me through some tough times and we still see each other when we can even though she moved to Boca.
I was a small group leader for a few more semesters until I was chosen to be on the Executive Team last semester. This was one of my goals when CHAARG first started, and I am so excited to be a part of something so wonderful. Whenever I go to a CHAARG event I feel comfortable. I feel like I can be myself. I am also motivated by these wonderful girls to stay active + healthy. I can't believe I am going to graduate this spring, but I plan to stay involved with CHAARG as much as I can.
Why You Should Join
You should join CHAARG at your school for so many reasons! You can be outgoing or shy + still find your group of girls. You get what you put into CHAARG. If you want a new group of girls to hang with, you just have to keep going to the events. If you just want motivation from time to time, but you already have your group of girls, this is still great for you! You can go to whatever events you can attend. Don't know what your "fit" is? Weekly workouts allow you to try different types of workouts so you can see what is out there + what you may like. Do you have a fitness goal? I am sure someone else within the group has the same one or something similar. If you join CHAARG, you are joining a family of girls who may become your next best friends!
How to Join
Go to CHAARG.com to grab your membership + learn more about ways to get involved with CHAARG. Feel free to follow my CHAARG Instagram: @jessie.chaarg! I'm here to answer any questions you may have!
