A few months ago, I found a Facebook post that a group called CHAARG was coming to Rutgers University. CHAARG is a "fitness sorority" all around the country that aims to "eliminate girls from the elliptical." I found that if I were to be involved in any organization, it would be just this.
I am passionate about maintaining strong mental and physical health. An application for an executive position followed this post. I contemplated sending in an application to be a part of this group. I was afraid I wouldn't have time with a busy schedule. However, I remembered at the summer orientation that I had attended, a student told us that a large school like Rutgers can seem so small when you get involved. You get to meet many people from different backgrounds just by simply participating in an organization at school.
What I wanted most during my freshman year was to branch out and become involved to make this previous statement true. After a terribly difficult transition into my freshman year at college, I held myself back from doing just what I wanted to do: get involved. I decided to change my "freshman year mindset" and I hit send on my application, and before I knew it I became an event coordinator for CHAARG at Rutgers University.
Although our CHAARG fall season has not begun, this organization has had all of our executive team members so involved. Every month, our executive board participates in video calls to chat about our lives and plan an exciting season for the students who will be involved. We also are constantly speaking and connecting with CHAARG girls from all around the United States. Each girl involved in this group runs their own "in CHAARG" Instagram account. I have already learned and been inspired by these girls who may live miles and miles away from me.
Feeling so inspired by this community, I have been on a road to happiness. I have never been satisfied with my body in the past. I was hard on myself in high school and wasn't properly taking care of my physical well being. I struggled with trying to eat enough every day and developed an unhealthy mindset that forced me to look too skinny. In college, through anxious times, I began to binge eat and gained weight that I would never have imagined to put on. I suffered from anxiety attacks often regarding my body. I "let myself go" and didn't properly take care of myself for a while due to lack of motivation. I was not in a healthy mindset and found it so difficult to pick myself back up.
After joining CHAARG, I am on a road to health, both mentally and physically. I am given workouts, recipes, tips to sustain a healthy mind, podcasts, and seminars about health and fitness every day. I am lifted by a group of girls throughout the entire country. I am learning about new types of workouts and new moves in bodyweight training. I can truly say I am living a happy life- physically and mentally thanks to a decision I made on a whim. I sweat in a new way every day, I track my progress, I check in with my mind and reflect every day, I participate in self-care activities, and most importantly I am healthier than I have ever been in a very long time. Our first CHAARG season at Rutgers has not started, but I am already so inspired and elevated by this program.
