Part of our internship program involves each intern writing a weekly blog about a particular topic they’ve learned or discovered. Today, Claire Bailey, a 2016 graduate of Indiana State University, has tackled the blog:

I personally would consider myself a fitness fanatic. I love keeping my mind, body, and soul healthy with exercise. Trying new ways to push my body physically is exciting for me. Walking my dog, riding my bike, and running on the Monon Trail are just a few of the ways that I live an active lifestyle. I consider fitness to be any physical activity that you wake up in the morning craving to do. It bothers me that people try to make it more complicated than it should be. If your current exercise routine isn’t fun, then you haven’t found what you enjoy yet (and that is totally okay!). Experimenting with new workout routines and regiments is part of the process. However, if you have become bored with your fitness routine, maybe it’s time to switch it up and try something new. I am constantly broadening my horizons with new fitness adventures. Last year I tried an extreme obstacle race with my dad and loved it. My latest bucket-list item for the summer is checking out kayaking at Eagle Creek Park.

Claire blog

It’s our job to show our youth how awesome the bicycle is and Coach Claire is doing an excellent job of that this summer!

Working as an intern at Nine13sports has made me realize that we are inspiring kids to become passionate about fitness. Even though the tool we use is a bike, it still translates to the child’s life in a multitude of ways. We want children do something active that gets them outside for at least 60 minutes a day, but it doesn’t just have to be cycling. Helping kids find passion in health and wellness is what Nine13sports strives to do. A big problem affecting Indianapolis, and the United States in general, is young people today don’t enjoy going outside and playing as much as older generations once did. It is our job at Nine13sports to make bicycling the cool thing to do again. My childhood was spent riding my bike. I hope to inspire the youth with whom Nine13sports works to put down the video games and pick up a bike instead.