It’s a hectic time at party offices before the election campaign begins. The candidate lists must be finalized and the election platform completed. The Estonian Greens Party has, however, begun gathering energy through sports ahead of the most intense election rush and has accepted the training challenge “Tough Spirits” offered by FitQ.
“We’ve got to get in shape somehow,” chuckled party co-leader Johanna Maria Tõugu. “Since the Center Party members are breaking out in a dance, we’ll just have to accept the workout challenge to be even better,” Johanna Maria recalled, referring to the dance show’s finale.
In addition to Johanna Maria, the Green Party team includes Secretary-General Kärt Kalvet, as well as Karen K. Burns and Oliver Rohesalu. The goal of the challenge is for the team to complete a total of 50 workouts on the FitQ platform under the guidance of trainers within 24 days.
What do the team members hope will change for them over the course of these days and workouts?
Karen hopes that the workout challenge will help her get through the darkest season of the year. While the startup Fyma goes running, plays golf, and goes horseback riding with her daughter, it’s precisely during the fall season that she needs to draw more strength and motivation from her team and from working together.
Kärdi’s dream is that the rhythm of the challenge will stay with him even after it ends, and once he’s gotten used to the new weekly routine, he’ll be able to continue exercising regularly well into the new year. “I was a very dedicated athlete when I was in school, but right now I’m not satisfied with my level of activity. I think what’s been missing is a system that would help make going to the gym a convenient part of my daily routine. I need to find ways to make going to the gym as easy as possible,” Kärt said.
Oliver rates his current fitness routine as pretty good and says he goes to the gym regularly. He hopes to discover new tips and workout ideas from the Challenge sessions that he can later incorporate into his daily routine. We believe this hope could come true, as there are both yoga and dance workouts coming up—activities that are certainly not typical for everyday gym-goers. And where else to try them if not at home?
We also asked the experts about Estonians’ overall physical activity habits. While the Nordic countries rank among the top in Europe and the world in terms of physical activity, the small country of Estonia, located right next to them, is more of a solid middle-of-the-pack performer in Europe. What can be done to get our people to be significantly more active than they are now, just like in the Nordic countries?
Karen believes that fostering a love of physical activity in childhood plays a key role here. While her own children have active recess periods, it is extremely sad to hear that her friend’s child, who attends an elite school in Tallinn, is not allowed to go outside during recess.
Johanna also believes that the average Estonian’s level of physical activity is far from sufficient, and the design of our living environment does not contribute to it. “Cities are designed for cars, and there are few environments that encourage physical activity, although the situation is improving in small steps. I see that creating a greener and healthier environment also plays a major role in promoting physical activity and improving public health,” Johanna noted somewhat critically.
Karen echoed this sentiment: “I’d really like to see the development of cycling infrastructure so that a bicycle isn’t just a piece of exercise equipment but is actually a normal mode of transportation —it would help promote an active lifestyle, so to speak, and would likely reduce many health problems, obesity, and the resulting costs to the Health Insurance Fund,” added the company’s CEO, whose firm analyzes traffic volume on a daily basis and knows exactly how many cars and how many bicycles are on our roads.
Access to opportunities for physical activity is very important. Kärt recalls her childhood, when she and her friends were able to stay active because sports facilities were close by and easily accessible. “I was lucky to spend my childhood in an area that had fitness trails, a ski hill, and a swimming pool, and access to them was always available. The better the accessibility, the easier it is for people to find their way to sports,” said the Secretary-General of the Green Party, assessing future prospects.
Oliver emphasized the importance of role models: “Overweight and obesity are major problems, and I think we need to do a better job of promoting a healthy lifestyle both in physical education classes and at home. The example set by adults is the most important. It’s never too early or too late to start.” Wise words.
We wish the Green Party team success in our challenge, and even if they don’t come in first in the Riigikogu elections this time, by registering for the challenge, they’ve laid the groundwork for success in the fitness challenge.
