Bringing mindfulness and inclusivity into the gym

As fitness brands go, CrossFit is a world-wide phenomenon. Founded by former US gymnast Greg Glassman in 2000, the brand grew to 13 affiliates by 2005. Twenty years on, and there were 15,000 affiliates worldwide, pre-June at least. Following a series of tweets by Glassman, the brand faced a global backlash, resulting in 100’s of disaffiliations and uncertainty for the affiliate owners who were already dealing with the impact of lockdowns and the implications of COVID19; Glassman agreed to stand down a few days later. 

For Chelsea Eddy-Waland (26) who lives in Sedgwick and co-owns Fell CrossFit on Beezon Road in Kendal, with her husband Jack Waland – it wasn’t a matter of disengaging from the CrossFit brand, it was more about encouraging a positive change in society and fully embracing the meaning of community and inclusivity. A quick look on the website and you can see the positioning of Fell is all about a social community, support and inclusivity. 

Fell CrossFit was born out of Chelsea’s own personal experience of feeling physically weak and mentally and emotionally vulnerable. On her own journey to become fitter, Chelsea became stronger in mind, body and spirit, a fact she credits to being able to set up and run her own business. 

“I set up Fell CrossFit in 2018, with the goal of running a gym which was welcoming, supportive and friendly,” says Chelsea. “The philosophy of the business is to share CrossFit with people in a warm, caring and nurturing environment.” 

Being a committed convert to the CrossFit way of training, becoming an affiliate was a natural progression. There are nine CrossFit affiliated gyms in Cumbria. 

“But,” Chelsea continues, “CrossFit is traditionally known for its grungy, garage-style, so I wanted to change that perception and make people, women in particular, realise that our environment is inclusive, and we aim to inspire, and motivate gym and fitness phobics!” 

Chelsea moved to Cumbria from Teesside eight years ago to study at Lancaster University. She views her occupation as multifaceted as she is also doing her PHD in English Literature, writing an alternative literary tourist guide to the Lake District. Her research challenges the predominant Romanticisation of the Lakes by unearthing marginal narratives in order to reveal a darker experience of the Lakeland landscape that is undoubtedly Gothic.   

While Fell specialises in CrossFit classes, it also runs outdoor social events for its members such as paddle boarding, wild swimming, climbing, and running. 

With a team of five coaches and around 100 members, the vibe is a collective, supportive and encouraging safe space, which instantly gives people the confidence to do the classes and empowers them on their own journey of physical and mental strength. 

During lockdown the gym may have been closed but Fell remained present for its members. 

“We closed on the Friday and were fully open online by the Monday,” said Chelsea. “We handed out the kit to members and proceeded to do zoom CrossFit classes, video coaching demos, online supplements (bodybuilding, gymnastics, mobility, yin yoga and weightlifting) and set up weekly socials. Our goal was to motivate our members on social and combine that with wellness check-ins, because the emotional health and wellbeing of our members beyond their physical fitness is our top priority” 

For now, the 3000sq foot space or Box (as it’s known within the CrossFit tribe) is open with COVID19 health and safety measures in place. 

“We reopened outdoors in July, and initially kept our online support and classes running for those who need to isolate. We are now fully operational inside too running classes every day and our toilets, showers and changing facilities are also available. Should another lockdown happen, we have the plans in place to pivot once again and help our members with whatever they might need.” 

For the uninitiated, Fell’s CrossFit classes are generally, when not conducted over Zoom or at home, group training with a personalised approach that guarantee results for anyone – their members are aged 3 to 67. Chelsea’s Grandad does chair based CrossFit! Essentially, it’s the same workout just modified to an individual’s current ability and adaptive for injuries, pregnancy and disabilities. 

“Everyone is part of the fam,” says Chelsea, “There is no elitism or egos. We like to think of Fell as a hub of health to look after your unique self that includes exercise classes, a wholesome cafe, nutrition packages, seminars, competitions, social events and workshops.” 

It is this holistic approach which led Chelsea to co-found Fellscapes with Oakley Woodhouse from Lancaster 24, owner of Forest Flow CrossFit, and an elite-level athlete who has competed at the CrossFit Games. 

“I have always admired Oakley,” admits Chelsea, “When we finally met, we totally gelled, and a ? hour coffee chat turned into a three-hour meeting and an agreement to start a business!” 

“My husband had previous mooted the idea of fitness holidays, but our meeting took the idea to a whole new level and Fellscapes was born.” 

As specialist coaches, Chelsea and Oakley focus on educational fitness and mindful movement, which means from knowledge and experience they know how important and crucial mindset is to a person’s progress enabling them to achieve their soul goals. 

“Our clients are compassionately coaxed out of their comfort zone with advanced training and outdoor pursuits, but we compliment this with journaling, meditation and breathwork,” said Chelsea. 

Their next retreat, on the 8th of September, was fully booked months ago. Held at the Lyth Valley Country House, the residential retreat will welcome 19 guests, to 16 acres of land and a fully functioning COVID19 safety plan.  

For Chelsea, the success of her businesses has been based on building a community, showcasing real people, displaying authenticity who really live the business’ brand values. 

“The transformations we post on Facebook and Insta are amazing and personal,” says Chelsea. “It really works to show people in their normal lives and living the values which we believe are important too.”