"Let's Play Ball!" by Kate Funderburk
Last Friday, I went to my first Red Sox game of the season. Like any faithful Bostonian, I know that Fenway Park is one of the best places in the world, whether or not you pay any attention to baseball–honestly, the game is almost beside the point. Between the wave, the section of the park called the “green monster,” the mandatory singing of “Sweet Caroline” and the mandatory head bopping to “I’m Shipping up to Boston,” or the t-shirts on sale that say “Yankees Suck” or “Real Women Don’t Date Yankees Fans,” there’s really something for everyone. I have lots of great memories of Fenway, including (oddly enough), it being the place I got my first COVID vaccination.
When I was in middle school, my grandfather and his good friend (also a priest at my grandfather’s church) traveled together to Fort Myers, Florida for the Red Sox spring training, just two of many New Englanders doing the exact same thing. Nothing about that sentence seemed weird to me at the time. It’s only now that I look at it and realize how utterly Massachusetts every word in that sentence truly is. I also didn’t think it was weird that my grandfather’s friend always had three flagpoles in front of the church: one for the U.S. flag, one for the Vatican flag, and one for the Red Sox flag. Because, you know, the entities those three flags represent are equally deserving of our loyal devotion.
But spring training isn’t just for the Red Sox. Or baseball players, for that matter. It’s a time when a lot of us feel the need to start fresh, whether it’s by doing spring cleaning or doing some spring training of our own. Fortunately, for the past eight or so years, I’ve been collecting and experimenting with various online programs made by and for the CF community that help me do exactly that. So if you’re itching for some spring training yourself, as well as new ways to connect to the CF community, look no further.
On-demand:
-Pulmonary Performance Institute
Taylor Lewis, based out of the Bay Area, works regularly with people with CF and with COPD. He has personally helped me not only with finding workouts, but also has a deep understanding of the mechanics of breathing and tailors exercise to specific CF needs, especially with building lung capacity.
https://www.youtube.com/@pulmonaryperformanceinstit3827
-Tai Chi for Cystic Fibrosis
Tai Chi is slow meditative movement, and is great for a low impact workout or a stress reliever. Originally created in partnership with the UK’s Cystic Fibrosis Trust, this series is meant specifically for people with CF.
https://www.youtube.com/@ukwushitaijiquan
-Dancing Together with CF
DTWCF was a program funded by a CF Foundation impact grant, and many of the classes they offered were recorded and live on this YouTube channel. Some of the classes are geared towards school-age children, but are still good workouts. My personal recommendation: West African Dance. https://www.youtube.com/@dancingtogetherwithcf8848/featured
-Beam/BreatheStrong+
Beam is a platform that has on-demand exercise and educational videos for a variety of medical conditions, including CF. If you live in the US, you can get free access to Beam through BreatheStrong+/Miles for CF (https://milesforcf.org/breathestrongplus/), an incentive program and community to help motivate fitness and healthy living for people with CF. All Beam CF instructors either have CF, are family members of people with CF, or are medical professionals who work with the CF population. https://beamfeelgood.com/on-demand/
-CF Lifestyle Foundation
CFLF has since merged with BreatheStrong+, but has an excellent YouTube channel with educational videos, workouts, cooking classes, mindfulness sessions, and more. https://www.youtube.com/@CFlifestyleFoundation/featured
-Breath Cycle
Originally a project involving the Scottish CF community and the Scottish National Opera, Breath Cycle has videos which guide you through breathing and vocal exercises. http://www.breathcycle.co.uk/
-Breathe Bravely/sINgSPIRE
Don’t forget all the awesome resources right on the sINgSPIRE website, including breath and vocal exercises and warm-ups!
https://www.breathebravely.org/ising
Live classes:
-CF Yogi
CF Yogi has been continuously offering yoga twice a week to the CF community since 2019. All instructors either have CF or are parents of CFers.
-CFRI
CFRI is a west coast-based organization focused on research and support for the CF community. In addition to virtual and in-person retreats for the adult CF community, there is an annual conference that has both in-person and virtual components. Finally, their education and support resource page has links to sign up for weekly exercise classes, as well as an 8-week mindfulness course that is offered periodically. https://www.cfri.org/education-support/
-Piper’s Angels Foundation Breathworks and Mindfulness Programs
Piper’s Angels offers two programs, Breathworks
(https://www.pipersangels.org/inspire-breathworks) and Unmasking Mindfulness
(https://www.pipersangels.org/unmasking-mindfulness). While I have not personally tried either yet, I’m signed up for the next Breathworks cohort, which will start in a couple of weeks, and teaches breathing techniques to help with both physical and mental health.