Meet July Community Captain of the Month, Jessica Bryzek
Jessica is originally from Indiana and moved to the mountain state about 5 years ago for an AmeriCorps position. She fell in love with the mountains, rivers, and the community! The outdoor recreation opportunities are so plentiful, and she loves getting out in the mountains exploring the trails, forest, and waterways. Jessica leads both hiking and yoga programs for Active SWV.
Physical activity is Jessica’s favorite part of her day. “It feels so good to be healthy, active, and to move my body,” she says. She started out playing soccer as a kid, then ran cross country and track in high school and college. When she moved to West Virginia, Jessica became a trail runner because the trails are so beautiful and plentiful and a lot safer to run on than the curvy mountain roads. In the past few years, she has started doing trail ultra marathons, completing race distances from 30 – 50 miles. In these long races, she hikes often, eats a ton of snacks, and make friends with other crazy runners that also like to push their limits. To balance the stress from ultra running, Jessica also focuses on yoga, which is a lower impact way to move my body that helps me feel recovered and refreshes my mind.
Since she lives near Valley Falls, she goes there often, and absolutely loves the park. There is a great big green space by the main waterfall, and she also thought it would be perfect for a yoga class. Jessica says, “sharing my love of nature and yoga is what motivates me to volunteer.”
For Jessica, health isn’t just about the absence of disease, but is about feeling mentally, emotionally, physically, and spiritually balanced. Moving her body through running, kayaking, hiking, and yoga, is how she stays connected to herself and builds her connection to the outside world. She is active because she feels so much better when she moves her body.
Joining a FREE Active SWV event is a great way to try out a new activity and explore the ways your body can move. Also, it is an excellent way to make new friends and meet new people in your community!
Join the “movement” with Active SWV free programming, either with Community Captain Jessica or dozens of other motivated volunteers. Free membership starts here.
Visit our website calendar to see all the ways to stay active.
