24hr Murph Challenge: How a friend’s death kickstarted the suicide awareness challenge
Head Coach Aidan Chemaly hopes the Murph Challenge can help create greater awareness of mental wellness, especially for men, who are averse to seeking help.
Striking for a balance in life may be as simple as carving out time regularly to indulge in an activity you choose. Yahoo Life Singapore chats with personalities who share their passion for a sport or wellness activity they enjoy, which helps them take on the world with zeal. This monthly series will inspire you to find an interest that will add that sparkle to your life.
Aidan Chemaly, Head Coach at Mobilus Clark Quay, leverages his fitness knowledge to increase mental wellness awareness. He started CrossFit in 2013 to prepare for the rugby season and has been hooked ever since. Since then, he has been to the CrossFit Regionals twice and the CrossFit Games once. His proudest achievements revolve around his family, getting married, owning a home, and, of course, getting to compete at world championships.
Yahoo Life Singapore: What is one sport, fitness or wellness activity you love, and how did you get started?
Aidan Chemaly: Before starting CrossFit, I played Rugby my entire life. Rugby will always have my heart, but I have fallen in love with CrossFit and community-based exercise.
What are its benefits, and what do you love about it?
CrossFit is never only about the sports side. I love the community and the shared experience I have developed by getting people together to do something challenging. Nothing I’ve seen builds relationships and communities like that!
We will all have days when we don't think we are enough or others are better than us, but those bad days make the good days so great.Aidan on days when he questions himself or feels let down.
How often do you indulge in it, and with whom?
Even though my competition days are behind me, I still like to train or exercise five times a week with as many of those in group situations as I can get! I'm fortunate to have two great gyms to do that in.
Have you, at any point, questioned yourself, envied your peers or felt down? Was there any point you wanted to give up? How did you bounce back?
Plenty! And I still do. But this is where having a group of people around you can be so important. We will all have days when we don't think we are enough or others are better than us, but those bad days make the good days so great. The key is not to give up and remember that everything takes time.
Everyone needs to make their wellness more of a priority, especially men. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but strength.Aidan on what he hopes to increase awareness about.
What gear do you need or wear when engaging in the sport or wellness activity?
Wearing the proper attire to work out is very important. Lululemon adopts an industry-leading approach to innovation where the brand creates the best-feeling performance apparel.
This is only possible through an intentional and rigorous R&D process and the brand's unwavering commitment to delivering unparalleled fit, feel, and performance that Lululemon's products are renowned for.
My favourite is the License to Train range. The 7-inch shorts and the tank are go-tos when I’m training with anything with a barbell. The pace breakers are great all-round shorts and perfect for any occasion.
License to Train Ultralight Linerless Short 7"
License to Train Tank Top Engineered
Pace Breaker Lined Short 7"
57.5kg Cast Iron Olympic Barbell Kit
The metal vent tees are my favourite when it comes to running. And for anything out of the gym, my go-to is the ABC pants!
Metal Vent Tech Short-Sleeve Shirt
Available in 17 colours
ABC Pull-On Pant
Please share one thing you learned from this wellness activity or what you wish others to discover.
You are not alone; everyone needs to make their wellness more of a priority, especially men. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness but strength.
As a CrossFit trainer, how do you inject positivity to the public?
I've been lucky to be a part of some amazing transformations and changes in people's lives, but if I had to say one thing daily, it would be that failure is okay! We all struggle, but it's learning from those experiences and trying again that we grow!
Could you share the insight you gained thanks to the wellness activity?
I learnt that I didn't know enough about it. And this whole experience over the last three years has also been a learning experience for me. Mental well-being was not something that was spoken about a lot about growing up, and since starting the fundraisers, it has been very eye-opening to see how many people needed to learn who they could talk to or how to talk about it.
We all struggle, but it's learning from those experiences and trying again that we grow!Aidan on spreading positivity to the public.
In 2021, someone close to you chose to end his life instead of reaching out. You transformed your grief and took action to kickstart the 24-hour Murph Challenge. What is it about, and what do you hope to achieve with it?
His death made me realise that he didn't know who he could turn to, and it made me realise that I had also been holding onto my struggles internally. I wanted to create something that would help raise awareness that there are people out there we can turn to and reach out to. As well as bringing people together in a shared experience to unite and talk about our struggles. And this is the crucial message.
The Murph Challenge involves 12 workout sessions (each an hour long) conducted over 24 hours in light of how mental well-being issues often persist throughout the day for many. Each Murph Challenge will consist of a one-mile run, 100 pullups, 200 pushups, 300 squats, and another one-mile run, all with participants donning a 9kg vest. Movement is highly underrated not just for our physical health but also for our mental health.
The Murph Challenge was designed as communal sessions to demonstrate the importance of community and the significance of people overcoming "weight" together, as physical and mental well-being is a team sport.
Did you, at any point, wish you had done something more for your friend?
He was a colleague of my wife's. She was close to him, and I saw what his death did to his family and those around him. But it hit so close to home that I wanted to do something to make sure that other people around me felt like they were not alone.
The 24-hour Murph Challenge is running in its third year now. And you have joined hands with Lululemon, Canvas, Division Athletics and Urban Edge in 2023. Please share more about this 2023 event and how we can support this cause.
The Murph Challenge was created in partnership with Lululemon, where the brand believes in a holistic approach to well-being that helps create a healthier future for all within the community.
Lululemon's annual Global Wellbeing Report provides a glimpse into the world's state of holistic well-being across physical, mental, and social elements that allows the brand to assess the barriers and challenges to well-being and identify actionable solutions through advocacy efforts and critical initiatives.
As a global company committed to advancing well-being for all, Lululemon has continuously provided access to well-being tools and resources to more than five million people. I have been lucky enough to work with Lululemon for over three years, including being a current legacy ambassador. I was drawn to the brand because of what they do for the wider community, and I have been lucky enough to run and be part of some fantastic events along the way.
Interested participants can register for the Murph Challenge at https://findyourwellbeing.eventbrite.com. Limited spots are available. All proceeds will be donated to Samaritans of Singapore.
Why do you think there’s an increase in talk about mental wellness in recent years?
Many causes have been championed to raise the awareness of mental well-being and the availability of health and resources.
This includes Lululemon's "Find Your Wellbeing" campaign launched in October, where a series of community sweat sessions and interactive pop-ups has been launched in the region to support physical, mental and social wellbeing – the Murph Challenge being one of these activities.
The "Find Your Wellbeing" campaign follows Lululemon's Global Wellbeing Report that uncovered steps everyone can take to improve their well-being, including working out and exercising with other people when possible. Those with high well-being were 4X more likely than those with low well-being to have joined free community-based workouts.
Everyone's journey will be different; what works for me might not work for everyone, and that's why it's so important to find the things that are important to you.Aidan on finding the balance point in life.
Do you think city dwellers such as those living in Singapore are doomed to suffer from mental breakdown, depression and unfulfillment? What active steps do you think we take to counteract stress, depression and mental breakdowns?
I think everyone is safe! Singapore does have a challenging work/life balance, and we can all see that even starting from a young age through school. But it is not all doom and gloom; our well-being is all about priority; it's about making time for ourselves and our relationships with those close to us. We might not be able to make time every day, but the more days a week we can do it, the better we will be for it.
Physical activity just for mental well-being is highly underrated. You don’t have to do anything specific. Find something you enjoy and is easy and see how much of a difference it makes to your mental state.
Why do you think there is a need for a greater awareness of mental wellness, specifically for men?
In Lululemon's third annual Global Wellbeing Report, it was found that more than 1 in 2 individuals identifying as men in Singapore wish they wouldn't be judged for showing an interest in improving their mental well-being. 50% of the surveyed men in Singapore feel that society has made it more difficult for them to speak up about their mental health than women.
Gen Zs also feel the effect of social media on their well-being, with 2 in 5 reporting that social media negatively impacts their mental well-being. Unfortunately, men think asking for help is a sign of weakness. I have seen this firsthand, even in myself. I wanted to change this perception and show that you are not alone in this struggle.
When I started the Murph Challenge three years ago, I was amazed at how many people close to me began to open up about their own experiences and how much these issues have impacted them. That's the main reason why, three years later, I am still championing this cause.
Mental health and well-being are so important to me. I am proud to be a part of Lululemon's commitment to help advance men's and the community's well-being through the “Find Your Wellbeing” campaign.
People underestimate how important exercise is for our mental well-being and how it doesn’t even need to be something more complicated than walking.Aidan on establishing a simple self-care routine.
What is your self-care routine like?
There are two things I have built my mental health on. The first is exercise. People underestimate how important exercise is for our mental well-being and how it doesn’t even need to be something more complicated than walking.
The second is finding people to lean on. When I realised asking for help wasn't showing people you are weak, I developed a stronger relationship with those around me and leaned on their support when I needed it the most.
The final thing that is super important for self-care is growth. Making sure that we are constantly growing, whether at work, physically or mentally, but just making sure we continue to grow and we can move forward.
What's your advice to those who want to kickstart the same wellness activity?
There's no better time than now. It doesn't have to be a big step, but even minor actions can kickstart something huge!
Is there anything else you would like to share with Yahoo readers?
Everyone's journey will be different; what works for me might only work for some, and that's why it's so important to find the things that are important to you. There is no perfect solution to wellness that fits everyone. Just like there is no ideal exercise for everyone. Find something you enjoy and have fun with it. Or else, what's the point?
Meditation and Crystal Alchemy Sound Bath with Bebe Ding and Naomi Yeo
Lululemon will also partner with ambassadors Bebe Ding and Naomi Yeo to host meditation and crystal alchemy sound bath classes on 21 October 2023. All proceeds raised from the classes will be donated to Samaritans of Singapore (SOS). Get the latest updates at the Lululemon Instagram.
Global icons Jeon Somi and Taeyang open up about their well-being
Further afield, global icons Jeon Somi and Taeyang, celebrities and athletes from the APAC region, plus field experts including psychologists and Lululemon ambassadors, join forces to unlock drivers and tackle barriers to well-being, especially for men and Gen Zs.
Lululemon is available on Lululemon's official website and Lazada.
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