"I am not part of a “skateboard gang”, I enjoy other sports as well, but, skateboarding is my favorite sport. It is my sport, my hobby, and even my mode of transportation. I don’t even own a bicycle any more, I skateboard everywhere. I love everything about it…except the stereotypes. I have been skateboarding since I was 3-years-old and all I have to say about skating is…thank you. I’m fifteen now and skateboarding is what has shaped me into the young man I am today. It taught me to always get up after I fall, to never give up, to stick with something until I get it down and to be proud of what I have accomplished."

- anonymous, 15

"The reason I sail is why most people travel. Because of the terror, and the joy, of leaving the known and passing into the unknown; the idea that what you mind find might be better than what you left behind. It might be uncomfortable; it might be scary; it will certainly be un-perfect. But it will be magnificent.

For me, the sea is the eternal unknown; it’s the question I will be asking myself for the rest of the life. The far-off shore I’ll always be pointing my rudder toward, even if the journey is all I’ll ever find."

- Claire S.
Via Why Do I Sail?

"My mom always encouraged my brothers and I to play sports. My dad played soccer at UNC and my mom played field hockey, lacrosse and was a high diver at WCU. Athletics is in our blood. It was always our choice if we wanted to participate or not, but it brought my parents (especially my mom) so much joy to watch us play. The lessons I learned from athletics are countless. I learned how to be a good teammate, to deal with coaches I didn’t agree with, to take care of my body, to bounce back after an injury, to be a leader, to be a cheerleader, to be a coach and it gave me the opportunity to visit new places and meet new people. Athletics also taught me how to set goals and follow through. In high school I set a goal to play field hockey in college on an athletic scholarship and I did just that at James Madison University. I have my mother to thank for exposing me to field hockey and fanning the flame of passion that was ignited in me."

- Lindsay Mc.
Via The 5 Best Lessons From My Mother

"I was diagnosed with with Stage IA breast cancer when I was 26, after finding a small tumor was near the surface of my breast.

Cancer destroys your body from the inside out. I had days (and weeks) where I could barely make it to the bathroom, let alone go to work. Running really helped with my energy. When I started, I could barely run for one minute, but less than one month after I got the official remission announcement from my doctor, I ran my first half marathon. I was also dealing with anxiety and depression. Yoga really helped me through those days when I thought I just couldn't go on."

- Jen E., 31
Via SHAPE magazine

"The upbeat music, the full body workout and the encouragement of the BBS  community originally hooked me and then kept me coming every day. Almost  immediately, I saw results; I felt stronger, my strength increased and I gained back some of the flexibility I lost after I stopped dancing regularly. I always  look forward to coming to the studio, and being a part of the incredible  community at BBS has motivated me to  push myself even harder."

- Kylee
Via Barre Body Studio

“I took a personal approach to it [exercise]  and only did what felt good for me that was that ‘aha moment’ when it clicked for me that fitness really wasn’t all about how I looked or what the number on the scale was…fitness is more an intuitive process when you really listen to our body.”

- Lestraundra A.

"We go outside to rinse ourselves of worldly stress, and to taste again that simple life. In our escape, we leave behind Facebook and Twitter for a brief time, choosing instead face-to-face time beside the campfire, and the tweet of the kingfisher along the riverbank.

We go outside to recharge. To sweat. To ingest a healthy dose of dirt. And learn lessons that cannot be taught in any book or website. We go to test ourselves, and our instincts. To enjoy our friends in a different light. To set our imaginations alight. We go to taste freedom.

Amid those cathedral groves, blue waters and high peaks, we glimpse the insignificance – and the ephemeral beauty – of our own precious life. In the process, we unearth a kinder, gentler incarnation of ourselves. It seems an inescapable truth that we are always a better person for having been outdoors."

- Bruce K.
Via Why We Go Outdoors

"I run to enable myself to be present to my body. To pay attention to it, to clear out the cobwebs of daily stresses, to breathe life into my internal mental, emotional and spiritual spaces. And I am so profoundly grateful for this shift in posture because there was a time when exercise and running still smacked too much of the compulsion and control that led to disconnection for me. I feared I would never be able to use my body in an athletic way.  I used to run to escape life. Now I run to embrace it."

- Catherine