Charity Miles Champion Melissa is a Food Marketing major who’s “obsessed” with Charity Miles. She has made a commitment to a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. See how she pulls it all off, below.
Hi! My name is Melissa Lackey and I am in my senior year at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. My studies concentrate on “Food Marketing” and “Leadership, Ethics, and Organizational Sustainability” and I can honestly say I love every minute of learning about each. I have a huge passion for healthy food, dramatic television shows, singing, and going on weekend adventures to new places. Currently, I am interning at Whole Foods Market, which surely matches my interests. To change up the daily routine, my roommates and I love to explore new fitness places, which has been a lot easier since moving to Philly!
What athletic activities do you like to do? Dependent on my mood and current drive, the athletic activities that I like to do change. Currently, I’m training for a half marathon, but when I am done I plan on putting my drive into a spin!
I believe that challenging yourself is what truly makes your mind and passion stronger. Amongst the daily changes and new opportunities, I have however stayed true to one thing. Tone It Up.
This group has provided me with all of the workouts, friends, and motivation that a girl could as for. Within the community, they even offer me the ability to change up my workouts since they have a workout for just about everything!
They give you a goal of reaching 100 miles in 8 weeks during their challenges, which truthfully made me fall in love with running and the feeling of accomplishment!
I really like the idea that I can run, walk, bike, skip, or dance my miles, making the whole process fun as well! Doing that challenge is what introduced me to Charity Miles, and now I am obsessed.
What organizations do I support? For the past five weeks, I have been supporting “Feeding America.” This organization really struck a chord in my heart because it was helping feed citizens in the US. With both of my majors combined, I have been able to delve deep into the hunger issues in America. It upsets me that we cannot do more to help people in our own country, so I am proud to support it in any way I can. The issue of hunger is so large that many people feel that they can’t make a real difference, but I look at it in the opposite way! There are so many simple ways that everyone can help the issue, and Charity Miles is one!
Why did I choose Charity Miles? Why not help those in need while you do something you love? It almost makes working out more enjoyable than it already is! I like the idea that there are different charities that you can make donations to, because everyone has their own story, and has a different reason to help. At first, I chose Charity Miles because Karena and Katrina challenged us to get as many miles as possible, but I am going to continue well after the challenge is over. Charity Miles has given me a deeper meaning in every sweat session I endure. I am no longer working out for the euphoria fitness offers me. The pounding of my feet on the pavement and the movement of my legs on the bike are no longer movements that just better me with every step. They are movements that help to better others as well. Every little run or bike ride counts and now because of Charity Miles, in more ways than one.