Fitness in Recovery
A promising program awarded a grant last year and again this year is the Fitness in Recovery (FIR) Program. Addiction and athleticism serve as a catalyst for this program. According to FIR’s co-founder, Sidra Ghafoor, who is also a fellow in addiction psychiatry at Penn, the program helps recovering addicts achieve physical fitness by participating in group workouts and developing a sense of community.
“FIR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that offers specifically designed movement sequencing as dosed-exercise to change state, regenerate neuropathways, and accelerate systemic addiction recovery,” she says.
All you need to do to get involved is take the first step and show up for a workout, once you are involved, you will see there is a lot of love and support in this community.John Breen, FIR’s founder and current high-performance coach of Penn’s sailing team
Ghafoor said the program nurtures a sense of family and transforms the participants’ fitness through its unique programming designed by John Breen, FIR’s founder and current high-performance coach of Penn’s sailing team.
“All you need to do to get involved is take the first step and show up for a workout,” he says. “Once you are involved, you will see there is a lot of love and support in this community.”
FIR is also open to those who are sober and those supporting people in recovery. The funds from the grant help secure workout space, purchase equipment, and pay instructors.