Forza! Mural

Since I opened the doors at Forza! nearly 3 years ago, I’ve contemplated having a mural painted on the wall under the pull-up bars.  My idea for what should go there has been evolving as I have grown in my teaching and experience.   This past summer, I finally found the right person for the job and solidified in my mind the design that would inspire me and hopefully you as well.

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The artist for my mural is Rafael Estrella, and he was recommended to me by one of my Forza! clients.  He is a Carleton grad and is currently teaching elementary art in Farmington as well as teaching art classes at the Northfield Arts Guild.  I feel very lucky to have him willing and able to tackle this project for me.

As for the design, my family and I took a vacation a year ago to the Southwest region of the US (the four corners area of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona).   It was a wonderful trip with most days spent outside, doing activities such as hiking, climbing, horseback riding, and ballooning.  On one of the days, we took a rafting trip down the Colorado River through Glen Canyon.  The rocks were amazing and the river was so very peaceful.  We also spent some time hiking in Arches National Park in Utah.  I’d love to go back to Moab, Utah someday.  It is an adventure lover’s paradise, with opportunities to hike, bike, mountain climb, Globo Surf board, you name it and you can probably do it there.  This experience was the inspiration for my mural.

An article in the November 30th edition of The New York Times titled “Head Out for a Daily Dose of Green Space”, by Jane Brody describes a national grass-roots movement (made up of physicians, health insurers, naturalists and government agencies) whose goal is to get people outdoors and physically active.  As a nation, we spend too much of our time indoors, leading sedentary lifestyles.  I’m a huge believer in getting outdoors whenever I can.

While I recognize that most of the Forza! classes are occurring indoors, one of my goals is for clients to experience the active lifestyle payoff for all the time and effort spent using kettlebells, TRX and all the other “wicked” exercises we do.

The winter months can seem long in Minnesota – hopefully you will benefit from looking at an inspiring mural and take a visual break from all the snow.  Following are some pictures of the work in progress.  Although they are pretty good, they do not do the mural justice, so be sure to come in and take a look for yourself!