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The 10 Barriers to Movement
and how to overcome them
1. Lack of Time: On the Move Kalamazoo believes by educating individuals on the importance of
movement, movement itself will become a priority throughout our community. We will work with
our community Champions and partners to put together educational opportunities throughout the
movement deserts of Kalamazoo County.
Providing the basic, intertmediate and advanced information about moving to engage all members
of the community no matter where they are in the journey to fitness and movement will allow
them to become active members of the movement community and feel valued and engaged.
Once individuals are invested they will then begin to make movement a priority and will be
looking for opportunities at the times they are available. For this, we will work within our network
to make sure there are multiple opportunities at various times allowing all to be active. We will
engage with leaders and members to be present for support and encouragement throughout the
day.
2. Social Influence: On the Move Kalamazoo is in the process of working with Western Michigan
University's Geography Department to put together an asset map of movement for Kalamazoo
County. We are working to identify where movement is currently taking place and where the
opportunities are lacking in movement deserts. Once we have identified the movement deserts we
will then work within these areas to identify Champions of Movement to work as leaders and role
models within their community.
A Champion of Movement is an individual who makes movement a priority and inspires others to
do the same. On the Move Kalamazoo will train these Champions on the basics of movement and
program development. We are looking to have unique programs in each area that will appeal to
the members of the communities.
Once the Champions have developed their movement program and have the support of experts
and partners in the network, we will help them launch the program and support them throughout
its existence. These programs and Champions will exist and sustain based on the development of
peer relationships. By identifying Champions from the individual communities, it will allow for
genuine relationships to build and role models within the community to develop.
3. Lack of Energy: On the Move Kalamazoo will take a two fold approach to addressing the lack
of energy barrier. First, we will work with our partners and members to encourage individuals to
make short term commitments to the programs they are providing. The idea being that once you
start moving with a goal or commitment in mind you are more likely to continue. One of the
benefits to movement is an increase in energy, thus our goal is to get people moving so they feel
the connection of movement and energy.
Second, we are partnering with the Family Health Center and local nurses and doctors to provide
basic pre-movement screenings to those in need. Through the screenings individuals will be able
to evaluate other aspects of their health and receive recommendations on how to improve their
energy levels. For many individuals a basic change in diet and the addition of small amounts of
movement could lead to a significant change in energy levels.
4. Lack of Motivation: In order to increase the motivation within the movement deserts, On the
Move Kalamazoo will seek out and train Champions of Movement. We will work with the
Champions to develop their leadership skills and how to be available for their group. We will
activate the network and work to connect new Champions with experienced Champions who have
successful programs.
We would like to develop a free flow of ideas and exchange of resources with experts to provide
support where needed. We will fully support and believe in our Champions and their ability to
inspire the participants in their groups. Borgess Health and Fitness Center is a partner who will
not only provide programing at a reduced rate through On the Move, but will also help mentor
those who are looking to put together a training program.
Through the years of Borgess Run Camp, they have developed a system of support that has reached
out to thousands of runners and helped them achieve their goals. The model used in Borgess Run
Camp is one where the individual has a small group, within the large group, that they feel a sense
of responsibility and ownership toward. On the Move will promote this model in order to create a
collective sense of ownership among the participants within the groups we support.
5. Fear of Injury: To address the fear of injury, On the Move Kalamazoo will work with our
member groups and experts to educate participants on injury prevention. Using our experts to not
only show the actions individuals need to do to prevent injury, but also the science and reasoning
behind it, we will connect the experts to group leaders when putting together training plans to
makes sure the programs will set participants up for success rather than injury. We are currently
working with our experts to get a list of free clinics and presentations they will be able to provide
to our member groups.
6. Lack of Skill: On the Move Kalamazoo wants to connect individuals to groups to provide
support and educational opportunities. We understand that a lack of skill will prevent movement
by participants trying and getting injured or not seeing results. Through the clinics and
presentations our experts are able to commit to, we will be able to build a dynamic network of
information for movers to be able to build the skills necessary for safe movement.
Our goal with On the Move Kalamazoo is to connect individuals to groups to gain access to the
support networks within the groups as well as the knowledge of our experts. Connecting
individuals who are new to movement to our network will allow them to find success faster by
gaining knowledge and side-stepping the normal pitfalls of those who are new to, or returning to,
movement.
7. Lack of Resources: On the Move Kalamazoo is partnering with the YMCA, as well as many
other local gyms, to allow access to the gyms at a reduced cost. The reduction in cost will allow
members to have access to the many resources the gyms in the area have to offer. We will activate
the network by working with our Champions of Movement, member organizations, partner and
experts to provide resources to the movement deserts.
The sharing of knowledge and resources will allow groups who may not have all the supplies
needed for movement to get creative and provide opportunities for those who previously did not
have them. We have also worked with our experts and partners on the behalf of individuals who
have contacted us in need of the essentials to get moving.
8. Weather Conditions & Transportation: On the Move Kalamazoo has partnered with the
Kalamazoo City and Kalamazoo County parks departments, and are hoping to partner with the
Portage Parks department and local school districts, to provide member groups with the ability to
participate in movement even when the weather is not ideal. We will also work with experts to
educate members on how to dress properly for all types of weather, allowing members to be
successful in less than ideal weather.
Transportation has been mentioned by many partners and member group leaders as one of the
reasons that participants are not continuing with movement opportunities. On the Move
Kalamazoo believes promoting the Champions of Movement within the movement deserts will
help to remove the long commute to movement that currently deters people from movement.
Moving the opportunities for movement closer to the participants will further their opportunity for
success.
9. Family Obligations: Two of the most successful groups On the Move Kalamazoo works with
are Run With Endurance (R.W.E) and Your Turn. Both groups are tailored to women and to various
degrees provide opportunities for the entire family.
Allowing the family to move together takes away the need for a babysitter, or feeling guilty for
spending time on yourself away from your family. On the Move Kalamazoo would like to replicate
the family opportunities with new members. We are also looking to partner with churches and
afterschool programs to provide childcare while members create opportunities for movement for
the parents.
10. Retirement Year Movers: On the Move Kalamazoo understands a large area of the
population that is not moving are those in their retirement years. We want to work with our
partners and members to allow for opportunities tailored for those in their advanced years. The
needs of the elderly are vastly different than those of younger generations. Our member groups
will work with our partners and experts to educate older movers on how to move without injury
and without pushing themselves too hard during movement.