Fun and exercise do not always go hand in hand for many people. Throw learning into the mix and some people may think it is madness! This equation is Fitness + Learning Equals Fun at N.U.T.S!
Thinking about this, I received this email in my inbox from my commander:
Mission: Visit the Neuron Upgrade Training Station (N.U.T.S.) to see how much fun could be had learning while performing various exercises and become N.U.T.S Certified.
Should you accept, report for training at their facility and report your findings.
I was curious about this idea and enlisted the help of my daughter to see for ourselves if getting fit, becoming smarter and having fun can be done at the same time.
Fitness + Learning Equals Fun at N.U.T.S!
This is what we saw when we arrived to N.U.T.S.
We did not know what to expect when we arrived to the training facility to go through with our mission. Hi Nguyen, Founder of N.U.T.S., greeted us and gave us a briefing about what this facility is and a run-down of our training session.
N.U.T.S. is Canada’s first knowledge-based obstacle race™. Hi discovered how well obstacle racing could affect children and young adults and put together an active learning facility where they can have fun, get fit, and learn! There are three races competitors can take part in during their physical and mental training experience: Basic (30 minutes), Advanced (60 minutes), and Red Line (90 minutes). Teams are also able to have training sessions, and birthday parties are possible to be had at N.U.T.S
Hi then gave us a tour of all of the obstacles we would be racing around to complete our mission of the Basic Upgrade Session. To successfully be considered N.U.T.S. Certified, we would have to complete the obstacle course three times (roughly 10 minutes per lap).
Below is a list of the obstacles we would be facing:
- Commando Lift
- Squat Lifts
- Tent Crawl
- Wall Spell
- Questions
- Horizontal Wall Climb
- Monkey Bars
- Plank Boards
- Tire Hops
- Questions
- Lunge Mini Medicine Balls
- Mini Vertical Bar Climb
- Bag Drag
- Over and Under Carries
- Questions?
- Farmers’ Carries
- Tire Jumps/Taps
- Toe Touches
Before starting the course, we were outfitted with an I.D. bracelet to wear in order to input our answers during the learning portions of the race. We also had a selection of topic to choose from. Since it is the 150th anniversary of Confederation, we both decided to choose this area of knowledge to test our knowledge.
Looking at each of the zones we would be racing through made me think that I may have bitten off more than I could chew, but I am always up for a challenge and my daughter and I have competitive spirits, so we knew we could not back away from this mission.
Below is the report I filed with my commander.
Let me tell you: It was fun! Yes, for someone who is trying to get back into shape, I forced myself to push a little bit harder to get through some of the more difficult obstacles, like the Mini Vertical Wall and the Horizontal Climbing Wall. I forgot at the end of the second lap of our training mission that I still had another full lap to complete and I was beginning to run on the fumes in my tank. I am pleased to report that our mission was a success!
Where the learning while working out was concerned, these “rest periods” were a sight for sore eyes for me. I love testing my knowledge. A lot of the questions I was asked I had learned from my time in high school or university, so it was fun to try and get the questions correct in a quick amount of time. Some of the questions repeated themselves a few times in order to test whether you remembered the answers from previous attempts throughout your session. By my last round, I was able to retain the correct answers and got all of them right!
At the end of our session, Hi announced my daughter and I had successfully completed our training session! We then were grated the honour of becoming N.U.T.S Certified. Here is the photo evidence of our accomplishment.
I would say that this visit to N.U.T.S. can be filed as Mission: COMPLETE.
My daughter and I had an amazing experience while visiting N.U.T.S. The physical aspect was a total body workout (trust me, muscles I had not really worked out in a while let themselves be known the next day) that pushed you every step of the way. The learning portion of the obstacle course was a bit of a challenge at first, but as I went through, I was able to remember what I had learned to answer them correctly the next time I faced them and answer them correctly by the end of the race. The learning and the physical challenges made for a fun session and bonding moment my daughter and I won’t soon forget. We will be visiting N.U.T.S. again for another training mission to become N.U.T.S Certified again.
Are you ready to go N.U.T.S.? Check them out on their website, and connect with them on their Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat pages!
Disclaimer: I received a Basic (30 minute) Upgrade Training Session at N.U.T.S. in order to write this review. The views I shared are my own.
This sounds like an interesting afternoon workout, I know that I for one would never be NUTS certified. LOL
My 9 year old son would really enjoy this! Either the basic or advance wound be great! Looks like an awesome place to add you out summer bucket list!
This is just such a COOL concept. Love it! I’d love to take my girls on the 60 min event. What a neat experience.
My kids are looking forward to trying this out. Basic or Advanced would be great. But winning the birthday party would be ideal. Thanks for the opportunity.
Oh man, this sounds amazing! I’m not sure my body could handle more than the basic but my hubby would definitely want to go all out!
I don’t know about the training & learning while exercising, I know I would not be able to do the course It must have been fun for them both to return again !!
I’d love to be there one day, looks like fun place to try, saying with obstacles!