We want every mum to feel good
About MEGA
Mums Exercise Group Australia (MEGA) is a social enterprise run by volunteers and operated as a not-for-profit. MEGA empowers mothers and helps them to improve their social, emotional and physical wellbeing.
As mothers we often feel we need to prioritise everything else before our own health, finding little time to invest back in ourselves. In addition, many women navigate motherhood in isolation, having little family or community support.
MEGA aims to ensure that no mother is isolated from the community and that every woman is empowered to look after their health and wellbeing. Through very low-cost fitness and wellbeing training options, and sponsored memberships for women facing hardship, MEGA aims to give every mother in Australia access to fitness and wellbeing classes that will improve their health and provide the resilience and support they need to thrive in life.”
MEGA aims to achieve this through:
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Providing free and low-cost community fitness sessions.
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Providing online sessions for our mothers in the form of fitness sessions, menu planning, nutrition information, mindfulness, and general areas of well-being.
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Making membership to MEGA accessible for all mothers of Australia and ensure free memberships are available for those in financial need.
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Providing assistance and education to our volunteer facilitators in the form of training grants.
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Working with professionals within the fitness, nutrition, and well-being industries to provide free and low-cost sessions and information sessions to all of our mothers.
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Our History
Our MEGA Journey
When our founder Jennelle McAppion had triplets in 2014, her life changed beyond recognition.
“I was suddenly responsible for three tiny humans, and discovered that with new motherhood came isolation and self-doubt. I quickly realised to keep my sanity I needed exercise, new friends and fresh air.”
Inspired to get active and out of the house, Jennelle started a walking group to meet other mums and stay motivated.
What started as a casual walking meet-up became the Canberra Mums Walking Group, and when other mums started suggesting meeting for boot-camp and aqua fitness sessions, the group evolved to become Canberra Mums Exercise Group.
“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our volunteers, we grew the group and the number of classes on offer. We also introduced new health and fitness challenges, to inspire our members to thrive.”
In 2016 the Canberra group had 5,000 members and was running 30 exercise sessions per week, ranging from yoga and pilates to boxing and mountain hikes. It was time to expand even further.
“Mums from around the country were reaching out to us, asking for advice on how they could replicate our model in their own communities. It became clear there was a national need for affordable, supportive, kid-friendly exercise groups for mums.”
From humble beginnings we’ve grown into Mums Exercise Group Australia, a movement with more than 36,000 members and 30 branches across the country. New branches and members are joining all the time.
“As with any great success story there have been stumbles and failures along the way,” says Jennelle.
“But we’ve adapted and grown to suit the passions of our members, and to stay true to our original purpose: creating a positive environment where mothers can connect and thrive through exercise. We want every mum to have access to MEGA, which is why we reinvest every cent of our low-cost membership options into making MEGA better for all.”