If you dislike the elliptical and hate working out alone, then you have something in common with Elisabeth Tavierne, an Ohio State University graduate and founder of the fitness sorority, CHAARG.
Tavierne started CHAARG, which stands for Changing Health, Attitudes and Actions to Recreate Girls, when she quit competitive swimming as a college sophomore but still wanted to stay in shape. She quickly realized that women rarely—if ever—left the cardio area of the gym, so she founded CHAARG to “liberate girls from the elliptical and find their passion for fitness.”
In her interview with Cosmopolitan, Tavierne states that CHAARG is more than just a fitness club. “It is a lifestyle and a family,” she says. “You can be the girl who lifts weights, trains for a race, does Pure Barre and takes yoga, but still takes time to let her hair down and put on a pair of heels.”
Similar to traditional Greek life organizations, CHAARG members are required to pay dues ($45 per semester) and attend weekly meetings (which involve working out together). Currently, there are CHAARG chapters at over 50 universities in the United States, but Tavierne wants to expand to all American universities within the year and go global in five years.
“We know that it’s how our body feels that matters,” she tells Cosmo. “Not the size of our legs or the number on the scale.”
If you want to learn more about CHAARG or start a chapter on your campus, check out the website or follow CHAARG on Twitter @CHAARG!