Exercise is proven to help you feel good — but what about exercise that also helps you do good? That’s the heart of Move for a Life Time, a movement-focused fundraising event held at Life Time clubs that’s aimed at supporting children’s health and children’s hospitals.
A partnership between Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) and the Life Time Foundation (Life Time’s nonprofit arm), this month-long fundraising effort will lead up to the single-day fitness event and celebration taking place at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 7, 2026, at Life Time clubs across the United States and Canada.
The funds raised from the event in the United States will be split evenly between CMN and the Life Time Foundation; 100 percent of the funds raised by participating Life Time clubs in Canada will directly support The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), Canada’s most research-intensive hospital dedicated to improving children’s health in the country. Together, all three organizations are aiming to raise $1.5 million.
“Every minute, 72 children enter a children’s hospital in our network across the country,” says Andrew Nash, new partnerships director for CMN. “There are many programs and care that take place at our hospitals and that are reliant on philanthropy to support things like education programs for our patients, groundbreaking research, and new technology — these are all things that rely on community involvement.”
The Life Time Foundation focuses its efforts on the health of the next generation by supporting programs for youth nutrition, youth movement, and a healthy planet. “We believe every child deserves access to healthy food, daily movement, and environments that support their well-being,” says Sarah Emola, director of the Life Time Foundation. “Community support makes that possible — helping us fund schools and programs that create lasting, systemic change for kids today and the next generation.”
Together, CMN, the Life Time Foundation, and SickKids embody a shared mission that lives at the heart of Move for a Life Time: to support kids at the most critical moments in their lives, ensuring their health and well-being today, while also paving the way for a brighter, healthier future.
Supporting the Children in Your Community
An integral facet of Move for a Life Time is being able to support the children in your own backyard. “CMN supports 170 hospitals across the United States and Canada — we are in a lot of the communities that Life Time is in,” says Nash. “The dollars raised at your Life Time get directed to the local hospital associated with your club.”
Of the portion of the funds that will go to CMN, each benefiting hospital will be able to funnel the dollars toward their specific areas of need, like education services for families, charitable care, advancement research, capital improvements, and more.
There are also many lesser-known challenges that come with hospital visits, whether it’s a parent being unable to take time off from work, housing assistance if you live a great distance from the hospital, or even just needing a hot meal. The money raised by Move for a Life Time can also go toward these needs.
“More than 50 percent of our patients are children who are in the hospital unexpectedly, whether it’s a sudden medical diagnosis, a critical medical accident, or something else,” Nash adds. “Having the support to meet families where they’re at goes a really long way because it’s not just the child who suffers, the whole family is affected by it. It’s reassuring to know that your child is getting the best possible care from the best possible team of medical doctors, and that there are people and resources — not only in the hospital but also out in the community — that are working to support you and your family.”
The funds that go to the Life Time Foundation will help the nonprofit scale its impact across its three pillars of youth nutrition, youth movement, and a healthier planet.
Through this work, the foundation supports schools in serving healthier food and more scratch-cooked meals; expanding accessible recreation programs to encourage kids to find joy in movement; and driving reforestation and urban greening efforts to protect the planet and create more natural spaces for children and families to move, play, and thrive.
The partnership between CMN and the Life Time Foundation is a prime example of alignment, according to Nash. “It really comes down to our shared values: Health and youth empowerment are important to both organizations,” he notes. “CMN does a lot of medical care treatment for children, but we also do lot of work beyond hospital walls that extend into community programs for nutrition, education, and wellness.”
“The work of these two organizations ties so well together with the community and mission of Life Time,” adds Jessica Feldman, senior director of classes at Life Time. “We have all these children’s hospitals in so many of the markets where we have a Life Time athletic country club, which means we have members who are directly connected to this cause.”
The Evolution of Move for a Life Time
Life Time members may be familiar with Ride of a Life Time, the previous iteration of this fundraising event that’s been a fixture in clubs since 2021. Renamed and refocused this year, “Move for a Life Time” has evolved to meet both the needs of local children’s hospitals and the desires of Life Time members.
Move for a Life Time formally changed its event name to center on the company philosophy of bringing communities together around diverse movement, according to Feldman. “At Life Time, we specialize in creating experiences and safe spaces for members to come and move their bodies and achieve whatever their fitness goals may be,” she says. “And because we have such strong communities across our Life Time network, there’s a natural opportunity for us to rally around philanthropy.”
When Move for a Life Time (formerly Ride of a Life Time) was first created, indoor cycling was at the height of its popularity, and the event focused entirely on the cycling modality. As Life Time’s class offerings evolved, and members increasingly embraced studio classes, strength training, and mixed-modality workouts, the event needed to evolve as well, according to Payton Erickson, marketing specialist for the Life Time Foundation.
“In 2025, we tested the waters by introducing additional movement formats beyond cycling, opening the door for more members to participate,” Erickson says. “In 2026, that evolution becomes official with the introduction of Move for a Life Time — a rebrand designed to reflect all the ways our communities show up, push themselves, and give back.”
While some clubs will continue to honor the event’s roots by offering cycle-based experiences, Erickson says this expanded approach opens the door for clubs to showcase their members’ most-loved classes. “The name ‘Move for a Life Time’ encapsulates everything that Life Time classes are, whether it’s dance, barre, yoga, cycle, or any of our specialty formats under our signature group training umbrella,” Feldman adds.
Each Life Time club can choose between hosting a 90-minute or three-hour event experience, but everyone across the country and in Canada will move together in some shape or form at 9 a.m. in their respective time zones.
“This year, clubs are also tailoring the event experience to the specific interests of their members,” says Feldman. “If your club is big on dance, it may be a dance experience; if your club prioritizes strength, it could be a strength-focused event. This allows clubs to customize what makes sense to their performers and members, because we know that our clubs are not one-size-fits-all. This will create an opportunity for our studio leaders and their members to come together on a larger scale.”
When you participate in Move for a Life Time, you’re not just supporting children in need, but their future overall. “When we help a child become healthy, we are empowering them to be the best versions of themselves for years and years to come,” says Nash. “CMN is driven to help every kid have access to the best care; when we can positively support children’s health, we are positively supporting the future.”
Adds Emola, “While hospitals provide critical care in moments of need, the work of the Life Time Foundation focuses on prevention and the possibilities that start with everyday choices. We invest in the building blocks of lifelong health — nourishing food, daily movement, and safe outdoor spaces — so more kids can grow up with the habits and foundation they need to thrive.”
What to Know About Participating in Move for a Life Time
Participants of all fitness levels can expect to experience a high-energy, purpose-driven fitness challenge designed to push their limits and bring communities together.
Depending on your location, participants may take part in a multi-class crawl — moving through a mix of club-favorite formats — or commit to an extended single-studio experience. Class crawls combine familiar favorites with opportunities to try something new.
Afterward, participants are invited to stay and celebrate with a social gathering featuring LifeCafe food and refreshments.
Check your club’s schedule to learn more about the event experiences at your location.
There are two main ways to participate in Move for a Life Time:
- Join the event: Sign up to take part in the in-person workout experience at your local Life Time club. After you register, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to create an individual fundraising page where you can join your local club’s fundraising efforts. Fundraising efforts outside of event attendance are not required.
- Donate: If you’re unable to attend but still want to make an impact, you can support the cause by donating to an individual participant’s fundraising goal or to a local Life Time club’s fundraising team.
Non-members are welcome to also participate in Move for a Life Time by submitting the Non-Member Registration Form. Make sure to select the club where you plan to participate when filling out the form. The studio leader at that club will contact you to help you register.
How to Register for Move of a Life Time and Start Fundraising
Registration and fundraising kicks off on Jan. 26, 2026.
How to register as a Life Time member:
1. Register via Life Time app.
2. Reserve your spot for the class you’d like to participate in. Classes require a donation dependent on the duration: $15 for the 90-minute option and $30 for the three-hour option. All donations are nonrefundable. If you need to cancel your reservation, please reach out to your club’s concierge or studio leader.
3. After registering, you’ll receive a confirmation email with your donation receipt and instructions to set up a personal fundraising page that contributes to your club team’s donation page. Reminder: The team you select is important, as it determines which local CMN Hospital benefits from your efforts.
4. Share either your team’s donation page or your individual fundraising page on your social media or with others to help support the fundraising efforts.
How to register as a non-member:
1. Submit a Non-Member Registration Form.
2. Within 24 hours, you’ll receive an email to confirm your spot in class and make the required $15 or $30 donation. All donations are nonrefundable. If you need to cancel your reservation, please reach out to the club’s concierge.
3. Once registration is complete, you will receive a confirmation email with instructions on setting up a personal fundraising page that contributes to your club team’s donation page. Reminder: The team you select is important, as it determines which local CMN Hospital benefits from your fundraising efforts.
4. Share either your team’s donation page or your individual fundraising page on your social media or with others to help support the fundraising efforts.
5. On event day, check in at the front desk and show the email you received confirming your registration.
Collectively, Move for a Life Time’s goal is to raise $1.5 million for this year’s event. As for individual goals, participants are encouraged to set one that feels meaningful and achievable to them — whether it’s based on personal milestones, a specific dollar amount, or the impact they want to make. “Sharing your story, using social media, and reaching out to friends and family are great ways to rally support,” says Erickson. “Every single dollar raised — whether it’s $1, $10, $100, $1,000, or beyond — makes a difference.”
For additional questions, contact your local club’s concierge team.
