Live Well Lived 3.0 Wrap-Up

Crossing the finish line at
the rain soaked
Toronto Triathlon Festival

Over the past 4 months here at the 53^rd floor branch, we have been participating in the 3^rd edition of the Life Well Lived (LWL) program. This year’s program again featured compelling health and wellness speakers, challenging group fitness activities and fun social events.

The program began on April 4^th with initial fitness assessments from the Toronto Athletic Club. Following the tests, members of the 53^rd participated in group training sessions at Equinox Bay Street. These monthly sessions included Yoga and Spin Classes and were a great opportunity for branch members to improve cardio, strength and flexibility. These sessions lead up to participation for some, including myself, in the Toronto Triathlon Festival which took place on Sunday July 22^nd.

Aside from the personal fitness, this year’s program again featured a number of wonderful speakers speaking on wide variety of health and fitness related topics. This year’s speakers included:

• A presentation from the Toronto Athletic Club on the Ergonomic Checklist for a Healthy Back;
• A presentation from the Toronto Athletic Club on the Art of What to Eat and How Much;
• Award-winning journalist Alex Hutchinson on his book Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance, which looks at the different cognitive traits that can contribute to success; and
• Jaclyn Pritchard, the Lead Dietician from the Cleveland Clinic Canada, on Daytime Eating for Optimal Energy and Preventing the Afternoon Slump.

These speakers all brought insightful perspectives on their topics, and this year’s speaker series was a great opportunity for the 53^rd to widen their knowledge of both physical and mental health.

This year’s LWL also featured a fun outing at Steam Whistle Brewing, where we received a tour of the brewery, plates of pretzels and charcuterie and a couple rounds of beer (Steam Whistle of course).

A very successful Life Well Lived 3.0 concluded on July 24^th with members of the branch completing their post LWL fitness assessments. These tests saw improvements all around and it was great to see the commitment to the program shown by everyone who participated. At the beginning of this program we had Canadian Olympian Simon Whitfield into the branch, and he emphasized the importance of having “empathy for your future self.” At the conclusion of the LWL 3.0 program, I am confident that everyone at the 53^rd is more empathetic for their future self, and will continue to be in the coming months and years.

Finally I’d like to give a special thank you to Nancy Sawler, VP of Corporate Health of the Cambridge Group of Clubs and Katie Diamond, Manager of Brand Experiences at Equinox Canada for their support of LWL 3.0.