A popular health and wellness conference is coming back to town.
The third annual Okotoks Fitness and Wellness Symposium takes place at the Okotoks Recreation Centre April 30 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The symposium includes a health and wellness focused trade show, a keynote speaker and breakout sessions on topics related to fitness and wellness.
Registration numbers are higher than previous years, said Okotoks programs manager Janette Messer.
“It’s becoming a very popular annual even, and it brings so much to the community,” said Messer. “It becomes a whole day of health, fitness and wellness discussion and opportunities.”
This is the first year a keynote speaker has been included in the program, she said.
John O’Sullivan, author of Changing the Game: The Parents Guide to Raising Happy, High Performing Athletes and Giving Youth Sports Back to our Kids will deliver opening remarks to attendees.
Messer said his message is all about putting the fun back into children’s sports and making it about more than just competition and winning.
“There is so much out there in the areas of sport and active youth opportunities, like active for life concepts, we thought this would be a good fit,” said Messer. “And some of the breakout sessions also revolve around being active for life.”
She said the symposium will have local presenters and 20 health and wellness providers from the region taking part in the trade show.
Jason Barlow, owner of Centre for Massage Therapy, is one of the breakout session speakers for this year’s conference. Barlow has participated in the symposium each year.
“I really like growing this program, seeing it continue and getting information out to people,” he said. “There’s such a wealth of knowledge there with people with so many different experiences and you’re able to tap into that wealth of knowledge.”
Barlow has attended a number of conferences throughout his career and said they are usually based on professional development and include people from the industry rather than the general public.
“That’s great, but this has been created to help the public walk away with knowledge of how they can improve their own health and vitality and that’s fantastic,” he said.
Barlow will be presenting a session about posture and pain relievers, where he will get people moving as he introduces daily postures, stretches and exercises that help restore the body and mind.
Daily posture influences muscle pain and tension, he said, but it also extends beyond the physical.
“People typically think of posture just as the physical line of the back, but it’s also about mental posture – thought patterns, emotions, how you feel about things,” said Barlow.
The cost of the conference is $50, which includes a healthy lunch and snacks. The health and wellness trade show is free to the public and everyone is welcome.
Registration for the symposium can be done at www.okotoks.ca For more information, call Tracy at 403-995-2772.
