Getting to the root of the matter is the focus of Sunday’s Okanagan Health Forum, Health and Fitness Powered by Plants.
As in past forums, during the day at the Shatford Centre people will have an opportunity to hear from internationally-acclaimed speakers on the benefits associated with diet.
Instituted in 2005, and the last one being held in 2015, the purpose of the forum is to share the results of recent research to help people become healthier and live longer.
“This year we decided to highlight the stars we have in our own valley,” said organizer Margie Colclough, one of the forum’s board of directors. “Our presenters come from Armstrong, Kelowna, Naramata and Penticton.
“We are privileged to have both Brenda Davis and Sonya Looney at the same event since they are seldom in the country at the same time.”
Davis, a keynote and featured speaker for medical and nutrition conferences in over 20 countries, is a registered dietician and a leader in her field.
After Penticton, she is off to a speaking engagement in Brazil and three other U.S. conferences in October.
She is also co-author of nine award-winning, best-selling books and was inducted into the Vegetarian Hall of Fame in 2007.
“Everybody knows they should eat their fruits and vegetables, but they don’t really realize how powerful they are as a medicine,” said Colclough. “So we just want to make sure that people are getting the message, we don’t want to force anything on anybody but we just want them to know how powerful it is.”
And she says she is proof of plant power.
“I was the youngest person to have been referred for Alzheimer’s when I was 38 because I was having really serious issues, they were very concerned about me,” said Colclough about that difficult time in her life two decades ago.
“I was a travel agent in Halifax and I would go to the airport all the time, I could go to the airport practically with my eyes closed, and then I started getting lost driving to the airport. I started losing words. It was really, really scary.”
That’s when she decided to change her diet and lifestyle.
“It’s amazing what happened and it was pretty wonderful that in time, that (previous condition) changed,” she said. “That was just in a couple of years.”
Empowering people to live outside their comfort zone and do extraordinary things is what Looney, a world champion cyclist and outdoor adventure athlete, is guaranteed to motivate, according to the organizer.
“Because Penticton is so athletic-centred, and cycling-centred, we thought let’s get Sonya Looney,” said Colclough. “She does 100-mile races in a day and she’s raced in the Andes and the jungle. She’s really outstanding.”
Looney will be featured in a story in Friday’s Western News, one of the forum sponsors.
Dan and Sheanne Moskaluk will also be telling of their remarkable triumphs of overcoming obesity and terminal cancer.
“Their (Moskaluk’s) stories are amazing, Sheanne lost 133 pounds and Dan, reversing his Stage 4 kidney cancer, so it’s pretty powerful just in these three stories,” said Colclough.
Other activities will include James Chicalo kicking off the morning with an outdoor fitness class and James Johnson, who uses his comedy and world-famous balloon event to deliver an inspiring message.
On site lunch will be available with three businesses offering plant-based creations and there will also be vendors with taste testing.
Tickets ($20 for full day, $10 per speaker) can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com and searching health-fitness-powered-by-plants-a-day-of-education-and-inspiration, or at the door (cash only).
To report a typo, email: editor@pentictonwesternnews.com.
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Mark Brett | Reporter
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