Mary Beth McKenna, Assistant Tournament Director, RBC Canadian Open shares in a Q&A the upcoming first-ever virtual CP Women’s Leadership Summit. There will be guest speakers such as former CP Women’s Open champion Brooke Henderson, Canadian Golf Hall of Famer Lorie Kane, TSN personality Lindsay Hamilton and Olympians Perdita Felicien and Marnie McBean.
Here is our Q&A:
Q: How is it going so far with the registrations?
A: I think we have a great roster of inspiring speakers, so the fact that its complimentary registration I think is a bonus, but I think the content will be really exciting. And so we’ve had really great success so far. I mean, we’re accepting registrations up until the time that the event starts. So I’d say it’s going really well so far. We’re excited about the feedback I think has been really positive.
Q: What can people expect going to their first-ever virtual summit?
A: I think what they can expect is to take away or I guess to have some great takeaways from the speakers as all the speakers are focusing on different topics. It gives you kind of a nice mix of what I guess, tips, and tricks that you can kind of take with you and help you moving forward whether it’s professionally or personally. Perdita has been very vocal on racial injustice. So we’re going to have a conversation on that and with Brooke and Lorie obviously, they’ve got a great experience, two very different lengths of experiences on tour, but they’re going to talk about the growth of women’s golf and sport. Then we also have our CP panelists. We’ll talk about kind of leadership in uncertain times. It’s a pretty like wide range of topics, but it should be really interesting.
Q: Tell us the process, how much work is involved?
A: It’s certainly a new world for us, but I think it’s like a new world for everyone in terms of planning, you moved from planning an event in-person to planning virtually. There’s a lot that kind of goes in behind the scenes. Whether it’s getting the speakers prepped, well getting the speakers, first of all, deciding the format when we went from in-person six-hour event to condensing it down to something that’s maybe a little bit more reasonable for people to sit in front of their computers. We had to figure out how our best can make use of the two hours that we’ve got with our attendees and making sure we can kind of pack all the tidbits of information and hit them with the most interesting points that they’ll feel like they their time was well spent.
Q: People want more information, where can they go?
A: You can get more information on www.cpwomensopen.com/wls and they’re able to register for free. There is also a link there to donate to the BC Children’s Hospital Foundation if interested. The BC Children’s Hospital Foundation is supported through the CP Has Heart charitable initiative that is run at the CP Women’s Open. Over the past seven years that CP has been involved, they’ve contributed over $10.5 million to children’s hospitals across the country, which is great to obviously leave a lasting legacy for those communities.
The CP women’s open requires over 1200 volunteers. It does take an army to put on an event of this scale. It’s a great way to get out there get involved and there’s a position for everyone whether it’s a junior golfer that’s 15 years old or a retired person that’s just looking to give back or someone’s still in the working world. It’s a great way to kind of get in getting connect with fellow golf enthusiasts or just general volunteer enthusiasts and support these female athletes. It’s pretty incredible. So it’s nice to put on a really, really great show and honestly, the CP Women’s Open is one of the player favorite events on tour. Having that community support, the volunteer support, all of these extra events, like the CP Women’s Leadership Summit really makes it that much more special, I think for the players.
Q: Mary Beth, anything else you’d like to add?
A: I think that it’s exciting to bring this CP Women’s Leadership Summit virtually to everyone and not just to cross Canada, but you know, we’ve sent it to our partners globally, so versa to present this, to present great Canadian content, I think great female leaders in the Canadian space, whether it’s sport or the business world and pride that opportunity online and then look forward to bringing it back in person come 2021 when we returned to Vancouver.
Yoga Combined with Running Makes Winning Combo for Overall Fitness
The secret ingredient to enhancing your running performance while preventing injuries is improved core strength. And the best way to do that is to incorporate cross-training into your regime. There are many cross-training options, though one of the best that can help with flexibility, core, and overall fitness is yoga.
As a runner, I have to confess to not stretch after every workout, yet I always regretted my omission when it happened. I would be stiff and not able to run efficiently. I decided to participate recently in the Hips and Shoulders yoga class taught by Karla Holman. She showed me which key poses would help to decrease tensions in the shoulders and hips affected by stress and injuries.
Holman shares here the benefits of working on your hips and shoulders which can improve your overall fitness.
“I would say the hips and shoulders are where most people tend to be tight, stiff; sore…it’s where so much tension and emotions can be held,” she began. “Most of the general population spends most of the day sitting at a desk, which can cause tight hips and rounded shoulders from looking at the computer screen or on the phone…etc.,” she said.
Some of the poses I did were “Warrior II low and high lunge,” “Trikanasa,” “lizard, IT stretches,” shoulder openers lying on floor cactus arms rolling to one side, lung with block under heart to open chest/shoulders. She also modified some of the poses to get deeper into the hips. I felt not only more relaxed but with more flexibility.
Holman is passionate about helping people feel more relaxed and connected to their bodies after her classes.
“I love guiding people to find space in their bodies and connecting to their breath.” Holman adds, “When you see the body start to accept the movement and let go is a powerful thing. We all land on the mat for different reasons but we all leave knowing a bit more about our body and feeling better, connecting with our breath.”
She continues, “The hips and shoulders class focuses on opening the body in a safe and intelligent way, meaning we get deeper into the body parts as the class progresses. I focus on opening up the hips, inner thighs, outer hip, IT band, lower back, and hamstrings…all of this can be extremely tight with running. If our hamstrings are tight our hips are most likely tight, slightly rotated and lower back is stiff and sore. Our shoulders think they need to carry the world (and) even when we don’t think they are sneaking up to our ears, they are. I focus on opening the front of the chest, back of the rib cage and shoulders as well as the fascia so we have better movement in the torso which will create movement and the ability to breathe better.”
Yoga can complement your running so here are a couple more poses to familiarize yourself with:
The Downward Dog – stretches hamstrings, calves, and foot arches; strengthens shoulders.
Low Lunge – stretches hip flexors; strengthens hamstrings and quads.
Even a few months of yoga can make a significant improvement to runners with increased core strength and flexibility.
Guest on eveRIAthing TV
Veronika London has a positive mindset for fitness, modeling, and acting
Veronika London attributes her success as an in-demand actor/model to choosing healthy living habits. She’s also not afraid of hard work and when you add a positive mindset, success is going to result most of the time. London believes with a positive mindset you can achieve anything.
The engaging Toronto-based actor spoke from San Diego in a recent phone interview. She shared her passion for fitness, healthy eating and talked about her acting and modeling career while recently being featured as Top 100- Hot and Fit in the recent issue of Inside Fitness magazine. She also has been featured internationally in magazines such as MAXIM.
On maintaining healthy eating on the road, London says, “For myself, I do eat out quite a bit; I just try to make the cleanest choices.” At home, she loves to cook and make her own meals, giving credit for her increased energy to becoming a vegetarian. She says, “Right now I am enjoying this part, I have a lot of clarity and a lot of energy, it kind of happened when I did the transition about six months ago to be vegetarian that I decided to start weight training. I’d always done cardio; with weight training, I actually realized I workout less, I workout three times a week for a total of an hour. Maybe I will get an extra workout of high-intensity cardio for a good 25 minutes.”
She continues, “Right now my carbs intake is three times what I normally would eat and I am working out less and I have been working out smarter, not harder. Life in general, there is a big difference between working smart and hard. I try to sleep for six hours, eat healthy, meditating, alkalizing, (eating) lots of greens. I really don’t drink and eat fast foods. As long as I can take care of that aspect then I won’t crash and burn.”
Before acting and modeling, London wanted to pursue a career in marketing. At the same time, she yearned to do something creative in the arts and that’s the side of her that prevailed. She says, “Being in the front of the camera wasn’t part of the plan, it was an elective that I had to take in public relations. I just ended up meeting more people because it was part of my homework.”
While meeting producers and editors, they said she should be in front of the camera. Despite no experience, she was a natural, as the camera took an instant liking to her. She said, “I also happened to be comfortable in front of the camera, it came across photogenic, or likable in front of the camera.”
From there, her acting career evolved quickly, to hiring an agent, to getting lead roles in award-winning films such as Searching for Angels. London played an amnesiac heroin addict which required about a month to prep for the role. She said, “Just doing my homework, going to different areas in town and at that time it was in Toronto and seeing what it was like for these women who suffer from addiction and are on the streets and are in survival mode. How their mannerisms are. Just read up them, you see documentaries of what addictions are. That world is very important to me. I have a greater compassion and understanding of what it is like for them while they are trying to survive now.”
Fast forward to her recent acting roles, she played the bubbly Tiffany Harper in the CW TV series DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. She loved the role, saying, “Very exciting. Always been a fan of DC Comics, Legends of Tomorrow. It was a nice experience – I’d never really done comedy or played those kinds of roles before.”
She also finished working on a feature film, The Next Chapter. “I play a character called Donatella – she is an in-charge dominant bar owner…bike gang-like movie.”
Currently, London is set to work on an upcoming project she is looking forward to. “I am in the process of starting a project with my girlfriend who also is into fitness. It will be a fitness show for women – that is something I am very passionate about.”
Just add passionate to positive mindset for guaranteed results.
Award-winning guitarist Liona Boyd is in tuned to healthy living habits
Liona Boyd is a world-renowned Canadian classical guitar player with several major accolades, including the 2018 Lifetime Achievement award from the Joann Falletta International Guitar Competition, sponsored by WNED in Buffalo.
Boyd is known internationally as The First Lady of the Guitar and was recently honored with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award by The National Guitar Museum, based in Orlando, Florida, which recognizes a guitarist each year who has made an outstanding contribution to the legacy of the guitar.
In a Q&A interview, Boyd who started her career in 1974 and has released 28 albums shared her passion for music, her latest music projects and how she maintains a healthy lifestyle.
Q: How do you maintain your stamina to keep composing music?
A: As for my general stamina I love to power walk, ride my bike and do yoga. I don’t really need anything to maintain my stamina as I have always loved to write original music and for me it is a joy rather than a task.
Q: What is your favourite dish?
A: Even though this sounds very boring my very favorite thing to eat is a really fresh organic salad because they are so tasty and healthy! I also love every single fruit I have ever encountered 🙂 There is nothing more delicious to me than a freshly baked apple pie with vanilla ice cream and a cup of tea, but mostly I eat a vegan diet that is better for the body and better for the planet. I was brought up a vegetarian by my vegetarian parents.
Q: Where were you and how excited were you when you received the news that you were being awarded this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award?
A: I was here in my house that I have in Palm Beach, Florida where I always spend at least four months over the winter. I was thrilled to pieces that the US based National Guitar Museum chose to honour my career in this way. They told me that the previous winners included Jose Feliciano, Glen Campbell, BB King, and Bonnie Raitt, so I am in very good company 🙂 In the museum they have my electric/classical guitar, one of my concert gowns, a collection of albums and a video of me performing Malagueña. It now has five million YouTube views so I guess they chose a good one; and it the first thing you see up on a screen when entering the museum.
Q: How important is it to have music in our lives such as in schools?
A: I believe it is essential that schools continue to include music in the curriculum, as young people need to be exposed to good music and to understand the basics so that for the rest of their lives they can appreciate it. Sadly, it is often one of the first subjects to be cut out of schools and many kids grow up without knowledge of classical music. Music enriches our souls and touches all our emotions very deeply. I was fortunate that my parents exposed me to good music through recordings and my mother took me to hear my first classical guitar concert when I was 13. It changed my life forever. I know I have been able to do the same thing for many youngsters.
Q: How does it feel to be a role model?
A: I never planned to be a role model, but I know through all the hundreds of communications sent to me by guitarists and guitar students that I provided inspiration to so many and obviously was a pioneer for many. Classical guitar only had a small following around the world, but because I appeared on dozens of huge shows televised to millions of people such as three appearances on the Tonight show with Johnny Carson and several of my own TV specials in different countries, my career had an impact that I never dreamt about when I was a penniless student studying in Paris. I have enjoyed mentoring many singers and guitarists and have been responsible for launching careers for some of them, so that is very gratifying.
Q: What is next for you?
A: I am not sure if I am going to continue touring, but I am positive that I will continue to compose music. I also enjoy writing and have published two autobiographies. I know I will plan to do some more traveling as that is another of my addictions beside music.
Check out her website: http://www.classicalguitar.com
Therés Amee Shares Her Passion for Running and Healthy Body Image
“I love working with younger girls and I love inspiring and hoping that they can realize a lot sooner than I did because I did listen to those people who told me to stop running, to stop working out and building my muscle because it was considered unattractive in the industry that I wanted so badly to be a part of.” Therés Amee – Fit Curve Model/role model/runner
Meet Therés Amee, a renaissance woman who is a role model, healthy body image advocate, model, actor and founder of Prowess Productions Inc, who also has a passion for running.
In a phone interview from her Vancouver home, the multi-talented down to earth Therés shared her love for running, how she started modeling and her work with the beayoutiful foundation.
While growing up in an athletic household, Therés played most sports including volleyball, basketball to track and field. She began, “Running I fell in love with…that became my sport even after high school and college.”
She adds, “I love (to get) that runner’s high afterward. Running is a stress release for me. My mother’s was a marathoner and my father a bodybuilder. Therefore athletics were engrained since birth. I definitely want to do a marathon but 10k is my peak right now. I was a sprinter, 100 meters, 200 meters.”
Therés runs about five times a week. “What I love doing is bridges: In Vancouver, the Cambie bridge; in New York, I love going over the Manhattan bridge or the Brooklyn bridge. I guess I feel more accomplished when I run a course that connects two parts of a city. I love the low maintenance of running – you put your runners on and the world is yours. It is a nice stress release. It always has been.”
On proper nutrition being essential to good health, she says, “I have always maintained a healthy diet. I am not much of a foodie, but my go-to meal is a quick salad full of fruits and protein, as boring as that sounds!”
She initially shied away from the modeling industry because she was primarily pursuing acting. During castings, she was constantly asked if she was also a model because of her 5’10” height. Because of Therés’ athletic build she was worried how the industry would accept her, causing her to say no to any (fashion scouting).
She explains, “At that time, early 2009/10 the fashion industry hadn’t really expanded to accept other body types besides the traditional straight size runway models or plus size 14 and up.”
She continues, “I was in the middle (size) and there wasn’t really a category that represented middle models. I definitely have seen the diversity and expansion of the fashion industry over the last decade, (it has) really opened up to all shapes and sizes of all ethnicities. It has been very inspiring and challenging journey but it is nice to finally witness the much overdue change.
“Before there was a time I had stopped running because my agency advised me to lessen my cardio as running increased my leg muscle and tone. Heavy leg muscle was something that apparently was not seen as attractive in the high fashion world. The alternative was to become a fit model; clothes are measured to your body. You go to factories or design studios and have different garments measured to your body as the sample size for that specific size. Fit models are typically 5’8” and not as tall as runway models and also have specific measurement to maintain. Because I was taller and more curvy than a fit model, I decided to call myself a fit curve model.”
Therés is also breaking down body barriers by working with the beayoutiful foundation. Taylor Hui, who is also an actor and model, established the beayoutiful foundation when she was only 16 years old. The program is about creating confidence classes for young girls ages 8-14.
‘I came on board because I loved what Taylor was doing. Classes run for 6-8 weeks and we meet with the girls once a week. We talk about everything from body image which is usually my platform, to media literacy, to confidence and nutrition.’
She remarks, “Every volunteer involved always says the same thing, that, ‘We wish there was a program such as this foundation when we were young girls growing up.’ Taylor has become a pioneer in implementing this program in schools.”
They also offer weekend wellness workshops, as well as an annual Inspired by HER conference.
“This was our second year doing the conference and we had over 150 girls from all over Metro Vancouver,” Therés said.
Their goal is to tour with the conference all over Canada, with the first stop being in Toronto.
“It is so incredible to see these girls develop and grow. They are already so unapologetically unique and powerful. When I was that age I was so shy, I didn’t want to talk to anybody,” she says.
In 2018, she started working with Canadian supermodel, Coco Rocha. Coco had just started her modeling camps, and Therés was thrilled to be part of her 6th cycle. She says, “Working with Coco was a career game changer for me. Her camps are very diverse, having models attend from around the world. I was actually the only Canadian in my camp. And, now I scout other models for her camps. Scouting has been very rewarding, to pass along my experience to other up-and-coming models, or even established models wanting to excel their skill set to the next level.”
Therés is excited to be recently signed with Vancouver agency, Family Management. “They support diversity. I feel I am just getting started, even though I am technically old in the industry. I am 28, she laughs. Regardless of what you want to do, whether it is in the corporate world, or the creative world, just always know what your value is, know what you bring to the table. Then work so hard, don’t just do it because someone told you to do it or for someone else’s expectations. You always want to do it because you have the passion and you have that fire burning in you because it will mean more. And then when you face these barriers or challenges you will always be able to continue forward.”
Check out Therés’s two fashion films she produced and modeled recently ‘Sa Lune,’ and ‘Rebel with a Claus’.
Running/ Fitness Images : Glorianna B. @gloriannabphotography
Run With It Channel Trailer
Rugby Sevens a World Class Event
The Rugby Sevens not only draws a large crowd but a festive one. Many fans dressed up in wild and fun costumes to show support for their favorite team. It is more than a world sports event, but fun with people wearing elaborate costumes while some of the fans were dancing in their seats.
Yesterday’s game there was no shortage of entertainment, a wedding proposal, and contests. It is a happening place that is held over two days at BC Place.
Many signs such as Go Canada Go signs were held up which Canada won against Fiji 26-19 but lost to Samoa and won 36 Canada to Kenya 14.
What I liked was the choice of music played for each match, depending on the country such as Wales they played Tom Jones.
BC Place is expecting over 75,000 fans over the two day weekend and if you missed attending this event, there will be another World Rugby Sevens series as Rugby Canada just secured the hosting rights.
Mark it in your calendar for next year as it is a world-class event that offers something for everyone.
Run/Walk with Mom by Participating in the Blueshore Financial Mother’s Day Event
Thinking of a special Mother’s Day gift to include you and your mom? Then why not spend a healthy morning by lacing up your shoes and participating on May 12th in this year’s BlueShore Financial Mother’s Day 3/ 5/10k event presented by The Westin Bayshore.
The scenic routes of 3k, 5k, and 10k are measured, and all courses start at Second Beach in Stanley Park on the Seawall next to Ceperley Park and finish at the Westin Bayshore in Coal Harbour. The event is for all levels of abilities and dads and sons are welcome to participate.
This year, as a special Valentine’s Day promotion, if you register between now and February 13, and buy a gift registry for that special someone – your mom will receive a Mother’s Day Run Commemorative Pink Pashmina scarf.
I will be participating in the run again this year, to honor my mom on this special day that drew over 1250 participants last year. All participants will receive a gift bag that will include some of the following:
Technical Race Shirt with your Race Package
Finish Line Festival with clinics and demonstrations
Options for Brunch Celebration, Spa and Hotel packages at The Westin Bayshore
A custom Pashmina Scarf at the finish line for all Moms
Fun Aid Stations: With water, sports drink, goodies and lots of cheering!
Chip timing and live results on race day
Free shuttle buses
Incredible support from local sport/charity groups – who receive a portion of proceeds from each event
Post-race snacks and recovery nutrition
See you at the starting line!
Precision Running a Treadmill Workout For All Fitness Levels
When asked to try Precision Running, a treadmill interval class at Equinox, an upscale fitness club in Vancouver, I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy the workout. I was used to running outside, but I was willing to give this class a chance.
I was immediately impressed with Equinox’s decor and their lounge with a fireplace. It was a cozy and welcoming environment for fitness enthusiasts.
My class instructor Zachary made me feel welcomed, and then he directed me to treadmil number 18. In the class we ran intervals with hill inclines, and the other set was focused on speed running with no inclines. In total, we did three sets. It was a hard effort with running at your own fitness level beside someone who may be faster or slower. I watched how many calories I was burning while listening to the instructor count down how many seconds we had left to push. It was motivating to hear the words of encouragement from our instructor.
I enjoyed the workout, but didn’t push it as I am used to running outside on my favorite trail. I believe though adding the Precision Running class to your training can have many benefits such as no stress on your joints while offering both a social and supportive environment.
Overall, I found the class fun and unique in that you are taking your interval training inside a warm environment, while getting a good workout.
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