Weekend Review, Part I: FitDay as experienced by Brian

Photo from National Capital FitDay website

This past weekend, on top of all the craft shows we visited, we were invited to the National Capital Fitday: this was a mixture of bodybuilding and fitness competitions and a Fitness Expo, held at De La Salle high school downtown. We visited the expo and sat, watching the video of the competitions. From the posing contests to the fitness routines, it was impressive to watch what these super humans can do. It was incredible to see the fitness levels of these athletes, who look like real-live super heroes.

photo from Kangoo web site

Jordan and Brian trying them out

During the expo we walked in and we were enthralled by the Kangoo Jumps; these are shoes with strange oval extensions which allow you to bounce and run like there’s no gravity. Jumpin Junkie Inc was displaying and selling these awesome things, and we got to try them out! This is my type of amazing work out equipment, for sure. Jordan found them a little shaky to get used to, but I was ready to run around the building. It feels like you’re jumping on the moon, and as I bounced around the corner we were ran straight into Tracey Cadrin from CheeCha Puffs…if you remember, CheeCha was the company from Calgary who donated 200 mini bags of their healthy puffed potato snacks to our wedding--and they have become one of my favourite snacks. Tracey, who we’ve never actually met in person before, recognized us on the spot; she practically screamed out our names. After bouncing back to the booth to give back the shoes and replace them with our cowboy boots, we walked up to the CheeCha’s booth and finally got to hug the person who was so kind and shipped 200 bags across 5,000 kilometers. She filled us in about how much she loves Ottawa and all about the flavour we hadn’t tried yet: blue cheese… simply amazing, and unavailable in Ontario except by online ordering!

Me and Tracy From CheeCha puff's

As we continued through the expo, we came up to a booth for a magazine, who was handing out their mag and workout supplement samples. Upon reading the lengthy warnings on the back of these samples, it was clear that these really aren’t meant for the faint of heart or the sane. Some of the warnings were “Do not take if you are in child bearing years”, “May cause a tingling sensation in your skin. This is normal and will disappear or weaken with extended use.”, or "Due to its extreme strength, it is highly recommended that you assess your individual tolerance and start  out by using only 1/2 a packet". These I was not ready for or expecting and it truly shows the extent that some of these companies expect you to go to boost your training abilities in an unhealthy way. The FitDay show really did seem geared towards body builders rather than everyday fitness fans, but we both agreed that consuming dangerous chemicals seemed like too high a price for six pack abs.

Johanna, Owner and  Artist of Sthenos

We also ran into a new a new clothing store which just opened up in Westboro called One Tooth activewear. They have a variety of very comfortable and chic work-out clothes; both outerwear and spandex like clothing. Their tag line is “ Yoga inspired activewear at prices that wont make you go loulou!” As Jordan is currently boycotting another local store for raising the price of the snap-up scarves by 10.00 in just one season (she requested explanation from the company and received none), Jordan was happy to find another line of fine fitness wear at a more accessible price point. Also nice: the line is Canadian designed and made.

The booth next to them, we met the creator of Sthenos, Johanna Stavrakaki. She is a pro fitness competitor who is also an amazing artist and has just created a line of inspirational clothing with her art work printed on them. Johanna says “This is how I combine my love for body building and art together.” She has and incredible collection of t-shirts and hoodies and will be expanding her line very shortly. Jordan found the imagery and slogans on the clothing to be really unique for women’s clothing, and appreciated the focus on strength, instead of ‘being pretty’.

Photo of the Expo

Amongst all the clothing were also representatives from Heart wise exercise who were advertising their free walking and nutrition programs here in Ottawa. I never knew that these existed, and not only is it a great way to get in shape and learn to eat healthy, but also an amazing way for you to get out and meet new people. I also never expected to see makeup at the expo as well, but with the beauty facet of fitness competitions it makes sense. Jordan got to see the Monique from BeautiControl who Jordan met at the Harley Davidson Ottawa fundraiser in February, where Monique supplied her with the miracle primer she raves about every day, even though I don’t really understand.

This was a very diverse event, from the jumping shoes to the make-up and connecting with a friend we hadn’t met, all the way from Calgary. It’s the crazy stuff that you never expect that make for the best adventures.

Stay tuned for the Weekend Review, Part II...