Fitness is healthcare! Running events, bike rides, triathlons, swim meets, soccer games, hockey, baseball, lacrosse – all sports are essentially healthcare events where we build strong lungs, bodies, hearts, joints, minds, self-esteem, resiliency, pride and more. And these by-products of sports are all-inclusive regardless of your proficiency or competency. Each time you move and play, you reinforce an element of good health which benefits you, your family, your community and ultimately Ontario and Canada. “Children are the only hope for our future. Teach them well”. Our children are the nuts ..read more

Calling all Canadian Female Qualifiers for the Ironman World Championships – our Canadian Kona Breakfast and Team Canada Parade T-Shirt Tradition Will Continue in 2023!! For veterans of the Ironman World Championships, you will recall that historically, Subaru Canada, as title sponsor of all Ironman races in Canada, hosted a breakfast for all Canadian qualifiers in Kona. At this breakfast, they distributed a t-shirt to each Canadian athlete to wear at the Parade of Nations that evening. Eleven-time Ironman Champion, Lisa Bentley, a long time Subaru Canada ambassador, was on hand to share train ..read more

When I was in grade 11, I wanted to be a French teacher. Then I got a summer job as a French camp counselor and realized that I wasn’t French enough to be a French teacher. The reality was that when a child stuck their hand close to the campfire, I would yell, “get your hand out of the fire” instead of the French equivalent! And so, I began my quest for my teachable subject. This is where the irony began. Ms Bondi was my math teacher and my track coach. Not only did she convince me to pursue a career in mathematics, but she also convinced me that I could run track and get high marks at the sam ..read more

I want to do my first triathlon. I want to do something I have no idea how to do but I know that I want to do it! Welcome to your dream! And when you take that first step toward that dream, then it becomes a goal!! Let’s go! Belief at the beginning of any undertaking is essential to guarantee success. If you believe in yourself and you wholeheartedly want to accomplish your goal, then you will. My advice is to ‘finish what you start and to do it with heart!’ Make that your mission statement. Write it on a sticky note along with your goal and stick that post-it note on your bathroom mirror so y ..read more

Hello readers!! This note is just a simple “Thank you!” Thank you for trusting me and reading An Unlikely Champion: Finding the Path to Fulfillment and Winning in Life. Over Christmas and New Years, I found some time for deep reflection. I looked through old photos, came up with my favourite memory of 2022 and created some actionable items for 2023. And in that process, I realized that it was 5 years ago that I wrote An Unlikely Champion. Each week, I send out “mini-inspirational” notes to the athletes we coach. I also try to post motivational ideas on social media. But I have never followed u ..read more

I have been blessed with an incredible career. In my first career, I was a high school math teacher and after that, I became a professional triathlete specializing in the Ironman distance: a 3.8 km swim followed by a 180 km bike ride and then a 42 km run. And now, I am a speaker, author and entrepreneur. But regardless of my titles, connection has always been the center of my success. I resigned from teaching in 1999 to pursue triathlon full time. I left a noble profession where teachers share knowledge, insight, inspiration and compassion with their students every day. The best advice I was g ..read more

Ready. Set. Go. 2022!! We are officially in 2022 so let’s get right to continuing to be our best self for ourselves and for those around us! Be your own biggest fan! Don’t try to be anyone but yourself – your best self! Hopefully these final hacks bring out your best energy, your best smile, your best joy .. Lifestyle – Be intentional! if you want to get up early, set your alarm and actually get out of bed (with a plan, with clothes laid out etc ..). If you want to eat healthy, then purchase healthy food – wash fruit and veggies and have them at the ready. Toss the foods which don’t align with ..read more

It is one day until New Year’s Eve and 2 days until a fresh start. New beginnings mean different things to different people. And we don’t have to reserve Jan. 1st for all new beginnings! I feel as if I had a fresh start on Dec 19th after visiting family. I felt invigorated by seeing our loved ones and the visit solidified that the most important gift we can give anyone is our “attention”. I made a pact with myself to “pay attention” and give my 100% attention to others when they speak and want to share something important to them. It is so easy to glance at your phone or continue to work whil ..read more

Today’s hacks aim to break the status quo! I cringe when I hear people refer to their aches and pains with the statement,”I am getting old!” Yes, everyone is aging – thankfully – but aging isn’t the only reason for some of our aches! I have a poster that says “You don’t stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running.” Here are a few hacks to challenge the status quo in 2022! Fitness Hack – Incorporate some strength and mobility work as often as you can. This does not have to take a huge amount of time. I tend to do my foot strengthening and back mobility while I am on ..read more

Moving into 2022 is not about resolutions. It is about taking what made us happy, productive and fulfilled in 2021 and continuing those habits in 2022. It is about sifting through what made us feel less happy, less accomplished and less satisfied and eliminating those energy suckers! Over the next few days, I want to share the hacks which have worked for me in terms of lifestyle, fitness and health so that you can determine if you want to incorporate them into your 2022 fresh start. So here we go: Fitness Hack – ready your clothes, equipment, water bottles, podcast, headlamp etc for exercise t ..read more