According to Author Lisa McLellan: Staying Fit Over Fifty

Wellness coach Lisa McLellan provides a way for those over fifty to get fit—and stay that way.

Nine years ago, Morin Heights resident Lisa McLellan reached out to her local paper and pitched an idea. As a wellness coach, she thought that it would be beneficial to offer health tips to the aging members of the community in order to make the quest to get fit more approachable.

This was right around the time that McLellan launched her own business, a program geared towards addressing both the physical and mental needs of an aging body. Today, she teaches sixteen classes a week.

Her column experienced such success that readers suggested that McLellan put together a book. The result was All You Really Need Is Your Health, published in 2015. The book reads much like her column, albeit taking a much more in-depth approach. The concept suggests readers practice one healthy lifestyle per month over the period of a year, providing small challenges to readers in order to set them up for a successful outcome. The book provides an outlet for those in their fifties and older to get in shape, regardless of their present state of fitness. “It’s easy to get down on yourself—it’s human,’ says McLellan about her approach to fitness. ‘Understand that everyday is a new beginning. It’s important not to be hard on yourself—we all make mistakes.” Taking a holistic approach, the book offers both physical and nutritional tips. McLellan also offers an online coaching option to those readers looking to take a more hands-on approach to their lessons. Prior to the release of her book, McLellan created a series of DVDS (what she refers to as a companion program), providing her clients with a way to perform small exercises from the comfort of their homes.

With a background in dance therapy (McLellan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Dance and a Master’s in Dance Therapy), much of McLellan’s teaching is based in movement and its benefits to both the body and mind. Counting dancer-choreographer Pierre Paul Savoie and renowned dancer Marie Chouinard amongst her greatest influences and mentors, McLellan credits the creativity of her teaching techniques to what she learned while immersed in the Montreal dance scene. “We learned how to move the body from the inside out—not from what it looks like, but from what it feels like. This training provided me with the skills to work with older bodies.” Like her classes, McLellan’s book promotes the idea of active aging, providing those entering their fifties and older with an accessible guide to enhancing their overall quality of life. For those looking to meet McLellan in person, she will be holding a book signing in Montreal at the Indigo bookstore in the Royal Trust building on February 13th between 2-4 p.m.

For more information, visit www.active-aging-coach.lisamclellan.com