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Inspiration Day returns to New Westminster in February

Health, wellness and laughter are part of this Inspiration Day fun in New Westminster. Inspiration Day returns to Century House on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Dr. Davidicus Wong returns to share his inspirational take on life.
Inspiration Day
Local seniors are invited to get inspiration and information, and enjoy a few laughs at Inspiration Day at Century House.

Health, wellness and laughter are part of this Inspiration Day fun in New Westminster.

Inspiration Day returns to Century House on Saturday, Feb. 22 from 1 to 3:30 p.m. Dr. Davidicus Wong returns to share his inspirational take on life.

A new addition to this year’s lineup is a presentation by registered dietician and certified wellness coach Jess Pirnak, who will talk about mindful eating.

“Specifically, we'll be discussing tips to slow down your eating for proper digestion and to learn to stop eating when you are 80% full,” Pirnak said. “Mindful eating is just one of the tips to help slow down our eating, so if anyone out there has never done a mindful eating exercise they should definitely attend.”

Janice Bannister, owner of Laughter Zone 101, is once again bringing a troupe of her comics to Inspiration Day.

“This is great group ranging in age from 60 to a possible 80 year old, but she won’t divulge her age,” Bannister said in an email to the Record. “One of the comics has just recently retired, another has worked the comedy scene for years and will share her ‘this is what I’m doing with my PhD’ stories.”

Performing at Inspiration Day is perfect for these folks, Bannister says, as a lot of older comics don’t want to do the nightclub circuit because shows are late at night and the atmosphere is very competitive for stage time.

“The great part of doing comedy for the 55+ generation – they have so many stories. Their inspiration comes from their families and other real-life situations,” she said. “A lot of them are naturally funny and just want to share the laughs with others. Some got into stand-up comedy to check off a new skill on their bucket list. All of the Inspiration Day comics have a positive aging message, but they will make you laugh about the weird side of aging.”

Bannister, a former psychiatric nurse and an admitted “brain nerd,” teaches a brain fitness course at Simon Fraser University. The New West resident said seniors are doing so many artsy things now, including stand-up comedy, burlesque, drag, storytelling, improv, theatre and ballet, and she believes community centres and programming need to reflect the diversity of what seniors want to learn.

“The latest research shows how important new activities are for brain fitness,” she said. “Also, the brain doesn’t stop learning, you just have to give it new skills to work on. So if you have always been a dancer, now is the time to try singing or painting or really shake it up and try stand-up comedy. Your brain will benefit.”

Inspiration Day tickets are $10 and available at Century House, 620 Eighth St. A limited number of tickets are available.

For more information, call 604-519-1066.