When Linda Dacosta took up running, she would walk to one light post, then run to the next.
Now she’s a member of the Thunder Bay Metre Eaters, a 35-year-old running club, and was manning the club’s booth at the seventh annual Chamber of Commerce Health and Wellness Expo at the Valhalla Inn this weekend.
Dacosta had been fielding questions Saturday and Sunday from people about how to get started.
“They’re just a little bit nervous,” she said, adding most have always wanted to try or want to know how hard the sport is.
“It’s really just encouraging people to take that one step,” she said.
People are not only interested in fitness activities, but also in nutrition and Dacosta said the expo was a great place to start.
There were about 50 exhibitors at the weekend show covering areas like fitness, health food, homeopathy, massage therapy and various medical and health organizations.
Balance Chiropractic’s Sheri Robertson said they were excited to share what they do with the community.
“An expo like this is great for an office like ourselves. We’re all young practitioners and we’re always looking to attract new patients into our clinic so this is a great opportunity for us,” she said.
Robertson said their office has embraced many changes and want to show the public how they’ve integrated different types of treatment into their practice.
The Health and Wellness Expo is an important event because it allows people to learn about all the ways they can make their lives healthier, she added.
“In an opportunity like this, they can come in and talk to different practitioners like ourselves and ask questions in an environment that’s really comfortable,” said Robertson.
Show manager Nancy Milani said people coming through the doors seem to be learning a lot while at the expo.
“They don’t realize all of what’s available to them in Thunder Bay and the region,” she said. “I think that’s been a really good feature for most of them, to be able to come through, talk one-on-one with people and learn about all the things that are available to them here.”
The show has grown not only in the amount, but also the variety of exhibitors. This year there has been more of an emphasis on fitness.
In the past the expo has also attracted more female patrons, but this year Milani noticed an increase of men and also more young people attended.
She believes the interactivity is what attracts people to the show.
“You can come in and try a massage. There are things about foot care. There is spinal assessment. You can get a little trial and see if ti works for you and then you can go and see a practitioner if you want to do that,” she said.
“Clearly more and more people are getting more interested in their health, fitness and their wellness,” she added.
