Health analyst and funnyman Dr. Art Hister is the keynote speaker for the South Okanagan-Similkameen Health Fair, being presented Friday and Saturday at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre.
Hister is known for injecting
humour into his presentations, where he reminds people of the
actions they can take to improve their well-being.
“It‘s not rocket science,” said Hister, noting his formula for success is a combination of four things: exercising more, eating properly, watching your weight and monitoring stress levels.
“Each individual has to apply that to their own life,” he said. “There are health concerns that we talk about that come up in question-and-answer sessions with the audience, but the most important thing that I sell is fun.
“If the audience hasn‘t had a fun time when they leave, if they‘re not holding their sides laughing at some point . . . it hasn‘t worked.”
Hister said that because good health can be an intimidating
topic, he packages the information in a way he feels people can relate to.
“If you just do it factually, as some people do, well, that‘s their style. It‘s not my style. I‘m there to have a good time as well. I feed off the audience.”
Hister is one of more than 50 participants at the free, two-day event. The health fair opens with a three-kilometre walk at 2:30 p.m. Friday, and Hister will speak at 4 p.m. that afternoon.
“I‘m not there to lecture anybody,” he said. “I‘m there to forgive everybody for the things they don‘t do, because I don‘t do a lot of them. We‘re there to discuss why you should be doing more of the healthy things and to come up with strategies to help you get there.”
Healthy living is not comprised of a list or catalogue and “do nots,” but is a “compendium of ideas” about how to alter aspects of one‘s life so that a person might live a more vibrant life.
“For me, the most important thing is that you live a happier life,” he said. “Longer? Well, that‘s great if you do, but, mostly, you want to be happier while you‘re here. We‘re not here for that long, and we need to make the most of it.”
Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. A variety of speakers and demonstrations are planned. To find out specific times or to learn more about the event, visit www.soshf.com. Top of Page
