If you were following along on our Instagram page, you likely saw our first annual Bro’s Wellness Weekend retreat to Calgary at the start of February. A few of our readers joined us for an awesome fitness and bonding retreat to Calgary and Kananaskis where we chatted about men’s health and wellness issues and got in some awesome workouts at local studios. Don’t worry ladies. We’re planning your wellness weekend for February and details will be coming soon.
The weekend started after a meet & great at Central Social Hall Downtown so guests could get to know each other and so that we could provide each gent with their weekend bag with swag supplied from some of our amazing local partners. Each bag was valued at over $700 and included products from:
- Reebok Canada
- lululemon athletica
- Sportchek
- B3NTH Underwear
- Saje Natural Wellness
- Jack Black
- Maximum Health & Nutrition
Then late Friday afternoon, we met at Volvo of Edmonton to pick up our rides for the weekend. The bro’s were treated to return transportation to Calgary as well as rides to their workouts in stylish XC90 Hybrids to do our part to help reduce our environmental impact. The weekend would of course fall at the start of a cold snap that gripped Alberta at the start of February, but these vehicles handled the conditions beautifully and kept the interior climate nice and warm post workout.
For the duration of our stay, we were treated to the services and amenities of Hotel Arts. The premier Hotel Arts experience offers luxury suites which are beautifully appointed with designer décor, roomy lounge areas and a full-size wet bar. The perfect pad to enjoy a cocktail while overlooking a spectacular city view from the balcony.
During our visit, we took in workouts at YYC Cycle, Metta Yoga Calgary, Rumble Boxing and Crushcamp.
Anyone who has checked our YEG Cycle in Edmonton knows the kind of workout you can expect from the YYC Cycle brand. It may have been -29C outside, but the music was pounding and the instructor and motivators had our hearts pumping and sweat pouring for the 50 minute class. Each of the Bros received shoes, shorts, shirt and socks from Reebok Canada and they were put to good use with this first workout.
Next up was a hot yoga class at Metta Yoga Calgary. This was the first time for a few of the guys doing hot yoga so was a bit of a challenge, but was a great way to sweat out the great meal and a few adult beverages from the night before. Our instructor Jenn Nguyen made the rounds during the class to help the guys through their poses and make sure we were able to get the best out of our session.
This was followed up by a boxing class at Rumble Boxing on 17th avenue. I’ve only tried boxing at Panther Gym in Edmonton so this was a new experience for me as I still haven’t been to Champ’s Boxing (I know… Sorry Jelena). What a cool experience though. The workout was high energy and the music was a great compliment. I’m not a boxer, but the movements throughout the workout made me feel like a pro by the end.
Between each workout, we stopped to refuel at some great local eateries including OEB Breakfast Co and Our Daily Brett. Both of which are amazing and you should definitely check them out on your next visit to Calgary if you haven’t been in yet.
With all the sweating being done inside the studios, we were thankful to have some comfortable lightweight gear provided by lululemon for each of the guys. Prior to heading out on the trip, each guy went in to the Southgate location for an education session about the technical gear for the winter season and then outfitted in pants, top, socks and athletic underwear.
To start day 2, we headed over to CrushCamp. CrushCamp is a bad ass fitness studio full of a hard working staff who are looking to help transform their clients lives through powerful workouts. This was the workout the guys feared most as none of us are runners so we were a bit worried about fitting this in as the last workout of the trip. But the intervals that were done between treadmill work and floor work made it a solidly fun (but still damn hard) workout.
Fianlly, the pièce de résistance. What we had been waiting for all weekend. Something to soothe the sore muscles after 4 workouts in 25 hours. The Kananaskis Nordic Spa. It may have been -31C when we arrived and there was over a foot of snow on the cars in the parking lot, but we braved our robes and were treated to this highlight of the Rockies. With a mountain backdrop and the crisp mountain air, muscles were soaked, steam rooms aromatics were inhaled and stories were shared about topics ranging from testosterone replacement to platelet rich plasma therapy.
The weekend may have concluded after 3 days in southern Alberta, but the memories and friendships made will last a lifetime. So much so that we’re already planning our next Bro’s Wellness Weekend in 2020.
