CitySTRONG takes over Toronto

      On Saturday, August 26, celebrity trainer Erin Opera, personal trainer Shawn Booth, who was the winner on season 11 of the Bachelorette alongside Kaitlyn Bristowe (He won her heart) brought CitySTRONG to Fort York common grounds. CitySTRONG came together last year, when Erin and Shawn decided to team up together to share their passion for fitness to cities across North America, hosting outdoor workouts and showing people that exercise can be fun. A portion of the proceeds goes to CreatiVets, a Chicago-based nonprofit group that helps military veterans use art, music and creative writing to heal from PTSD.

At the event, there were about 400 people in attendance all ready to see Shawn and Erin take the stage. We also had Shawn’s fiancé and former Bachelorette Kaitlyn as our hype girl/DJ. The hour circuit really got your muscles working, between the sumo squats and jumping lunges, the crowd was more than excited to get their bodies fueling. It was quite entertaining seeing Kaitlyn on stage with her glass of wine( Bachelor Nation fans you with me?). For a pretty hard workout, it was nice to have Kaitlyn making the crowd laugh in between sets and during mid squats. Shawn was getting real interactive with the crowd, by running through and taking selfies with girls swooning over him (Can’t blame them).

The overall vibe was full of energy and a lot of fun. From Erin’s motivating pep talk, to Shawn and Kaitlyn’s bickering and laughing, it was fun to just be a part of. It was a beautiful day on top of that, and everyone seemed to enjoyed the workout.  We also had the wonderful opportunity to interview Erin, Shawn and Kaitlyn prior to the workout. Check out the interview below!

To learn more about CitySTRONG and where the next stop will be, click here! 

[Photography by Zach Harrison]