Be Healthy, Be Fit, and Live Long

Living well and aging well were the focus of a sunny, joyous day at MPTF’s second annual Health & Fitness Day at The Wasserman Campus on June 10 2016.  The “Live Well | Age Well” event, which ran from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., saw MPTF exposing over 400 entertainment industry members to  a wide array of activities designed to enhance well-being. Presenting sponsors included the California Rehabilitation Institute, Farm Fresh to You, Select Medical, SingFit, and YogaWorks.

The day’s activities took place at  The Saban Center for Health and Wellness, Jodie Foster Aquatic Pool and Katzenberg Pavilion on the MPTF Wasserman Campus and included everything from  tai chi and yoga, to neuro-drumming, chair exercises, cooking, , Zumba, aqua fit, and a  resident art expo.  The highlight for many was a round a group singing led by SingFit, a program that combines music therapy with mental and physical stimulation to boost mood and personality.   Whatever the science, it was great fun for industry members young and old. Prior to lunch, the Angel City Dixieland band led a parade across campus to the Edith Head Pavilion.

Actress and author Cameron Diaz celebrated healthy living with the entertainment industry crowd with a lunchtime Q&A hosted by MPTF’s Chief Innovation Officer and geriatrician Dr. Scott Kaiser.  Diaz’s newest publication, The Longevity Book: The Science of Aging, the Biology of Strength, and the Privilege of Time(provided at the event by Barnes & Noble), is her second devoted to human health after 2013’s The Body Book, both co-authored with Sandra Bark. After MPTF’s President/CEO, Bob Beitcher welcomed the community by highlighting the importance of healthy living and encouraging industry members to understand “taking care of our own”  as a collective responsibility, he turned the mic over to MPTF Chief Innovation Officer, Scott Kaiser, MD, whose expertise in geriatric medicine and gerontology gave him a special insight into the day’s focus. Kaiser remarked that “aging should be an enjoyable journey – not to be feared” but rather to be embraced.”  Dr Kaiser gave special shout-out to the MPTF walking groups around Los Angeles ranging from the bluffs of Santa Monica to Tinseltown.

In the far-ranging Q&A, actress and author Diaz noted that “we need to think of aging as a privilege.”  She described her book to the crowd as “about embracing aging,” saying “you have to be kind and gentle to yourself.” She realized when people in the industry said she should be scared of turning 40, she didn’t care what popular opinion was; she wanted to find out what was still in store for her with the gift of living each additional day, a “peek into your future.” People are scared of aging, she felt, because they “don’t know what aging is… It’s a privilege to age. Not everyone gets to do it.” Diaz concluded her remarks, “The best way to age well isn’t to worry about aging.  It is to live well.”

See more photos from Health & Fitness Day in our Facebook gallery.