For Andrew Koscielniak, encouraging people to be fit and active is his passion. This enthusiastic drive to inspire people to set goals for themselves and achieve them in the pursuit of better fitness is what encourages him to go to work each day. He’s an inspiration to the people he works with and works out with, but just don’t ask him to coach 4-year olds. His experience of coaching his son’s soccer team last spring was exhausting, even for this fit guy. He says of the experience, “I have so much respect now for primary school teachers and coaches who work with the little kids. It’s tough!”
Thankfully, Andrew’s work experience as a Registered Kinesiologist has led him to be employed by some of the most innovative fitness programs for adults. While a Kinesiology (scientific study of human movement, performance and function) student at Lakehead University, Andrew was taking a class in the Cardiac Rehab program in his 4th year. In this program, Kinesiology students worked with rehabilitation patients to develop an exercise and fitness routine. His professor, Tracey Larocque, told him about a new program that needed kinesiologists and soon Andrew was on the ground floor for the launch of the WE-CAN program, a wellness and exercise program for cancer survivors held at the Canada Games Complex. The WE-CAN program, coordinated by Kelly-Jo Gillis at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, was launched seven years ago and Andrew has been with it since day one. The WE-CAN program has expanded and now graduates continue in the WE-DID program, a group fitness class created by Andrew to support graduates to maintain and progress their physical gains achieved while participating in WE-CAN.
Kinesiology was a natural path for Andrew to study. Growing up in Sudbury, he moved to Thunder Bay in high school. It was sports and being part of a team that eased the transition of moving to a new town as an adolescent. Andrew had grown up experiencing how sports, fitness and being active can help with confidence and self-esteem. When it came time to decide what to do with his life after high school, he thought that if he was going to go to university it would be for something he was interested in. That interest was in promoting health and wellness as well as helping people. Kinesiology was the perfect fit.
Being part of a team is what influenced Andrew’s philosophy of fitness today. He believes in getting people together for fitness classes and activities. “It’s been found that most people are successful with fitness gains in group settings,” he says. “Being part of a group helps people adhere to fitness programs. It provides structure and helps with accountability. If your friend or a program instructor is waiting for you or you’ve committed to a class time, you’re more likely to show up to class.”
Getting people to set their own fitness habits is important to Andrew. He sees and hears about barriers that people put up as to why they can’t participate, but he’s also watched those same people blossom because of the benefits of fitness and the social aspect of being part of a group. Being part of a class is like finding your own “team” where everyone who shows up gets to play and no one gets benched. Much of the latest research in activity points out the need to increase physical literacy for adults. By working with people and helping them feel confident in the activity they are doing, Andrew feels that they will build their competence in that activity and will be motivated to continue doing the activity and maybe branch out into new activities.
Fitness can be difficult for many people who may live with physical challenges. Andrew sees struggles of people every day in his role as one of the kinesiologists with the Chronic Pain Program at St. Joseph’s Care Group. “I work with people who are experiencing chronic pain,” he says of clients who may have learned to live with life-altering conditions after an accident or illness. “When I’ve hurt myself, that pain has eventually healed. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live with that pain every day. I admire the people I meet in the program because of their work ethic and their dedication to their progress. I see them persevere and stay focused on goals. The participants help each other. I learn from them every day.” For Andrew, his greatest “win” is seeing clients that he’s worked with in programs like WE-DID and the Chronic Pain Management program sign up for community-based programs out from under his watchful eye. It’s like seeing his students take what they’ve learned from him and “take wing” on their own.
Andrew is learning to love outdoor fitness too. As the father of a young son and baby daughter, he’s enjoying hanging out with them and exploring the great things that Thunder Bay has to offer, like the splash pad and playgrounds. He lets his 5-year old son plan the activity, which most recently was scootering. These days, he is also happy to see other people coach his kids. “Sports are great for building
social skills like sportsmanship and respect.”
With a new baby in their household, Andrew recognized the opportunity for moms and babies to bond through fitness. He launched a new program called “Mothers in Motion”. This 8-week, postpartum program offered at the Canada Games Complex is coordinated by Andrew but led by other kinesiologists. It’s all about getting the moms to bond with the babies in activity while getting back in shape. It’s also a great way to set the stage to get moms and tots creating an active fitness habit together!
Andrew has had many mentors along his career, including Tracey Larocque (his professor at Lakehead), Kelly-Jo Gillis at the TBRHSC, his colleagues on the Chronic Pain Management team at SJCG as well as the hundreds of clients he has worked with over the years to try fitness, one step, one lunge, and one arm curl at a time. It’s safe to say that Andrew has been himself a mentor to many of those people that he has interacted with and encouraged over the years. In being active, they have continued to follow the “fitness prescription” that he has given them. His advice can get us all moving… and in the right direction.
