Everyone is welcome

“Progress” Pride Flag by Daniel Quasar (quasar.digital LLC)

What is Lift Up?

Lift Up program is catered to recovering individuals looking to improve their lives through functional fitness and community. Lift Up is a safe, supportive & physically active environment for those who are recovering from addiction, alcoholism & anyone currently dealing with mental health issues.

Each week, individuals will go through a casual group check in followed by a WOD (work out of the day!). These WODs are scalable and geared to any & all fitness levels.

With regular attendance individuals can see physical & psychological benefits including:

In early sobriety, it’s a simply a healthy & positive place to turn to.
New friends & new habits.
Discipline & structure in your life.
To set and achieves goals.
Help cope with day to day struggles.
And above all, a community to help you get through it together.

Program Objectives

Promote wellness through exercise.
Community engagement / community building.
Instil hope.
Create a positive culture of healing.
Nurture a sense of self-identity, meaning in life, personal responsibility, and empowerment.

Core Values

Creating a culture and language of hope.
Recovery is personal.
Recovery occurs in the context of one’s life.
Responding to the diverse needs of those living in the Toronto community.
Recovery relies on inclusive services and systems.

Pillars of the Program

The Lift Up Program

Goal: To provide a safe, supportive & physically active environment for those who are recovering from addiction & anyone currently dealing with mental health issues.

Peer support
Community based program
Body positive environment
Mental health inclusive environment
Accessible resources

Exercise & mental health theories

Peer Support
Lift Up aims to provide an environment that fosters meaningful connections through peer support.
Community Based Programming
Lift Up is a unique program within the city of Toronto that aims to increase sense of community and belonging among its members.
A Body Positive Environment
The Lift Up program encourages individuals of all fitness and ability levels! We hope to promote a sense of pride and appreciation for the body's overall health, function, and fitness.
A Mental Health Inclusive Environment
The Lift Up program invites individuals from all walks of life, at all stages of their mental health/addition journey, as well as those dealing with precarious housing situations.
Accessible Resources
Lift Up is a free fitness-based program that aims to support its members by providing social and emotional support, in a addition to tangible resources.

Meet the Lift Up Team!

Amedeo (Amo) Patuelli

Certified Coach

Amo joined the Academy 8 years ago through one of its first programs. At the time of joining, he was a homeless 19 year old youth at 310lbs , completely out of shape, drug using, battling depression and dealing with a severe social anxiety disorder.

"I saw CrossFit as a stepping stone to turning my life around and changing for the better. The Academy of Lions helped me overcome my mental health at its worse and clean up lots of bad habits, allowing me to manage my life better. I see the great value a program like Lift Up can help those dealing with addiction, alcoholism and struggling with mental health. I hope to help participants dealing with these issues by using fitness as one of the foundations to their journey in recovery."

Elizabeth (Beth) Cruchley

Registered Occupational Therapist

In mid-2018, after being a part of the Academy of Lions community for several years, Beth learned about Lift Up and its focus on supporting individuals with mental health and/or substance use issues.

She reached out to Amo to learn more about the program and began attending Lift Up sessions. Beth created a role guiding the informal check-in discussions and providing motivation and encouragement during workouts. Beth’s current role focuses on identifying opportunities for program growth, reducing barriers for future / current members, advocacy and creating community partnerships. Beth brings her devotion to improving mental health through fitness, and training in occupational therapy, to support individuals’ recovery and community engagement. Her role has recently expanded to supervise occupational therapy students to continue the promotion of the Lift Up program.