Why I do what I DO.
Ever since I was a little kid, I was always very active, running, jumping, climbing, and bouncing off walls and playgrounds. I always loved sports but I was never better than an average athlete. I played on my basketball and volleyball teams in Elementary school but was never the star player, just a bench warmer. In high school, I made my grade 9 basketball team but found myself missing the cut from other team tryouts. I cried more than once from having not seen my name on the final roster sheets. Since I never did excel in athletics, I chose to excel in fitness. Thus, I sought out an education in kinesiology at the University of British Columbia and began learning everything I could about fitness and nutrition.
I was always scrawny as a kid and through my teenage years. I was also very awkward looking throughout highschool, I wore glasses since I was 7 years old and had crooked teeth. Girls were not attracted to me. I had many girls as friends but never had a girlfriend. I always wanted to be like Zack Morris or A.C. Slater, but I was more like Screech. I thought if I could get big muscles, then the girls would like me so I started working out. I loved working out, many times I would spend countless hours at the gym. It was like a hangout for my friends and I. I tried every possible training program out there from Arnold's to Ronnie's to Sly's. In one year, I had put on about 10 lbs of lean muscle mass and I learned that if I wanted to get any bigger, it was going to take much more work, hard work.
At the same time while I was completing my degree, I also earned my personal trainer certification and began training clients. Initially, I chose the field of personal training because I wanted to help people improve their looks so that in turn, they can increase their self esteem. This is still a major reason why I do what I do. However, as I began training more and more people, it was frustrating because every single client came with their unique set of problems. At school, I never learned how to solve that nagging knee injury in school or how to work with someone who literally cannot bring their arms over their head.
What was consistent about each of of my clients was that everyone was battling some sort of orthopedic problem. Mike had bad knees from a skiing accident, Sasha had knee problems from ballet, Karen had bursitis in her hips and was carrying around at least 25lbs of fat that was putting extra stress on her joints. I soon learned that if I was going to be a better trainer, I needed to learn more about ergonomics and orthopedics. I needed to educate myself more on movement patterns, assessment and corrective strategies. Why hadn't I learned any of this from my personal training certification courses? Learning how to assess and correct orthopedic and postural problems is a necessity for every personal trainer.
I believe that we can make giant leaps in the fitness industry. It is too easy to get a personal training certification. The standards in the industry are too low and the market is diluted with trainers. I know many of colleagues who are trainers but should have no business training people, especially clients who are battling metabolic problems and really need to lose weight, improve their health, and feel better. Some people really need help and they need guidance from a qualified, knowledgeable, and experienced trainer.
This is why I am a personal trainer because I love sports and athletics and I want to make people feel better about themselves. I want to empower people. I know a lot of people out their have very low self esteem. I'm here to make you look better and feel better. But I also want you to be healthy and injury free. Feeling great, looking good, being strong, happy, and healthy are all inter-connected. Therefore, I am not only a fitness trainer, I am a life coach, I'm here to help you improve every facet of your life, inside and out.
Credentials
Bachelor of Human Kinetics - University of British Columbia
Certified Personal Trainer - BCRPA
Crossfit Level 1
Power Plate Trainer Level 1
