Aaron Smith - Personal Trainer |
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Four years ago I made the personal decision to make a huge change in my life. I was in a place where I was dissapointed with how I looked and felt and I knew it was time for a drastic change. I set out a goal to become the best version of myself and lost over 100 lbs on my own by simply settings goals, sticking to a routine, and staying focused on what I set out to achieve. During this journey, what helped me the most was having a strong support system by my side. I quickly learned the value of having people around you who not only believe in you, but also push you to be your best self. Because of my journey, I realized if I could do it truly anyone could and I decided to dedicate myself to helping others. As someone who has been through this transformation and has seen first-hand my own potential, I look forward to being able to coach others to help them realize theirs. My training will give you the tools you need to reach your full potential. Credentials
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Armelle Mitizutani - Group Fitness Instructor |
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I am an elementary school teacher- currently teaching dance, music, phys ed, social studies and technology. I am volunteering at the Y as I love to share my love of fitness through teaching. At the moment I am quite busy with my career, so a volunteer teaching position gives me the opportunity to do this in a more relaxed environment.I am passionate about fitness because it makes me feel so great- I actually love to work out every day, pursuing a variety of areas of fitness. In particular I enjoy strength building activities as I believe that this is the key to staying strong and healthy as you age. I also love dance based activities such as Zumba, ballet, Essentrics, belly-dancing- they provide a great outlet for self-expression, and help connect the mind to the body. I have 3 teenagers and enjoy doing outdoor activities with them such as hiking, camping and skiing. Credentials • canFit Pro Fitness Instructor Specialist • Essentrics- Level 1 Instructor • Zumba Basic and Zumba Kids certification • Get Ripped certification • First Aid and CPR-C |
Angela Darney - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
| "My training will help you...to get in tune with your body better, focus on form as foundation, and will help you make the most out of a water workout."
Did you know that only 5% of people who join a fitness club actually get the results they desire? The good news is that 80% of those who set a specific goal, and have a custom program to achieve it, DO achieve their goals. Angela will work with you to establish an individualized program based on a balanced, holistic approach that incorporates all aspects of your lifestyle. With Angela's support and guidance, you will find the commitment and drive to take responsibility for your and health and fitness! Angela also leads Group Fitness and Wellness programs in the pool and Fitness Centre, including: Aquafit, Cycle, Total Body, High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Gold Fusion, Yoga, Yoga Gold, and Group Active. Credentials YMCA Aquafit Instructor YMCA Group Cycle Instructor YMCA Group Cardio Instructor YMCA Group Strength Instructor MOSSA Group Active Instructor MOSSA Group Centergy Instructor NCCPT Personal Trainer NCCPT Weight management specialist NCCPT Yoga Instructor CALA Post-Rehab Aquatic Instructor |
Brandon Noss - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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Fitness has been something that has always been in my life. My interest begins through my father who in my youngest years was a body builder. When I was 10 I first started training with him at home but sadly didn’t last as 10 year old attention spans do. My passion for fitness later began when I was 18, and transitioned into a love for personal training and things like biomechanics and anatomy/biology. This passion blended together with my inspiration when I purchased my father a gym membership for father’s day and got him back into the gym consistently for the first time in over 15 years. Healthy active living is one my biggest core beliefs, in which I believe that every person, no matter the experience or limitations, should be able to participate in on a regular basis. This where my journey with the YMCA begins. I chose the YMCA over anywhere else because of the family friendly and positive atmosphere it has to offer. The nature of this atmosphere also gives me the ability to express a newly found passion and skill, which is health coaching/motivational interviewing. I’m a real people person, and I love getting to know those that I am surrounded by, but what I really love is watching these same people work towards their goals and not only accomplish them, but surpass them. Being able to play a part in another person regaining what they might have lost or gaining something they never had is one of the greatest feelings there is. In terms of training abilities my strong suits lay in beginners, but I am more than capable of working with anyone in any way doing just about anything, and if I don’t know how to do something I almost guarantee I can learn. Credentials • Fitness and Health Promotion (Conestoga College 2018) • OFC Platinum level certification (Ontario Fitness Council 2018) • Individual Conditioning (3+ years) • Aspiring Health Coach |
Brian Fehst - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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"My training will help you...learn running techniques, strengthen and stabilize your core and rehabilitate any injuries." An avid runner, sailor, skier, and former University and Club level rugby player, Brian has learned first-hand the value of functional exercise to health and performance. Since earning his B.Sc. (Kinesiology) and becoming accredited as a Certified Exercise Physiologist with the Canadian Society for Exercise Philosophy, Brian has had opportunities to develop and implement goal-oriented functional exercise programs for individuals of all ability levels. He is particularly dedicated to creatively applying new and established research and best practices to meet and exceed individual performance and rehabilitation goals (and he's almost always up for a jog!). Credentials Registered Kinesiologist YMCA Canada trainer (of instructors) YMCA Group Cycle Instructor MOSSA Group Power Instructor MOSSA Group Blast Instructor B.Sc. (Kinesiology) CSEP-Certified Exercise Physiologist |
Charleen Wyman - Group Fitness Instructor |
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Charleen is an advocate for joy through fitness. She lives, is always learning and teaches yoga and meditation. She loves latin and mixed dance and seeing class participants feel the music and flow. Joy. She is also happy to share the experience of floating freedom, movement and resistance for fitness through water with AquaFit. My passion is teaching participants the basics of yoga, dance and movement through water and helping them build on their skills for ease of enjoyment, more cardiovascular health, more flexibility, more mobility and more muscular strength. Smiles and joy are wonderfully contagious. Credentials
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Charles Guest - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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"My training will help you...focus on fun rather than discipline! Create gradual and sustainable change rather than a short-term quick fix, and make exercise a part of your lifestyle to achieve the best long-term results." YMCA Personal Trainer YMCA Group Cycle Instructor Yoga Instructor B.A. Philosophy |
Colleen Beaudoin - Group Fitness Instructor |
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I have been a member at the Guelph YMCA since 2008 and have previously been a member in other cities, including Burlington, Toronto, and in Canton, Ohio, where I completed my pre-doctoral internship at a community mental health agency. I am passionate about fitness, mental health, and community or family. Volunteering at the YMCA is a wonderful place to connect these passions. Fitness is an integral part not only of our physical health, but also our mental health, in terms of the benefits it can have on our mood, stress levels, and confidence. A sense of belonging within a caring community also has a positive impact upon our physical and mental well-being. It also makes fitness more fun and meaningful! I love teaching Group Blast, as well as taking fitness classes and working out with other staff, members, and volunteers. Outside the YMCA, my family life and my work as a clinical psychologist help define who I am. I also love alpine skiing, which boosts my mood in the winter because it is thrilling, I do it with my family, and it is exercise outdoors! I hope that I can share these passions with others at the YMCA.
Credentials MOSSA Group Blast |
Irina Broide - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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"My training will help you...achieve results while having fun, and will help you to be fit and stay fit." Irina is a Personal Trainer / Fitness Instructor and a busy mom of three girls. She has a passion for fitness and has been involved in fitness and sports, specializing in 400m hurdles and running events and she still competes in local races! Her personal goal is to role model an active lifestyle for her children. Irina's love of helping people reach and maintain their health and fitness goals while enjoying the journey is what led her to become a Personal Trainer and Fitness Instructor. She enjoys working with a variety of clients and is an extremely motivating trainer. Her physical activity interests are running, hiking, camping, canoeing, backpacking, cycling, and downhill and x-country skiing. Credentials YMCA Canada Group Fitness Instructor in: Aquatics, Fitness, Cardio, Cycle, and Strength MOSSA Group Power, Group Centergy, Group Active, Group Ride, and R30 Instructor Small Group Personal Training Coach YMCA Canada Personal Trainer YMCA Canada Trainer (of instructors) |
Jackie McLarnon - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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"As the Guelph Y training educator, I can help you find the perfect trainer who will empower you to achieve your health goals." Jackie joined the Y as a member in the early 1990's and became a certified fitness volunteer in 1993. She enjoys teaching group fitness such as MOSSA Group Active, MOSSA Group Centergy, MOSSA Group Power, Aquafit and Gold Fusion. She has also been a certified YMCA Canada Trainer since 2001, and a YMCA Training Educator since 2010. Credentials YMCA Personal Trainer YMCA Group Cardio Instructor YMCA Aquafit Instructor YMCA Group Strength Instructor YMCA Canada Training Educator MOSSA Group Power, Group Active, and Group Centergy Instructor Certified Yoga Instructor Diploma in Fitness and Health Promotion (2009) - Conestoga College First Aid/ CPR Instructor and Examiner - Lifesaving Society |
Joanne O'grady - Group Fitness Instructor |
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I am passionate about: 1. Being a good Mom & raising boys that will turn into good men & good people. 2. My friends & family 3. Dancing & music! I love being a volunteer at the YMCA. I like knowing that I give back to my community in a positive way. The members that attend my classes are very important to me. They bring me joy and inspire me. I believe that fitness is the best prevention and cure for illness and mental well-being. Zumba is my "happy place" and has been for the last 8.5 years since I became a Zumba Instructor. I love teaching Zumba! In the many years that I have been an instructor, I have made many wonderful friends, some are my best friends!. I have created countless amazing memories in & around the Guelph community and it has brought me opportunities that may not have come my way otherwise. I am eternally grateful to Zumba Fitness and my wonderful friends and participants! Certifications YMCA Aquafit & Group Fitness Instructor Certified Zumba Instructor since 2009: Zumba Aqua Zumba Zumba Gold Zumba Toning Zumba Kids Zumba in the Circuit |
Karen Keleher - Group Fitness Instructor |
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"My training will help you...have fun when you work out and it won't ever feel like work!" Karen was active from an early age. At five years old she was dancing Tap, Jazz, and Ballet and belonged to the Guelph Gymnastics club. She also participated in figure skating, swimming, ringette, softball and tennis lessons. In high school her love of dance and music had grown and she was playing guitar, drums, singing and of course, still dancing. She joined the school gymnastics team and participated in Floor, Bars, and Beam routines. Karen became interested in team sports, playing baseball, volleyball and joining the Royal City Rollergirls, which was the first Roller Derby team in Guelph! This love of the team environment and passion for physical activity led her to teaching group fitness classes. Karen is proud and happy to be a member of the Y community who looks forward to bringing energy to the fitness centre and her group fitness classes! Credentials YMCA Group and Cardio Instructor YMCA Group Strength Instructor YMCA Aquafit Instructor CanFitPro Fitness Instructor Specialist CanFitPro Nutrition and Wellness Specialist Zumba, Zumba Gold, Zumba Kids, and Zumba Toning, Zumba Sentao, Aqua Zumba YogaFit |
Kim Carrere - Group Fitness Instructor |
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As a Y volunteer, I feel privileged to be a member of the Y fitness team. I bring caring, enthusiasm and a willingness to learn to my volunteer career. I came late to fitness, teaching my first fitness class in my fifties. I was the oldest kid in the neighbourhood to learn to ride a bike. I ran my first road race when I was forty. Since then, I have ridden my bike to Ottawa, done mountain biking in Moab Colorado, run marathons, back packed up Mount Kilimanjaro, (in my sixties) and pushed my granddaughter's stroller from obstacle to obstacle while my daughters and granddaughters participated in an obstacle course race. I like to think I am passing my enthusiasm for fitness down the through the generations. I still plan to learn the proper swim stroke so I can cross triathlon off my bucket list. I am practising burpees so I won't slow my family down in our next obstacle race. Because there is so much collective fitness wisdom in this building I confidently tell Y members and my class participants they can ask me any question. I will know which of my colleagues can expertly provide me with the answer to their question and I continue to learn. Thank you, for affording this non-athlete the opportunity to help with your fitness goals. Certifications YMCA Encore YMCA Aqua Fit |
Laurinda Lang - Group Fitness Instructor |
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I began to pursue my interest in fitness in 2010 when I completed by Personal Trainer certification. I followed that with numerous other certifications and workshops including Yoga, Group Fitness, and most recently Aquafit. I continue to take courses to further my knowledge. I began teaching at the Guelph YMCA in 2011 and teach Aquafit, Yoga, Step and other classes. In my leisure time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, swimming, reading, playing the piano. After a career in the agriculture and food industry with the Ontario Ministry in Agriculture, Food and Rural, I retired in spring 2017. Certifications Personal Trainer Specialist (CanFitPro) Weight Room Supervisor Certification (University of Guelph) Yoga (200 hour YTTA) Cardio Group Fitness Instructor certification- YMCA 2013 Aquafit Instructor Certification YMCA Urban Poling Certification Diverse Populations Workshop YMCA Active Aging Certification (CanFitPro) Standard First Aid/CPR-C Certification Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) |
Marjan Bateni - Group Fitness Instructor |
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Marjan has been a member of the YMCA since 2006. The family oriented environment of the Y inspired her to get more involved in the activities of the organization. She started volunteering as a Zumba Instructor in 2010 and joined the staff of the YMCA-YWCA of Guelph as a Zumba Instructor for adults, children, and families in 2011. She also started teaching Belly Dance lessons at the Y in the summer of 2014. Marjan has always had a passion for dance. Since she was a teenager, she was involved with a wide range of dance genres such as Hindi, Persian, Hip-hop, and belly dancing. She attended Zumba classes for the first time at the YMCA-YWCA of Guelph and instantly fell in love with it. She then took up Latin dance passionately and has been constantly creating choreographies both for adults and children since then. She believes it has been an amazing ride which has helped her immensely in her physical and mental well-being. Marjan believes that working out should be fun; hence, she follows the Zumba motto, "Ditch the workout, join the party". "Dancing is one of the best modes of exercise" she considers, "one that incorporates all your muscles and makes you smile inside and out." Credentials Zumba Basic 1 Zumba for Kids |
Mark Offer - Group Fitness Instructor |
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Although he has a Masters in Biology, Mark never expected or intended to become a fitness instructor. However, ever since he took a line dancing course at his local YMCA in 1995, he has enjoyed dancing at various venues throughout the west GTA. After a hiatus from dancing, he took a refresher course at the Y in Burlington, and found he enjoyed helping beginning dancers to improve their skills and their enjoyment of dancing. Eventually, he applied to various YMCAs and senior centres in the area, and was soon teaching the weekly class on Wednesdays in Guelph. He now teaches three classes a week in the western GTA with a total enrollment of about 70 dancers, as well as the occasional open house or other special event in the local area. Three things I am passionate about: dancing, teaching, choreography |
Megan Brasher - Group Fitness Instructor |
Three things I am passionate about:
My name is Megan and I'm a PhD candidate in Molecular and Cellular Biology at the University of Guelph! I am a volunteer at the YMCA because I wanted to be a part of this great community of instructors. I love the line of MOSSA classes that are offered here, and because I enjoyed attending classes so much I decided to volunteer and become a Group Blast instructor! Being an instructor and a member of the YMCA team keeps me motivated to stay in shape and keeping moving. YMCA-Guelph member since Oct. 2015. Group Blast certified fitness instructor, and lover of Group Power, Group Ride and Group Active! Certifications MOSSA Group Blast |
Peter Morris - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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"My training will help you... to train hard and train smart!" Peter has been a part of your YMCA-YWCA of Guelph community for many years as a member, volunteer, and Personal Trainer/ Group Fitness Instructor. Peter's extensive and varied athletic background (including provincial, national, and international podium results in powerlifting and cycling) has given him the knowledge and experience to help guide you to your personal best, regardless of age and ability level. Specialities Older adult individual/partner training (including Restorative Yoga) Partner and small group interval training (including foam roller recovery techniques) Athletic cross training including Yoga to enhance ability in any sport Individual, partner, and small Group Yoga practice Credentials YMCA Group Cycle Instructor YMCA Group Strength Instructor YMCA Group Cardio Instructor CanFit Pro Certified Personal Trainer CanFit Pro Certified Older Adult Specialist Certified Yoga Instructor |
Rebekah Walker - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
"My training will help you... Find your balance, find the training method that suits you the best and push yourself to make lasting changes."Why personal training? For anyone new to the gym environment, having trouble attaining their goals or needing a push to get going, Rebekah believes that a Personal Trainer provides invaluable guidance, support and instruction. Rebekah's goal is to provide a system that ensures:
Credentials YMCA Group Strength Certified Aromatherapist, Canadian Federation of Aromatherapists Sport Massgage, National Institute of Sport Massage Personal Trainer, National Institute of Sport Education Professional and Personal Development, LIFE Leadership Quotes "I firmly believe in mind over matter! There has to be physical and emotional commitment to make lasting health changes." "Exercise is an integral part of being healthy, but so is health eating and taking time for yourself. The Guelph Y not only provides a place to get in shape, but the mental support to find your healthy life!" |
Russ Preston - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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Russ is a professional who is keenly aware of the need to manage time. His fitness/ training programs will mirror that with efficiency and goal-oriented results. Russ will help you to develop a program tailored to your needs and expectations. Russ believes fitness is a core element in our lives in order to reduce stress and improve overall health. Russ' fitness motto is, "success is a product of focus and determination, setting realistic goals and measuring your progress against those goals."
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Sarah Thomas - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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Sarah has worked full time with the YMCA for over 17 years in many different capacities and across a few different departments. Sarah recently stepped away from her full time role as Youth Director to be part-time here at the Y; to focus more on her family and her work life balance. With this transition, Sarah has taken on her long time desire to become a certified fitness instructor here at the Y. Sarah is excited to bring her years of Y knowledge and passion for working with people along with her positive energy to each and every class she teaches. Credentials YMCA Group Strength Instructor |
Stephanie Allin - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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"My training will help you... make you feel stronger, more flexible, and look and feel better inside and out." Stephanie's training philosophy is that primary attention be given to stability (core and peripheral joints), then mobility - and then strength! When you know how to stabilize in preparation for movement, you are less likely to get injured and more likely to be physically successful. Inflexibility also often ends up in injury. Knowing that you are flexible, stable, and strong gives you a psychological advantage as well. Looking good + feeling good = confidence! YMCA Group Strength Instructor YMCA Group Cardio Instructor YMCA Group Cycle Instructor YMCA Canada Trainer YWCA ENCORE for Breast Cancer Survivors Coordinator (4 years) Certified Personal Trainers Network (CPTN) National Federation of Personal Trainers Cancer Recovery Specialist Certification Merrithew Health & Fitness: STOTT Pilates certification in mat (essential - advanced) small equipment and reformer Injuries & Specialist Populations trainer certification CORE Athletic Conditioning & Performance certification Canfit Pro FIS (Fitness Instructor Specialist) |
Tanya Beckon - Group Fitness Instructor |
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Three things that I'm passionate about:
I love the Y atmosphere and values-based programs. Getting more people moving inspires me! I feel fitness is a great stress reliever and teaching fitness programs is so different from my full time job as a police officer. Certifications MOSSA Group Power and Centergy |
Vladimir Kalashnikov - Personal Trainer & Group Fitness Instructor |
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"My training will help you... Develop agility, stamina and flexibility, improve self-esteem and self-confidence." Vladimir was introduced to the sport of kickboxing at the age of fourteen and trained as a competitive athlete successfully competing nationally and internationally. Since then for over three decades it has been his passion. He never stopped training himself and trained others. Vladimir is thrilled to bring acquired skills, experience and knowledge of conditioning and performance training to the YMCA community and apply them to the non-competitive environment. Credentials B.S of Physical Education YMCA Personal Trainer MOSSA Group Fight Instructor |
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