Glenda's Fitness Studio
Hi there! My name is Glenda and I’m a Personal Trainer Specialist and Group Fitness Leader. But I wasn’t always. Believe it or not, I have a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance) and – wait for it – a Bachelor of Arts (Economics). I still have to rub my eyes every time I see that in writing.
So how did I get here?
Fate. Possibly.
Passion. Most definitely.
Long ago, but not far away, I was hired by the Entrepreneurial Development Center of the YMCA of Cape Breton. While helping young entrepreneurs write their business plans and pursue their passions, I was being submersed in mine: health and fitness. Then it happened! One morning I arrived for work and saw it: a flyer advertising the YMCA Basic Fitness Theory Course. The first step in becoming a fitness leader with the YMCA! Fate had intervened! I registered for the course and almost instantly my life changed forever.
After completing the theory course, I went on to become a group fitness instructor teaching Cycle Fit classes at the YMCA. Shortly thereafter I earned an Individual Conditioning Coach Certification and went to work in local gyms training individuals one-on-one. From there I designed and delivered introductory group programs including Women on Weights and Teens on Weights.
After being certified as a Personal Trainer Specialist with CanFitPro, I began to specialize in rehabilitative exercise. I earned a Fitness Therapist Certification with the International Sport Sciences Association (ISSA) and went to work in a chiropractic clinic helping to get the injured back in motion.
Personal Trainers are researchers - “exercises scientists” as one gentleman put it. We must be able to adapt, to accept change, and to realize that science is not perfect and mistakes will be made. Oh yeah, and then we have to instill these same qualities in our clients! Fortunately, I have an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Not a day goes by I’m not reading, reviewing, analyzing, watching and, of course, practicing. As this industry and the science surrounding it is ever-evolving, so am I.
I have moved on from the chiropractic clinic to open my own fitness studio where my focus is no longer rehabilitation, but metabolic resistance training (MRT) or, as my clients affectionately call it, “Torture.” These high intensity, circuit-based workouts combine resistance (strength) training with cardiovascular stimulation and are designed to let you burn more calories during the workout, and raise your metabolism for an extended period beyond the duration of your workout. In short, a full body blast in a very short amount of time!
In addition to working with individuals and small groups in my Sydney studio, I continue to teach group fitness classes at the Frank Rudderham Family YMCA. I am truly blessed and find my greatest motivation comes from the incredible, highly-motivated individuals I get to work with on a daily basis. I am so very lucky to be able to do what I love with people who enjoy pushing themselves to their limits and beyond every bit as much as I do. Like I always say, learn the difference between ‘can’t’ and ‘won’t’ and change your life forever.” It really is that easy.
