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604.732.9295
ABOUT THE TRAINERS
MELANIE
Melanie is a personal trainer and a medical exercise specialist with 25 years of experience instructing clients or groups with special health issues as well as those dealing “only” with the many challenges of aging.
She works out of two main locations
in Vancouver, Canada.
Melanie is registered as an instructor and trainer with the British Columbia Recreation and Parks (BCRPA) Fitness Branch and is also a trainer of others who wish to become instructors or advance their qualifications. She is also certified as a member of the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as both a personal trainer and medical exercise specialist.
BILL
Bill is also a personal trainer registered with BCRPA as well as an instructor for Older Adult and Osteofit classes in several Vancouver locations.
He and Melanie met at Saint Andrews University in Scotland, where he completed a Master's degree.
From there they moved to Queen’s University in Kingston Ontario, where he obtained a PhD in Psychology. His thesis was on sleep studies and his interest was in the biological basis of behaviour.
Never a natural athlete, Bill still realised that he had to keep moving. In university and for the decades following he has been a runner, covering in ten to 15 kilometres weekly along the local trails.
He also pushes himself at resistance training, knowing that muscle loss is a common problem of aging; "banking” more muscle when healthy offers some insurance towards wellness with age.
Since 2012 Bill developed a keen interest in Cardio-pulmonary-vascular functions. He is a member of the BACPR and has completed their standards and core components e-learning module.
about
BIOGRAPHY
Melanie came at fitness in a roundabout and unexpected way.
At the age of 3 she was paralyzed from the ribs down by “polio” and went through years of physiotherapy, learning to walk again. Exercise was more negative than enjoyable. In school she was “last choice” on any teams in physical education, which re-enforced her dislike of activity.
However, with a degree in biology and 3 children eventually into school she accepted that a middle-aged body needs movement to stay healthy. Swimming was her chosen activity. The swimming pool led to the discovery of “aquafit”. One instructor, tired of Melanie’s questions regarding “why?”, told her to take the Fitness Knowledge course to discover the secrets of fitness.
That course sparked a new interest and six months later she wondered why she was paying for classes which she could probably teach. Within a year she was qualified as an aquafit instructor and hired at her local pool. Six months later another location heard of her and she added another pool class to her schedule.
That was when Melanie learned about the latent effects of polio. Too much exercise damages weakened muscles. The choice was “quit teaching or work smarter”, which led to qualifications in weight training, personal training and specialized fitness for various conditions. Melanie could then rest while telling others what to do!
Training other fitness instructors was the next stage. With the over-80s being the fastest growing segment of the population and thousands of baby boomers passing 65 daily, competent fitness instruction for older adults is a critical need. Melanie teaches both in-class and distance education courses and mentors students throughout British Columbia.
instructors
FIND MELANIE/CONTACT US
Melanie can be found at...
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Click on the address to open the map in a new window
E-mail:
melanie@growingstrong.ca
Phone:
604.732.9295
To contact Bill directly you may email him at
or phone him at 604.817-9315
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