Fitness / Wellness / Coolness

These beautiful people are fitness types that have touched my life and made a difference to me, again - whether they are aware or not. Much like the ‘muso’ list that appears earlier, this one is by no means complete: Rory Pederzolli, Crispin Redhead, Jason Kaiman, Marci Figuer, Karen Chwaiewsky, Mark Challen, Bruce Waithe, Tracey Cooke, Marysia Czarski, Kevin Lloyd, Todd Mathews, Claudia Deliberato, Melissa Posner, Lisa Marriot, Wayne Bourque, Al Green, Vlad Radanovic, Victoria Bannil, Ting Chan, Lori Blaskavitch, Clarence the Cat, Steven the Constable, Rebecca the Flexible, Kerri the Courageous, Winnie Talan, Meredith Coke, and Shelly McDonald.

About six years ago I was in the midst of adjusting to my new life as regular citizen and day-jobber. I turned a PC on for essentially the first time, and my musician’s schedule changed from going to sleep at 6AM and waking up in a fog at the crack of 2PM, to the day schedule - sleep at 11PM up at 6.30AM. My diet wasn’t the greatest at the time and I quickly fell into long hours at the office, no regular exercise, and no healthy stress relief. The last straw was a trip to the local Mandarin for some eight plates from the ‘buffet Chinois’. I felt and looked like a pasty Duff McKagan (minus the cool hair and cowboy boots) on the eve of the Use Your Illusion Tour. I lay on the couch that evening groaning, pear shaped, and full of regret, and resolved to immediately join a health club and change my wicked ways.

I had been a sporadic exerciser for some years, but I became a regular and serious fitness enthusiast at Al Greene’s Body Alive in mid-town Toronto. When he closed and moved, half his team headed north to Eclipse Fitness and half headed south to a Sports Clubs of Canada franchise.

I became a 6-day a week devotee - weight training and taking Boxing, Hi Low Aerobics, and Cycle classes. Now this was healthy stress relief! My diet greatly improved and I went from 196 pounds down to 155. (My fighting weight is 168, which hasn’t changed in three years.) I was inspired after a time to look into teaching group cycle. I got certified with CycleReebok, and Madd Dogg (SPINNING), and worked on my mojo; putting together a host of ride profiles and music.

Lori Blaskavitch told me that Rory Pederzolli at Eclipse might be looking. Rory, Crispin, and Marci had gone north to hook up with Jason Kaiman after the demise of Al’s studio. I got in touch, and to my great pleasure started teaching Cycle classes there in September of 2002. Rory became my mentor and was incredibly generous with his time as he helped me work on Cycle and another couple of formats (HiLow, and Boxing). I‘m grateful to Rory and Jason - the instructor staff at Eclipse is world class and it’s an inspiration to be in their company.

I soon certified as a Can Fit Pro Group Fitness Instructor with Winnie Talan and picked up some volunteer classes at the Downtown YMCA in order to re-balance the karmic wheel. In early December, just prior to diagnosis - I scaled classes back in order to gear up for the GMAT and the big campaign to get into business school. Plans have changed and I’m still gearing up, but for a much more primal sort of campaign.

I’m going to keep teaching until I go for surgery, and will hopefully return shortly thereafter. The whole fitness trip has been one of the most positive journeys I have ever taken and I know that the sooner I get back into the gym post-op, the better. (Stability Ball will figure quite prominently in my new workouts I’m sure.)