SARAH-JANE
OWNER ~ TRAINER
Before I remember much else, I recall tearing around tracks and running through fields, relishing the effort it took to move fast and the challenge of competition. As a young kid growing up in rural Zimbabwe, I had plenty of opportunities for athletics. Soon, the track and cross-country mix was supplemented with competitive swimming, a sport that would become central to my life years later. As an adult, I found my passion as a provincial-level swimmer, triathlete and bike racer. I lived and breathed sport.
My father was an amateur bodybuilder, and a strong one at that. Our house was littered with magazines showcasing the likes of Frank Zane, Arnold, and other greats of the day. I was captivated by displays of such incredible strength, both physical and psychological. With my father’s influence, it was inevitable that I would one day turn my focus to weightlifting and bodybuilding. I began to study human anatomy, scour bodybuilding manuals and dive headfirst into one of the best, most diverse sports I know. 20 years later I have explored most of what is out there, and I love it all.
My passion for fitness, both inside a gym and outside facing the elements, led me to a career in one of Canada’s leading outdoor recreation retail companies. For 25 years I surrounded myself with like-minded, active people, seeking to challenge themselves physically and mentally. For 15 of those years, I was actively involved in spearheading and managing several annual fitness series and events in my role as store manager. After 25 years immersed in the ‘sale’ of fitness and outdoor recreation, it seemed a natural move for me to sell fitness in a different and more holistic way. Owning a gym has also always been a ‘bucket list item’ for me.
Now, as a 50-something mother of two young boys, I have never felt healthier or stronger. I have learnt a lot through sport and fitness and continue to be inspired by the mindset and philosophies of many of our world’s athletes. I don’t believe in excuses. If you want something, you have to work as hard as you can for as long as it takes. Achieving and maintaining excellence is a habit. Success is a decision, not a gift.
Fitness has always been in my blood.
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Beyond Fitness realizes my lifetime dream to share what I love the most with my community. There’s nothing that beats the joy of moving, the sweet pleasure of growth and challenge, and the amazing connections we make along the way.