We would love to know a little bit about your family.
Hello LYB Family! My name is Josee and I am so excited to join the LYB community and get to know each and every one of you. Born and raised in Ottawa, I’ve spent my life loving this beautiful city. I enjoy the amazing outdoors where I get to spend time hiking, kayaking, and hugging trees with my amazing son and wonderful fiance.
How did you get into fitness?
I have always loved sports and exercise. I spent elementary school and high school on various sports teams and got really into long-distance competitive running during that time. However, when I was in Grade 12, I got hit by a car. I damaged the muscles in my right leg two weeks before a run to qualify for the Boston Marathon (which was my dream at the time!) This threw a wrench in my running career and then I ended up falling off the wagon and living a very unhealthy lifestyle for years through college. A lot of partying, fast food, and smoking.
I tried for a really long time to improve my lifestyle but had such a hard time with consistency. I would join a gym, go for a few weeks and then find a reason not to. It took until I decided to try personal training to get me the accountability that I needed to get on track and quit my bad habits. My trainer asked me to pick one specific goal to work towards. Funny enough, my goal was to be able to do a handstand in front of the Lincoln Memorial on my trip to Washington 6 months later. Sure enough, with consistency and hard work…..After that, there was no stopping me! I stopped focusing on the number on the scale and started working towards the number of weights I could lift.
That summer I discovered obstacle course racing and I fell in love! I focused my training on the endurance and strength it would take to compete and sure enough, after a few years, I won my first Spartan Race! Somewhere along that journey I decided that I wanted to share my passion for fitness and health with anyone I could and I became a personal trainer and group fitness instructor specializing in Strength and Conditioning and OCR Racing. Since then I have been living the dream!
What are your fitness goals these days?
My fitness goals these days are to get back to the spartan races after having my baby boy, be able to do a handstand pushup again, and continue to lead by example in my family of the importance of a healthy and fit lifestyle.
What does fitness mean to you?
Fitness means everything to me. It inspires me daily in my actions and my mindset, it allows me to inspire and motivate those around me, and mostly it’s just so fun!
Tell us about your favourite food?
I honestly love all food. I am the least picky person you will meet and I am always excited to try new things. It’s the weird things on the menu that pique my curiosity. I’m always willing just to try something different.
My favourite restaurant though is definitely Wild Wings. It’s all about that 80/20 lifestyle and now and then a pound or two of wings is just what this girl needs.
What do you love about yourself?
I love my ability to overcome and be resourceful. It gives me the confidence and trust in myself that I will always be able to take care of myself and my family. I also love my creativity! My mind is always coming up with new crazy ideas and taking me on interesting adventures!
What do you love about LYB and being a part of the LYB family?
I love that LYB is such a welcoming environment. The staff is ready to help you meet your goals and the community of members is so welcoming and friendly. Even on my first day here I already felt a part of the family.
If you’d like to work with Josee or another member of our LYB family, click here for a free consult!