Sarah-Jane Chilton Owner/Trainer Before I have memory of 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 opportunity for athletics. There, they start young and go hard. Soon, competitive swimming was added to the track and cross-country mix, a sport that years later would become central to my life. 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 weight lifting and bodybuilding. I started studying human anatomy, scoured bodybuilding manuals and dove 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 store manager, and I was actively involved in spearheading and managing several annual fitness series and events. After 25 years of being 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 an almost 50-year-old 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 and fundamentally I believe that success is a decision, not a gift. |
