About Kim
It’s not just about fitness, and it never has been.
Few people want to get fit “for the fun of it.”
They want to get fit because they’ve either lost access to something important in their lives or they want to gain access to it for the first time.
They want to move confidently in their body regardless of the environment.
They want to be there for their loved ones when they need a shoulder to lean on (literally and metaphorically.)
They want to stop compromising due to pain, lack of confidence, and strength.
They want to live lives of freedom.
My job is to make that happen, and that requires more than just exercise.
It requires client education, so they can make the right decisions when they’re not in the gym.
It requires mentorship because this journey will be difficult, and there will be setbacks.
I am an Active Life Professional. My clients receive a personal development program that provides education, exercise, and mentorship to empower a life of freedom, without compromise.
I graduated from the University of Victoria with a degree in Recreation & Health Education, which provided a solid foundation for my work in health education. Courses in anatomy, physiology, exercise prescription, program planning, developmental & adaptive physical education, nutrition, psychology and counselling were courses I excelled at, earning a degree with distinction – meaning I graduated at the top 20% of the program. I also earned “Academic All-Canadian” for student-athletes who achieve a minimum of a 6.6 GPA (80%), while training and competing at the highest level of sport.
I swam competitively for 24 years and enjoyed success, earning provincial gold (200m backstroke), silver (100m backstroke) and USport nationals bronze (4 x 200m freestyle relay). My experience as an athlete afforded me the opportunity to train alongside Olympic medalists and some of the best competitors on the world stage in the sport. Getting to know these top athletes and proving my spot among them despite my own self-limiting beliefs and a life-altering back injury helped shaped one of my core beliefs: “Yes, you can”.
As a young kid, I had dreams of being at the top.
I once heard a coach of mine say how they “could never” swim at the Olympic level. Even though this coach was an amazing athlete and had what it took. They meant it in a sense where they wouldn’t want to make the commitments or sacrifices to get there, perhaps. But all my young ears heard was “if they can’t do it, neither can you”
And I let that limiting belief take up residence in my head until my last year on varsity. My last year I proved to myself and anyone else watching that this wasn’t true. At all. I performed under pressure on the highest stage and got a national medal, two years after a back injury had forced my retirement from the sport, or so I thought.
This is why I tell people with confidence: “Yes you can.”
Because I believe it. Everyone is capable of excellence. Everyone is capable of amazing things. You just have to believe it and put in the work.
The top athletes are human.
The best in the world at anything? Human.
People who achieve their goals and realize their dreams despite injury or pain? Human.
And so are you.
Stop limiting yourself. Do the hard thing, because the outcome is worth it.
I’ve been a swim coach for over 20 years, but in 2020 is when I took the path that led me to where I am today. I got my CrossFit Level 1, CrossFit Programming and Burgener Level 1 (formerly Weightlifting Level 1) coaching certificates and began coaching group classes and offering personal training. My favourite class to teach was the “onboarding” where I got to meet and guide folks new to exercise and the gym on their path toward health & fitness.
I sought education through Active Life in July 2021 and earned the titled of Active Life Professional in May 2023.
I value time and realized that the best way I could help people who were interested in getting to their goals in an expedited manner was to create an individualized approach based on their lived experience and their assessments. No guessing. No templates. No modifications or “working around” injuries or limitations. Now, my entire approach is in a 1:1 setting because that’s how I am able to best serve those who need and want my help.
The AssureFit Process
Case Studies
Case Study A
Bruce has arthritis in multiple joints (shoulders, knees, and wrists). The pain and limitation had increased to the point where he was no longer cross country skiing, going to the climbing gym, or training at @goldensgym247.
He lost muscle mass and felt like he didn’t have the ability to train in the gym on his own because of his limitations so he reached out for my help.
Within 24 sessions,
• his mobility had improved (could not previously put on jackets without severe pain, could not downpull with his hands in order to climb – can now do these things). In fact, he is working toward regaining a strict pullup!
• he is back to climbing and route-cleaning
• has regained muscle mass
• has increased his strength in all lifts at the gym (such as deadlift, back squat, upper body pushes and pulls of all kinds)
We then shifted our focus to working on his lower body so that his hikes downhill with heavy backpacks are easier, and addressing overall strength and mobility so that he can continue to do the things he loves for years to come.
This photo was taken recently of Bruce doing a 35m climb “Viola” at Spillimacheen BC, with a sustained grade @ 5.9. He did 6 climbs that day and was confident in his ability to reach high and pull down.
Case Study B
Michelle wanted the freedom to run, work out, and be physically active without pain, tweakiness and flare ups. She was frustrated with the ups and downs with trying to get back into a fitness routine and trying to get back to running, which is an activity that she LOVES and wasn’t able to do for a long time. She didn’t feel like she was on a forward path, and was really discouraged with all the starting and stopping.
She tried physiotherapy & various body work for 15 years in attempting to address pain and flare-ups that were holding her back from being as active as she wanted. Those approaches did facilitate some progress, but she still wasn’t where she wanted to be. She had tried many times to get back in to running but anything around 20 minutes would flare her up. She was willing to give coaching a try, but thought that perhaps it wasn’t possible for her to be able to run any longer.
Her goal: “I’d love to be able to run more again. I am ok if it doesn’t happen as well and would like feedback on what will be most supportive to ongoing fitness.”
We worked together for 3 months, 24 sessions. We focused on single leg strength, trunk & pelvis stability, and improved mobility in ankles, wrists, quads, hips, shoulders and increased overall strength. She had subtle compensatory movement patterns which were identified and worked a lot on. She required repetition and a keen watchful eye in order to develop new patterns.
She was a dedicated student and made the most out of every session and worked on things in between our sessions. She is now back to running over 20 minutes and no flare ups! She has reclaimed her active lifestyle and continues to do strength work on her own with the skills and knowledge she learned during her time with me.
Case Study C
For 7 years Shelly’s shoulder pain stopped her from the things she loved. For 7 years, she sought out-of-pocket treatments from physio, massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, osteopathy, yoga therapy and “all kinds of self-help and pain management therapies” and yet still had pain.
She had lost so much strength and fitness that her activities of daily living started to induce painful flare-ups and she feared doing basic things like picking up groceries or cleaning her house. She avoided saying yes to hikes, snowmobiling, biking, and canoeing because she feared “paying for it” afterward. She wasn’t hopeful that she would ever be able to snowmobile pain-free again.
We worked together for 11 months.
Now, she bikes, paddles, hikes, and maneuvers her sled through rough terrain, deep powder, deep bumps and up steep climbs “with strength and agility that I haven’t felt for many, many years! My body feels young again!” She regained her abilities, and she learned how to care for herself through the process so that she can enjoy this freedom for the rest of her life.
Some of the key things we did together were to improve general movement patterns (squat, hinge, push, pull) done under supervision with aim toward repetition and mastery. She needed an individualized approach that accounted for foot, hip and shoulder limitations that would allow consistent progress over time. We honed in on shoulder mobility, stability and strength – a lack of which were contributing to ongoing anxiety around pain and resulting tension that followed.
Education and mentorship were key pieces along the way. Shelly learned how to listen to her body when it whispers (rather than needing to stop when it screams), and what sorts of sensations and movements were ok and not to be feared. She learned and applied the concept that cumulative loads / stressors throughout the week contributes to exceeding our capacity; and how intentional capacity-building in the gym helps us handle stressors better over time.
In-Person & Remote Coaching | Golden BC 