Since 2016, I have completely transformed my physical and mental strength, my mobility and stability, my energy, my habits, my mindset, and most importantly, my HEALTH, HAPPINESS and QUALITY OF LIFE. I’ve also maintained a  65-70lbs weight loss.

Ultimately, I have been successful in achieving and maintaining this transformation by learning how to consistently balancing discipline and enjoyment, figuring out what is healthy and sustainable for ME, and turning my new habits into sustainable routines and permanent behaviors.

When I embarked on this wellness journey, I never believed that I could or would achieve what I have today!

At my maximum weight in 2016, I was about 215lbs. At the time, I was recovering from a hysterectomy, due to endometriosis and adenomyosis, which took many months. Prior to that surgery, I underwent many other surgeries including:

• Emergency appendectomy.
• 3 Laparoscopic adhesiolysis surgeries (to remove adhesions and/or separate organs).
• 2 Emergency salpingectomies (fallopian tube removal) due to ectopic pregnancy.
• Emergency unilateral oophorectomy (ovary removal due to complex cysts).

I also…

• Suffered from clinical depression and anxiety.
• I lived in hormone hell and suffered from endometriosis, adenomyosis, and ovarian cysts (PCOS).
• I had TERRIBLE acne all over my face, back and chest. 
• Suffered from severe sciatica.
• Suffered from chronic inflammation and pain throughout my entire body.
• Suffered from chronic bronchitis and strep throat. (smoked until 2013)
• Suffered from IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).
• Suffered from chronic migraines, including ocular migraines. I also had terrible eyesight.
• Suffered a Lisfranc Injury in 2013.
• Took a Parkinson’s medication for severe restlessness in my lower extremities (RLS).
• Was diagnosed and treated for Pericarditis two times.
• Was medicated for Hypertension (high blood pressure). 
• Was medicated for allergies and hives.
• Was pre-diabetic, “insulin resistant”.

I was prescribed many different medications, including opioids, throughout the challenges of my teen and adult life. I took ibuprofen, acetaminophen, antihistamines and anti-nausea meds almost daily. I got to the point that I identified with every single illness and disease that I suffered from and I was even addicted to surgery. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it? But my life was a viscous cycle of being sick, and getting medications and surgery for being sick, and needing to recover until the next time I was sick, and never accepting responsibility for any of it. 

August 2016, I started my own custom printing business, which was very successful, very quickly. I had no choice but to be more physically active, so I did lose some weight. I also did not have as much time to eat, so I drastically cut calories, but would binge eat bowls of cereal, toast and many other ultra-processed snacks at night, in bed. At this point, I had not considered a gym membership or strength training because I was way too busy to make time for it and I honestly didn’t think I was physically capable to do much, if anything, because of my health issues and physical limitations.

Instead, what I did try were gimmicky and expensive “weight loss” products – drinks, supplements, creams, wraps. I also tried that cabbage soup diet, drinking gallons of dandelion tea diet… I even jumped on the “drinking a glass of red wine a night was equivalent to 1 hour in the gym” bandwagon! 😆 Do we still use the term “bandwagon”? haha! 

In fact, I was SO disordered about wanting to lose weight the easy way that I would research which pharmaceutical drugs would cause weight loss and try to convince my doctor that I needed another prescription. This was after my friend lost a bunch of weight after she was prescribed a very potent medication for severe migraines.

Nevertheless, all of these desperate attempts did fail to provide sustainable results.

2017, I was 189lbs when I was told that I was at high risk for pelvic organ prolapse due to multiple abdominal surgeries, the accumulation of visceral fat in and around my organs, and an extremely weak pelvic floor, core & posterior chain. 

Me: “What does that (pelvic floor prolapse) mean?

Doc: “Your organs can fall through your vagina. That’s why it feels heavy down there.”

WELL… that was the breakthrough moment for me. When I finally decided it was time to get off my ass, get out of my own way and embarked on my “wellness journey”. Being told that my organs could literally fall out of my vagina was a HUUUUUUGE wake up call. Immediately my “excuses” and limitations became a thing of the past. Exactly where they belonged. 

I was basically given two options, lose weight and strengthen the muscles myself OR wait for a prolapse to happen and then wait for a very invasive surgical option to deal with the problem. That’s when I realized I needed to do the work. 

September 2017, I got my first gym membership, but only went randomly, without a plan. I also tried the KETO diet and stopped drinking Pepsi and sugar in my coffee. I was addicted to drinking Pepsi and could drink between 1-2 L a day and I sure LOVED my Tim Hortons triple triple coffees. I lost 30lbs in 3(ish) months! BUT, the keto diet was not sustainable for me. I tried to re-introduce wheat into my body and had pretty severe allergic reaction to it! So I continued with a gluten free, low carb diet. 

January 2018, after doing some random gym workouts and a few pelvic floor physio sessions (which I highly recommend), I decided that I simply could not afford or justify spending $80 a session just to concentrate on strengthening my pelvic floor. What I really wanted was to strengthen my whole body. That’s when I decided to work with a Personal Trainer. This kept me accountable and consistent with strength training. I also educated myself about nutrition, improved my macro/micronutrient intake, and increased my physical activity. By the end of 2018, I pretty much healed my body from all my chronic conditions, weaned myself off of most pharmaceutical medications I was taking and improved my metabolic health drastically! 

January 2019, I set a BIG GOAL – to compete in my first CPA bodybuilding competition! This meant I had to cut out alcohol, track macros and eat a very strict whole food diet. I also exercised consistently 6 days a week. I achieved that goal and stepped on stage as a novice bikini Grandmaster on Nov. 2, 2019. I reversed out of that prep amazingly and kept working on improving my strength and building more muscle.

November 2019, I set another BIG GOAL – to compete in my second CPA bodybuilding competition with my daughter in April 2020! So back into prep I went after enjoying the Christmas season. 

March 2020, I was in the BEST physical and mental shape of my life and 5 weeks out from my 2nd bodybuilding competition, ready to get back into serious prep mode, then COVID reared its ugly head!

For the rest of 2020, I tried to stay strong and keep going. But man, that was hard. It was one of the most intensely insane times of my life. 

For most of 2021-2022, I was in psychological crisis form MANY pandemic related reasons, including the fact that I had to come to terms with the reality that I was going to lose my business and needed to claim bankruptcy. I was severely depressed and suicidal… I was eating processed foods again, drinking lots of alcohol and stopped exercising consistently. I gained back about 30lbs and my muscles atrophied so much that I dislocated my left shoulder, not once, but twice! THEN, I got frozen shoulder!! 😡 

June 2022, I decided to get back to the gym. I took a progress photo.

My body was in a ghastly de-conditioned state. To say the least. I was also recovering from frozen shoulder. This was the wake up call and motivation I needed to keep going. There was no way in hell I was going to let myself get back to my previously obese and metabolically unhealthy state! I had come way too far. So I joined an online “shred challenge” to kickstart this journey. But it was summer time and I didn’t really follow through with that challenge. 

In September 2022, I joined another 12 week shred challenge and I basically stuck to that program… BUT that came to a screeching halt when I was diagnosed with diverticulosis after a pretty severe diverticulitis attack in October 2022. Major stress, lack of sleep, ultra-processed foods, NSAIDs overuse, and wayyyy too much alcohol finally caught up with me.

This was another major wake up call (hopefully the last) and I’ve been back on my health and wellness journey ever since. 

2023 – Present

I love sharing my personal transformation journey and helping others along the way. I have done this online through my social media platforms since 2017.

In 2023, I decided to do what I love (helping others) as a career. I studied and achieved my Personal Training Specialist Certification and Precision Nutrition Certification. I am also certified in mobility training, training older adults, training post-natal women and training women in peri-to-post menopause. I presently work part-time for GoodLife Fitness and offer limited coaching online. 

I turned 50 in October of 2024 and I feel like I’m finally living my best life. Ultimately, my goal is to live strong and die young as late as possible and take as many people with me on this wild ride!

I look forward to sharing my knowledge, experience, expertise, my passion for health and fitness, and my continued wellness journey with you!

Ultimately, that’s what sustainable optimal health and happiness is… a never ending journey! <3

Thanks for stopping by! 

Tanya xo