Hey!
I'm Joanna, or Coach JoLo,
your weight loss guru and friend.
I'm a Fitness and Nutrition Coach, and a Zumba Dance Fitness Instructor
who helps moms over 40
lose weight,
get fit,
and feel awesome.
WORK
I worked in corporate marketing/PR for 10 years after graduating from McGill University and Humber College, always feeling like I should be doing something else. Something where I had the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life.
I finally found that something else at age 30, when my mom and I opened two Curves Fitness and Weight Loss Centres for women, and ran them for 10 years.
It’s my PASSION to help moms over 40 look and feel their best
I love love love looooove witnessing transformations,
and hearing women tell me how happy they are to:
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Lose weight and keep it off
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Tone up
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Feel strong and confident
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Feel amazing
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Lower stress and anxiety significantly
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Decrease osteoporosis
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Cure their joint pain
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Lower blood pressure
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Reverse type 2 diabetes
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Fit into clothes they hadn’t fit into in years
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Feel confident wearing a bathing suit
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And so on!
Education and Training
Personal Trainer
– CanFitPro*
Precision Nutrition Coach
- Precision Nutrition
Fitness Group Instructor
– CanFitPro*
Resist-A-Ball C.O.R.E. Course
– CanFitPro*
Zumba
CPR
Bachelor of Commerce
– McGill University
Public Relations Post-Graduate Certificate
– Humber College
*Canadian Fitness Professionals is the largest provider of education in the Canadian fitness industry.
FAMILY
My husband, Cameron, and my kids, Evan and Isabel, drive me crazy, but they're the best thing that's ever happened to me. Yup, I'm the photo bomber trying to be cool in front of my kids. I actually look like the Joker from Batman but oh, well. Sometimes I go all out to look good and sometimes I don't, and that's ok!
Blue Lagoon, Iceland
Sporting the white clay mask to “rejuvenate our skin.” Soft as a baby’s bottom, I tell ya ;)
RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME
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I have an older sister named Vanessa who is a Psychotherapist, and an older brother named Alex who is a Tech Genius. I’m lucky to have them.
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I have a covid puppy named Clover (it’s really my 14-year old daughter’s Isabel’s) who is very very very busy, indeed!
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I have a cat name DC (for darn cat), that my husband found on his car engine.
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I was born in Venezuela and moved to Canada at age 11.
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With a Venezuelan father and a Newfie (Newfoundland, Canada) mom, I'm always looking for the next laugh (telling jokes is a favourite past time of both these cultures). Got any jokes for me?
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One of my weaknesses is freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.
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I love to dance – anywhere, anytime, if I like the song – yes, even in a public place like a store where people look at me funny when I bust a move.
but most importantly...
At 52, I’m no longer in search of my happiness and well-being. I’m there and feel gratitude in my heart every day for it. It doesn’t mean I don’t have hard days or feel sad sometimes. It means I know what my happiness feels like and know how to get myself back there every time.
I OWE IT TO:
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My parents’ unconditional love
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3 years of therapy(therapy is the window to your soul), to heal and forgive my parents for divorcing when I was 15, and to get to know myself
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Being extremely healthy – doing my best to sleep 7-8 hours a night, exercising 3x/week, walking 10,000 steps on most days, and eating healthy (80% of the time)
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Embracing positive self-help books, audio CDS and podcasts throughout the years. I no longer need to have these in my life for my happiness
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Learning to forgive myself for not being the perfect mom
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Owning my imperfections
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Not reading or looking at magazines or social media accounts that make me feel that I’m not a good enough human, or not being around people that make me feel inferior
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Not being afraid to show my anger. I tell my kids and husband that they can show me theirs too…respectfully, of course
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Crying when I’m sad and learning how to self soothe – it’s a magical thing I’ll teach anyone
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Having friends that make me laugh, and who know how to listen when needed
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Having awesome kids with an amazing man
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Finding a career that I LOVE
MY ROAD TO WEIGHT LOSS
When my youngest was almost 4, I was finally ready to lose the 15 lbs I still carried after my 2nd pregnancy.
Simple? Yes.
Easy? No.
I kept at it — relentlessly — until I reached my goal.
The first thing I started to do was exercise regularly ...youtube workouts, walking and biking. I felt amazing.
But I didn’t lose any weight...
You need 100% commitment to get 100% results
SO HERE'S WHAT I DID TO LOSE THE 15 LBS:
01.
I made sleep a priority (so less TV at night), and kept the 3pm sugar/carb cravings (mostly) in control. I allowed myself a 100 calorie non-fruit “treat” when I couldn’t control my cravings.
04.
I regularly looked at a beach picture of myself wearing a bathing suit.
I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app and tracked my food for a few weeks so I was 100% aware of what was going into my body. I stopped eating my kids’ food scraps and decreased my starchy carbs (white rice, pasta, white potatoes, crackers). I didn't follow a strict diet. Instead, I focused on eating healthy, eating a little less food and junk, and not eating after 7pm.
07.
I got past the guilt of letting my kids watch TV in the weekend mornings so I could sleep in, and letting them watch TV on weekdays while I cooked a fresh meal for the family.
02.
05.
I weighed myself weekly.
I worked out 3x a week for 60 minutes, to strengthen my heart and my body. My house was often messy and my husband or mom helped with the kids when needed.
03.
06.
I walked 4 kms, 5 days a week (walking kids to and from school).
HERE'S WHAT I DO NOW
TO KEEP THE WEIGHT OFF, FEEL AWESOME, STRONG AND HEALTHY:
(Based on some of Precision Nutrition’s and other scientific findings)
THE KEY IS TO REVERSE SMALL GAINS!!
I still make sleep a priority.
I eat real whole foods, slowly and mindfully (so I stop eating when I’m full), 80% of the time.
I weigh myself almost daily (once a week is ok too) and when my weight goes up by 1-3 lbs, I reverse small gains by eating SUPER healthy for 1-3 days - using the portion control measurements I provide in my
I reach 10,000+ steps a day so I burn extra calories as I eat ‘em.
I work out for at least 60 minutes Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
I take Vitamin D during the Canadian winter months.
LET ME HELP YOU DEVELOP THE HABITS YOU NEED
TO MAKE WEIGHT MANAGEMENT EASY AND DOABLE FOR THE LONG-TERM
BOOK A CAL WITH ME, AND LET'S SEE IF I'M
THE RIGHT FITNESS AND NUTRITION COACH FOR YOU!