Meet the Founder

I moved to Canada from Colombia in 1997, a year before my 40th birthday. Over the course of my first year in Canada, the adjustment was challenging as I struggled to adapt to the colder weather, working long hours in a new field, and navigating a new and unfamiliar food lifestyle. By the time I turned 40, my weight rose from 175lbs to 190lbs standing at almost 5’8”. At the time, neither I nor my family thought much of the change as I had grown up in a culture that believed that being overweight was a sign of “wellbeing”. 

Eventually, my weight reached 230lbs and became my norm for the next nine years. Unfortunately, my health and quality of life greatly deteriorated over the decade. I would get sick too easily - seasonal flus, urinary tract issues, and different types of bacterial infections. My iron level was the lowest my family doctor had ever seen in his 20 years of practice, I was on the border line of a diabetes diagnosis, and I was experiencing high bad cholesterol. Out of fear and concern, I started working out with a personal trainer and following a number of diets that promised the best, but unfortunately, nothing seemed to work. In 2006, at 48 years old, a specialist told me that my prostate was 36 times bigger than normal and that in addition to needing surgery, I would be taking medication for the rest of my life. 

I didn’t know what else I could have been doing better. I thought I was eating right and I wasn’t a sedentary person. Even though I constantly felt weak and tired from the iron deficiency and long hours at work, I would make the effort to go to the gym, go for walks, or help my son with his soccer drills all to burn extra calories as I was recommended.

When I turned 50, I had a life changing experience. The company I worked for was sold and I found myself without a job. My health was not well and I was worried about my upcoming prostate surgery. I felt miserable that I allowed myself to get to this stage. I knew that what I was currently doing wasn’t enough and I needed to take a new course of action. As someone who has largely been an academic for most of their life, I began studying Holistic Nutrition and applying what I learned onto myself. I became my first client. I used my previous university training in education and curriculum development and designed a program to address my own personal issues. Within six months my health began to improve, including my prostate. To the surprise of my surgeon, test results that he had ordered to prepare for my operation revealed that I no longer had any issue with my prostate and that surgery was no longer necessary. I was thrilled that I didn’t need to have surgery and I wouldn’t need to be on medication at all. After one year of following my personalized nutrition and workout program, I was completely free of any risk associated with the health issues of the past decade. By the second year, I was 170lbs which is the weight I have easily kept since then.

With a renewed spirit and passion to help others struggling with their weight, and more importantly their health issues, I went back to school, got a diploma, and became certified as a personal trainer. Now in my 60s, my metabolism is great, I have no health problems, and I feel capable as if I had turned the clock back to my 30s….it’s really amazing!

I have never stopped studying, reading, and keeping up to date with holistic nutrition. Ultimately, my methodology is that there is not one diet for everybody. It didn’t work for me. Diets are personal and nutrition programs work when they are designed individually.

Having founded Beyond Personal Training in 2018 it is more important for us that individuals feel empowered to take control of their health. Our approach is incredibly personalized, the closer we’re able to work together, the better we’ll be able to respond to your health needs. To learn more, visit our services page and I hope to hear from you soon.

- Omar