Back in the late 80’s James joined G&M for the first time back behind the old Commisso’s and never came once. Not a good start to his fitness journey and a scenario that does happen unfortunately.
Over a decade later in 2000, his employer was paying for gym memberships and he started coming regularly.
“I got into a routine, lost weight, quit smoking and started eating healthier.”
James stuck with this for 3 or 4 years and was feeling good.
Then another scenario started to play out that also happens a lot. Life stuff started coming up and he was in and out of the routine after that, not being as consistent. This was followed by getting back into a routine of going to the gym in the mornings before work and getting back on track. Then COVID hit and James tried to maintain his routine without the gym.
After that he retired and started to travel for a couple of months, again getting out of routine and falling into a rut.
“I was off for 9 months. I gained 25lbs, developed some aches and pains and had trouble sleeping.”
“It was a tough transition going from getting up and working all day to not having that anymore.”
In February of this year, he decided enough was enough and decided to hire a trainer to help get him back on track and get some accountability to stick with it.
In just over 4 months since then, James has lost 20lbs, got rid of the pains and at the end of the day, he gets a good nights’ sleep.
“Aaron has been very helpful. Working with him has made a big difference.”
James enjoys riding motorcycles both on the road and offroad and says his workouts has helped him be able to enjoy his riding even more.
“I have more strength, energy and better balance when I’m riding. It’s given me a lot more confidence.”
James just finished a 10-day camping trip where he also put his fitness to the test doing lots of hiking as well as doing some exercises given to him by Aaron to stay in routine.
Next, James is off to Argentina for 2 months and will be joining a gym there as well.
“Fitness is just part of my lifestyle now. Fitness is so important to me. It has given me a new lease on life and has opened so many new doors for me.”
James is most proud of the fact that he is back into a routine and sticking to it.
Had he not taken that step back in February to get back in shape he said his physical and mental health would have continued to decline.
Instead, he looks forward to the future.
To others out there who may have been in a similar situation as he was before he got back into a regular routine, he says to just start small.
“Get your foot in the door and just do a little bit to get started and go from there. You will feel better.”
James says that G&M has been a great place for him.
“It’s family oriented and has a lot of other friendly people that are also retired. We all help each other along and keep each other motivated.”
Congratulations James on accomplishing so much in just 4 months! We are glad that fitness has been able to help you enjoy your retirement!
http://gandmfitness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GM-open_logo02-300x300.png00Matt Spadahttp://gandmfitness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GM-open_logo02-300x300.pngMatt Spada2024-07-16 14:41:002025-12-08 18:41:38Member Spotlight: James Schooley
Emma was introduced to exercise at just 10 years old. She attended the YMCA and did some exercise there, mainly using the elliptical and some leg machines. Then COVID hit and shut everything down. During that time, she was home, doing online schooling, no longer exercising and finding herself eating and snacking a lot. Over a couple of years of this, she gained weight and it was starting to take a toll on her mental health.
“I could fit into my mom’s clothes, and I seen other fit people that just seemed to be happier, and I wasn’t happy being bigger.”
Now at 13, this realization got her thinking about getting back into exercise, and at that time her dad was already attending G&M Fitness and he told her she should try it out.
“I really liked how much variety in equipment there was and how much more I could do here so I decided to stay.”
Originally Emma’s goal was to lose body fat but didn’t really keep track of weight loss. She just wanted to look and feel better.
“I went from wearing XL clothing to now a small or extra small. I had to get a whole new wardrobe.”
Needless to say, she accomplished her goal and says she is happier with herself and has gained a lot of confidence.
“The person I was before would not have been comfortable even doing this interview but now I’m happy to do it.”
When she first started, she had a hard time running and would get out of breath quickly but now says she feels like she can run forever and even has some races coming up.
“Going forward I am definitely going to stick with regular workouts and eating healthy consistently. Consistency is the key. You have to keep going or you won’t see the results.”
Emma says that had she not decided to start exercising again that she would still not be eating well, would have gained more weight and her mental health would be suffering. Instead, she looks and feels better than ever!
To others out there who may be in the same situation she was in before she started or are thinking of getting started exercising, she says, “It’s not as scary as you think starting at the gym. There are others here just like you starting out as well.”
At just 15 years old Emma has already accomplished a lot. She enjoys working out so much that she now would like to pursue a job in the health and fitness field, being able to help others!
What an amazing and inspiring story. Congratulations Emma!
http://gandmfitness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GM-open_logo02-300x300.png00Matt Spadahttp://gandmfitness.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/GM-open_logo02-300x300.pngMatt Spada2024-06-25 15:44:172025-12-08 18:41:44Member Spotlight : Emma Reece
Member Spotlight: James Schooley
/in Blog Posts, Member Spotlight /by Matt SpadaBack in the late 80’s James joined G&M for the first time back behind the old Commisso’s and never came once. Not a good start to his fitness journey and a scenario that does happen unfortunately.
Over a decade later in 2000, his employer was paying for gym memberships and he started coming regularly.
“I got into a routine, lost weight, quit smoking and started eating healthier.”
James stuck with this for 3 or 4 years and was feeling good.
Then another scenario started to play out that also happens a lot. Life stuff started coming up and he was in and out of the routine after that, not being as consistent. This was followed by getting back into a routine of going to the gym in the mornings before work and getting back on track. Then COVID hit and James tried to maintain his routine without the gym.
After that he retired and started to travel for a couple of months, again getting out of routine and falling into a rut.
“I was off for 9 months. I gained 25lbs, developed some aches and pains and had trouble sleeping.”
“It was a tough transition going from getting up and working all day to not having that anymore.”
In February of this year, he decided enough was enough and decided to hire a trainer to help get him back on track and get some accountability to stick with it.
In just over 4 months since then, James has lost 20lbs, got rid of the pains and at the end of the day, he gets a good nights’ sleep.
“Aaron has been very helpful. Working with him has made a big difference.”
James enjoys riding motorcycles both on the road and offroad and says his workouts has helped him be able to enjoy his riding even more.
“I have more strength, energy and better balance when I’m riding. It’s given me a lot more confidence.”
James just finished a 10-day camping trip where he also put his fitness to the test doing lots of hiking as well as doing some exercises given to him by Aaron to stay in routine.
Next, James is off to Argentina for 2 months and will be joining a gym there as well.
“Fitness is just part of my lifestyle now. Fitness is so important to me. It has given me a new lease on life and has opened so many new doors for me.”
James is most proud of the fact that he is back into a routine and sticking to it.
Had he not taken that step back in February to get back in shape he said his physical and mental health would have continued to decline.
Instead, he looks forward to the future.
To others out there who may have been in a similar situation as he was before he got back into a regular routine, he says to just start small.
“Get your foot in the door and just do a little bit to get started and go from there. You will feel better.”
James says that G&M has been a great place for him.
“It’s family oriented and has a lot of other friendly people that are also retired. We all help each other along and keep each other motivated.”
Congratulations James on accomplishing so much in just 4 months! We are glad that fitness has been able to help you enjoy your retirement!
Member Spotlight : Emma Reece
/in Blog Posts, Member Spotlight /by Matt SpadaEmma was introduced to exercise at just 10 years old. She attended the YMCA and did
some exercise there, mainly using the elliptical and some leg machines. Then COVID hit
and shut everything down. During that time, she was home, doing online schooling, no
longer exercising and finding herself eating and snacking a lot. Over a couple of years of
this, she gained weight and it was starting to take a toll on her mental health.
“I could fit into my mom’s clothes, and I seen other fit people that just seemed to be
happier, and I wasn’t happy being bigger.”
Now at 13, this realization got her thinking about getting back into exercise, and at that
time her dad was already attending G&M Fitness and he told her she should try it out.
“I really liked how much variety in equipment there was and how much more I could do
here so I decided to stay.”
Originally Emma’s goal was to lose body fat but didn’t really keep track of weight loss.
She just wanted to look and feel better.
“I went from wearing XL clothing to now a small or extra small. I had to get a whole new
wardrobe.”
Needless to say, she accomplished her goal and says she is happier with herself and has
gained a lot of confidence.
“The person I was before would not have been comfortable even doing this interview
but now I’m happy to do it.”
When she first started, she had a hard time running and would get out of breath quickly
but now says she feels like she can run forever and even has some races coming up.
“Going forward I am definitely going to stick with regular workouts and eating healthy
consistently. Consistency is the key. You have to keep going or you won’t see the
results.”
Emma says that had she not decided to start exercising again that she would still not be
eating well, would have gained more weight and her mental health would be suffering.
Instead, she looks and feels better than ever!
To others out there who may be in the same situation she was in before she started or
are thinking of getting started exercising, she says, “It’s not as scary as you think starting
at the gym. There are others here just like you starting out as well.”
At just 15 years old Emma has already accomplished a lot. She enjoys working out so
much that she now would like to pursue a job in the health and fitness field, being able
to help others!
What an amazing and inspiring story. Congratulations Emma!