Testimonials

“I was always a big girl as teenager, but three years ago, my weight started going out of control. In June 2011, I was about 180lb, with 38% in body fat and 31% in BMI. After a visit to my parents, who could not take care of themselves due to obesity-related health issues, I decided to lose weight. I did not want my child to worry about me as I worried about my parents. At that time, I was also suffering from depression and server anxiety. I needed a change in my life.

Yet with more than forty years behind me, how do I cultivate a new habit of going to the gym on a daily basis? What should I do to prevent injuries? How do I turn mere worries about health into a long-term commitment to fitness?

I made the right decision to join Goodlife Fitness and started training with my personal trainer—Bo, twice a week. I had a personal trainer before, but Bo is totally different. With an impressive academic background in Physical Education and Kinesiology, he knows everything I need to know. On top of that, he is both warm and tough. His warm side gives me encouragement so I am motivated to go on, and his tough side helps me develop self-discipline so I no longer desire to be a slacker.

Bo is a person of integrity. He is patient and easy-going. With him, I always feel that he truly cares about my success in his program. I am thankful that Bo told me not to focus on pure weight loss at the beginning. He helped me build muscles while losing fat so my weight loss was not drastic, but steady and permanent

Training with Bo is never boring. He changes exercises often enough to keep me engaged. He makes each workout fun but challenging. He knows just how and when to push a bit more.

After training with Bo for six months, I lost 45lbs. Now I can run a 10K race, something I had never imagined before. I feel that I am in the best physical condition possible, at least better than any time in my life before. I highly recommend Bo for anyone who wants to achieve your fitness goal and have a great time in doing so.

Last but not least, I appreciate Bo making me realize that a good life is always healthy, happy, and balanced. Fitness is about a journey, not a destination.”

“I tend to think of myself as an unmotivated person when I work out on my own. For years I have been going to the gym but not with that push to achieve the success I crave, the body I want to admire. For me going to the gym was a routine in other word for me just stepping into the gym was enough to say that I was there even if the workout I did was not anything to talk about. I was just lazy.

Then came Bo. He is the little guy with the push that I have always needed. Bo is a very enthusiastic trainer who sees more in me than I see in myself. He enjoys what he does even if I try to give him a hard time.

Bo is caring but firm. He motivates you to want to give him 110%. His style and variety of exercises causes me to wonder and even ask out aloud if he spent the night thinking of ways to punish me. He customizes the training to fit your personal goals and encourages me to maintain healthy eating habits.

I am very pleased and happy with Bo as my trainer. He is one in a million.”

“I have always felt fortunate that I made a wonderful decision – to find a professional personal trainer to help me lose weight.

I used to have a nice figure. However, probably due to genetics, after I turned 30, I started to put on a lot of weight. I did not even want to look at the mirror. I felt bad about myself, and couldn’t bear to talk about topics related to weight and body with my friends. So I started working out. Half a year later, my weight did not change a bit. Then a turning point in my life came in January 2012, when I met my personal trainer, Yang Bo.

At the get-go, Bo carefully laid out a detailed training plan based on the condition of my body and my personal goals. The training plan was adjusted along the way in response to my body’s feedback. My confidence grew as I underwent bi-weekly weight and body fat checks. After six months of training, my weight dropped from more than 140 lbs to a little over 100 lbs. While body training was a challenging process, Bo was always there to offer much needed encouragement; furthermore, his plentiful knowledge and expertise was always a source of fun and enjoyment. His optimism convinced me that where there was a will, there was a way.

I left Bo after I moved to a new house. But even today, I still turn to Bo whenever I have any questions related to body building. He is not only my coach, but also my lifelong friend.”

“Bo is a knowledgeable and encouraging personal trainer who is helping me meet my fitness goals. He is very attentive to safety and ensuring proper form when using equipment and teaches effective stretching techniques. He includes a wide variety of equipment in the workout sessions and adapts exercises to meet my needs yet still challenging enough to ensure progress. He is providing a good foundation for my future fitness routines.”
Follow up, after six month training with Bo…

What a difference six months makes! Every day functioning has become so much easier now my legs and core are stronger. Stair climbing, bending, squatting and lifting are no longer the challenge they used to be. The weight loss has put my BMI back into acceptable range again and as a result my blood pressure has dropped significantly taking me out of the borderline hypertension category. My resting heart rate has also improved dramatically.
One of the most rewarding results for me is that I have had no recurrence of the achilles tendon flare ups that troubled me on a regular basis ever since injuring an ankle five years ago. Now that my legs and ankles are stronger and more stable I can once again wear sandals and low heeled shoes without pain. People have commented that my posture has also improved. I hadn’t realized just how deconditioned I was six months ago and how that was affecting my everyday life. Now I feel stronger and more energized! Thank you Bo! I’ve gone from “I can’t” to “I can”!”

“Several months ago, my best friend asked me to be her bridesmaid. To better present myself, I started working out in a gym.

There I met my personal trainer, Yang Bo. In light of my need for losing weight in a short period of time, he designed a training program with an objective of shedding 1-1.5 pounds a week. That was the start of my days of “suffering,” and my days of happiness and accomplishment – my weight began to drop steadily and by now I have shed more than 30 pounds! I trust Bo because he really knows his stuff and he is such an experienced trainer. Whenever I feel like giving up on my exercises, he always has a way of motivating me to stick it out. Oh yes, he is also my swimming coach. At the beginning, I only knew a bit of breaststroke, but I have since mastered not only breaststroke, but also backstroke and sidestroke, and I am now starting to learn butterfly stroke. Bo says that I do breaststroke so well that I can compete in contests. I feel so proud. I have gone this far not only because I am a fast learner and a disciplined person, but more importantly because of Bo being at my side as a patient, effective trainer. My next goal is to lose another 30 pounds with Bo!”

“In the first months after I arrived at Toronto, I was under a lot of pressure from the new life environment and schoolwork. As a result, I was physically weak and always felt tired. I liked soccer, but after a few training sessions, I realized that I was not fit enough for soccer training and matches.

In order to play in the Chinese Soccer Games in Toronto, I decided to improve my fitness level by training with Bo, my personal trainer. Bo created a training program customized to my needs and goals. The program was specially oriented towards the demands of soccer such as explosive power, speed, endurance, agility, and flexibility, and also incorporated training of soccer-specific skills and techniques. In training, Bo was very particular about safety. At the beginning, I could barely finish my exercises because of my low energy level, but Bo was always at my side to cheer me on and to provide proper protection and guidance. Soon I could feel my muscles growing and strength coming back! I became strong and energetic, and now I can play with competence and confidence in high-intensity soccer matches. “

“My friends liked to call me Fatty. Though it’s not something that I really minded, I didn’t particularly like it either. I was not terribly plump; I was just not active. But they kept on calling me Fatty nonetheless, which was really hurting. I needed a change. I wanted my friends to think more highly of me. So I decided to lose weight by working out. As I never exercised before, I thought it would be wise to get some help from a personal trainer.

A friend of mine introduced me to Yang Bo. He told me that while losing weight was important, it was even more important to change my previous sedentary lifestyle to a more active, healthy one. Starting with the very basic workouts, Bo was never tired of demonstrating proper forms again and again until I got things right. He kept on encouraging me to believe in myself and not to give up. So I did not give up. As I became stronger, I took on more and more exercise load to burn fat while improving my cardio performance. Before training with Bo, I would be out of breath running 100 metres. But now, I can quite easily run 40-50 minutes. I also followed Bo’s advice and abandoned my high-fat, high-sugar dietary habits. In four months of training, I shed 25 lbs, and lowered my BMI from 30% to 22%. Most importantly, Bo helped me develop a brand-new lifestyle. I feel good both physically and mentally, and the pressure from schoolwork is much easier to handle now!”