making the world yummier, one mummy at a time

personal trainer diary

I am officially a celebrity trainer.

I have trained CEOs, competitive athletes, dancers, actors, gradeschoolers and lots and lots of beautiful, wonderful men and women.  I have trained or consulted with the odd celebrity – famous or infamous (one clinic I worked at had to usher in Conrad Black with an orchestration that rivaled the Secret Service) – during my years in clubs and clinics.  Now I am flying solo with Fit Family and it’s no big surprise the only security

yummy mummy & fit family client, Erica Ehm

clearances I see are my occasional trips in or out of Pearson Airport…

Until now.

Okay, she may not be followed by her own team of hired thugs, but if you grew up (or were in any way in touch with pop culture) in Canada in the 1980s or 1990s, you’ve heard of Erica Ehm.  Erica was the very first female MuchMusic host and has since spun a web of media and cultural accomplishments, speaking and appearing in TV, film, radio, print and online.  If, like me, you had the unfortunate luck of growing up in small-town Saskatchewan, where the cable channels don’t run as high as MuchMusic, you might know her in her most recent incarnation as the original Yummy Mummy.  Erica’s brainchild, yummymummyclub.ca, was a great source of distraction and amusement for me during my pregnancy and maternity leave.  I don’t get much free time to play on the internet anymore but I subscribe to the Yummy Mummy blogs so I have a constant source of fun in my e-mail inbox.  A few months ago, perusing the various articles and blogs on the Yummy Mummy site, I thought: I need to e-mail this woman.

So I did.  To my surprise, she e-mailed me back.  Erica doesn’t just pretend to be a down-to-earth everywoman.  She is a down-to-earth everywoman.  She’s just a down-to-earth everywoman with a face that most of Canada can recognize.  We did the everywoman thing: we had some S-bucks and got to know each other.  Erica needed a trainer and I was eager to help.

We began training together last week in her gorgeous old home in midtown.  Like many of us, Erica’s house is full of toys and books, kindergarten drawings and stacks of papers to be filed.  She is a bona fide workaholic.  Five minutes in Erica’s presence and I feel like a lazy sack of bones.  She probably accomplishes more in a day than I do in a week.  But all that accomplishing means Erica isn’t as active as she used to be.  That’s where Fit Family comes in.  In addition to her usual yoga and jogging repertoire, Erica and I have embarked on an adventure of strength training and core conditioning.

If you’ve got a couple of dumbbells and a few square feet of space, you can follow the same routine Erica does: check out her new at-home routine on her blog, Erica Ehm: Exposed. As always, ask questions first, shoot later.  For help modifying this routine or if you have questions about any of the exercises, chat live with me on the Fit Family website before you get started on your own.

Stay tuned for more news on Erica’s progress.  And – hey – if you know any other celebrities, send them my way…