Nadia Bender credits fitness with saving her life. The owner of the Kingsway fitness studio, Fitness That Fits, suffered a heart attack in 2013 and says her high level of fitness is the reason she’s still standing. Nadia had always been keen on staying fit. She played sports in high school, ran a full marathon, and began teaching fitness classes on the side while working as a manager in a corporate job. She followed her fitness passion and opened Fitness That Fits in 2006, offering personal training, small group fitness classes and boot camps.
But it wasn’t until her shocking heart attack that Nadia realized the power of fitness. “That solidified even more that I need to stay healthy and fit and strong," she says. "I need to make sure all my clients that come to my studio understand that their health is number one and their fitness level needs to be up there just in case they have a heart attack or get diabetes or whatever else may land on their plate.”
Fitness That Fits is an approved Heart Wise fitness facility (a certification awarded by the Cardiac Health Foundation of Canada). The studio offers a personal training program for individuals who have been prescribed moderate exercise after a heart attack or mild stroke, as well as for those who have diabetes or another chronic health condition. “I know what medication they’re on, what restrictions they have, their heart rate is monitored throughout the session, they’re taught to take their own heart rate and how to deal with their exertion level – how to tone it down or increase it,” explains Nadia. Sessions also include healthy lifestyle tips and nutrition support.
