Tag: Fitness Contributor

Fitness Contributor – Fawn Gill

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Babes Promoting Babes – Fawn Gill Fitness

Fawn Gill Fitness

I am pleased to announce that Fashion INVESTIGATOR INC’s very own Fitness Contributor, Fawn of Fawn Gill Fitness is our Babe in the Spotlight. I had the opportunity to interview her this week for our Babes Promoting Babes Interview Series.

MY MISSION:  To motivate and inspire Boss Babes in the making. To uplift, encourage, and promote male & female entrepreneurs and to share our aspirations, goals and dreams.

To provide and build a warm, loving, and supportive community of CREATORS. Creators of art, a business, or a NEW YOU … 

M: What’s your story?  Where were you born, where were you raised?  What was your childhood, growing up years like?

F: Well, I am a BC (British Columbia) girl, born and raised but I did move around a lot when I was young. I was born in Surrey, BC and lived there, as well as in, Richmond, Clearbrook, Williams Lake, Kamloops, The Okanagan, Vancouver and then Bowen Island for 18 years. I currently reside in North Vancouver and have for the last 2 years.

My childhood was a tumultuous one. I’m the youngest of 3 girls born to my biological parents. But they got divorced when I was about 3 or 4 and my two older sisters moved to Prince George to live with my biological dad and I lived with my mom and stepdad in the Lower Mainland. I never saw my sisters again until I was 16 and never met my biological dad till I was 36.

My stepdad was an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officer, which is why we moved around a lot. And there was a lot of stress in my household. I have a younger brother as well.

So, although there were some great times growing up, there were a lot of not great times and I received the brunt of everyone’s issues and stress.

M: What did you want to do when you grew up?  

F: Oh, I wanted to be a model, a singer or an actor. LOL …

M: Did you go to college or university?  If so, what did you study?

F: I went to Blanche MacDonald right after high school to become a make-up artist and esthetician. That never panned out.

And then I worked for many years in offices until finding my true calling …. Recreation. So I went to Langara College for Recreation Management for 2 years and received my diploma in 1997.

I’ve also done a bunch of University courses throughout the years, I just never got a degree.

M: When did you move to Vancouver?  Why did you move to Vancouver?

F: I moved to Vancouver literally the day after I finished my final grade 12 exam, 1988. LOL … Why? Well, if you read about my childhood …. I wanted out of that house ASAP.

 M: When did you start your business?  What was your inspiration?

F: I started Fawn Gill Fitness on Bowen Island in 2000. My inspiration was my first child, actually. We had just bought a house there and set up our basement as a personal training studio. Then my first baby came along and I thought, wouldn’t it be great to teach a mommy & me class and meet other moms?!

So that’s pretty much how it started. My business grew rapidly from there as I was also teaching fitness classes very part time. And then I opened up my own gym in 2007 and ran that for 9 years until I sold it. 

M: What do you love the most about being a Boss Babe?

F: Freedom! And creativity! I love being able to set my schedule and I really, really love the creative side of it. Being able to design and implement programs is so much fun for me.

M: What would your advice be for Boss Babes in the making?  If they are contemplating leaving a secure 9-5 job with benefits – what would you say to them? Should they take the leap?

F: My advice to (future) Boss Babes is to start smart. Keep that 9-5 job until your side hustle is capable of being a full-time hustle. And if you do decide to jump in full-time, make sure you have at least 6 months of savings put aside first.

And then network, network, NETWORK! A lot of success is a result of who you know. I’ve seen so many people become very successful simply because of the company they keep. They weren’t the best at what they do, but they certainly knew the right people.

M: Any last words? What’s our favourite positive/motivational quote or book.

F: Oh I have so many favourite quotes. Currently it’s ‘May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.’ Nelson Mandela

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How Covid Has Affected My Business by Fitness Contributor – Fawn Gill

Never in my lifetime (almost 50 years) have I experienced anything like this. And I know I’m not alone.

We are all in this very unprecedented time together — Having to stay home to keep each other safe.

I was asked to write how Covid-19 has affected my business. Well, to be honest, this pandemic has put me out of work. I was working as a Group Fitness Manager and Instructor for a large chain that shut their doors and may be declaring bankruptcy. I suddenly found myself terminated, along with all the other staff. On top of that, the physiotherapy clinic where I was teaching Clinical Pilates also had to shut its doors temporarily.

Suddenly, I was unemployed. First. Time. Ever.

It was (and still is) surreal. I’ve been in the Fitness Industry for over 25 years. Teaching fitness classes almost every day to groups of people. Sharing energy. Receiving energy.

I went from teaching 2-3 classes a day to nothing. Boom. Just like that. So you can say, I’m in withdrawal.

Whenever something negative happens, I try my best to look at the positive side. 

For years I was working very hard at becoming an online entrepreneur. I offered different health and wellness programs online. It was super fun, creative, and I was making a good little side hustle. When I took on the Steve Nash Manager position, I had to give all that up as it was a conflict of interest.

Now, I’m an online entrepreneur again! Since the closure of all my jobs, I have started teaching LIVE Pilates and Barre classes on Facebook along with ZOOM noon-hour cardio blast classes.

I’m getting a great response from both and it is a lot of fun to teach from home … You can’t beat the commute!

It’s also an opportunity to keep in contact with many of my participants and I love that I’m helping them stay healthy and happy during this difficult time in our lives.

I am planning on expanding my online offers to group accountability sessions and one-on-one training.

Stay healthy everyone and remember…wash your hands!

Fawn Gill is a Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness instructor, Pilates Instructor, Barre instructor & Accountability Coach. Fawn has over 25 years experience teaching others the benefits of living healthy and has helped thousands of people lose weight & get fit. You can learn more information on her website: www.fawngillfitness.com

You can join Fawn’s fitness classes at her Facebook page: www.facebook.com/fawngillfitness

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4 Myths That are Keeping You Fat! – Monthly Fitness Contributor, Fawn Gill

Are you working your butt off but still fat? I hear so many people complain about doing all the right things but not losing weight. This all leads to feeling frustrated, being overwhelmed and eventually the ‘forget this’ attitude that then leads to eating the whole bag of chips.  Sound familiar?

If so, then maybe you’re buying into these four myths.

Myth #1:  If I eat fat, I’ll get fat.

Truth:  Incorporating healthy fats into your diet will actually help you lose fat. Eating fat from sources like avocados, olives and coconuts can actually help you increase your metabolism, keep you full longer and each your body how to burn fat when you remove sugar from your diet. Choose fats like nuts, seeds, fatty fish, eggs, full fat yogurt and grass-fed beef. Remember, that non-fat foods actually have crazy high level of sugars and it’s sugar that makes you fat.

Myth #2: I need to do tons of cardio to burn fat.

Truth: While cardio burns calories, if you want to burn fat, choose HIIT (high-intensity interval training).  Incorporating HIIT into your workouts will make your body and metabolism function at a higher rate of burned calories for hours and hours afterward. So yes, you could be reading AND burning fat at the same time! Lifting weights will also help you increase your resting metabolism. When you have more lean muscle on your body, your metabolism increases. This basically means you could be burning fat while sitting and watching Netflix.

Myth #3: I need to significantly reduce my calorie intake.

Truth: This is actually partially true. The reality is, we eat too much. Take a look at how much you actually consume in a day. We often underestimate how much we eat and overestimate how much we burn.  And ultimately to lose fat, you do need to be in a calorie deficit. The calories you take in need to be nutrient dense meaning that they are full of the good stuff the body needs. Not empty calories from things like non-fat foods, processed foods, sugar, and pop.

Ultimately, what you eat is truly the most important factor when losing fat. Be sure to eat a diet high in lean proteins (whatever your source), vegetables, healthy fats, and carbs from plant sources. Don’t forget to move your body daily, get plenty of uninterrupted sleep, reduce your stress levels and you will find the weight will drop off.

Myth #4: It’s too late to start.

Truth: SO NOT TRUE! It’s never too late to start an exercise program or healthy eating! We CAN reverse the damage done AND move forward feeling better than we ever have! The trick is to get help! You can’t do it alone. Grab a friend and just start walking every day. Hire a trainer. Workout with a YouTube workout. Or join a program that will help you get there.

No matter what you choose, you can start today! Right now!!! 

If you have not taken the time to invest in yourself yet, today is the day.


Fawn Gill is the Group Fitness Manager of Steve Nash Fitness Clubs for the North Shore. She is a Certified Personal Trainer, Fitness instructor, Pilates Instructor, Barre instructor & Accountability Coach. Fawn has over 25 years experience teaching others the benefits of living healthy and has helped thousands of people lose weight & get fit. Check her out at www.fawngillfitness.com