A Conversation about Movement and Longevity with Joanne Lam

This week we would like to introduce you to Joanne Lam, @Joannelamfitness on Instagram. Joanne began her journey as a personal trainer in 2018. “I’ve spent my whole life moving from place to place and was in a transition period in 2017 when I moved from the United States to Toronto. When I came here I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I had always been interested in fitness and wanted to learn more for my own training. I decided to get my personal trainer license and now here we are.”

“I believe there is a time and season to push ourselves but I also believe that there is a need for us as a culture to learn to slow down and commit to a program.”

Over the course of our conversation, Joanne shared how her background in athletics is what drove her interest in personal training. She worked at a gym in Toronto and when the opportunity to be a trainer presented itself she grabbed it. Today, Joanne focuses on bodyweight and kettlebell work with clients. Depending on who the client is, Joanne likes to focus on strength training and training for longevity.

As we got into a conversation about longevity in the fitness world, Joanne shared her personal experience as a professional athlete. Joanne grew up playing basketball, gymnastics, and rugby. She traveled around Asia for a while in school playing basketball. She also played rugby for the Cambodian Women's National Team for a year. When she went to college in the States she joined her university Quidditch team, aka Quadball. “I played in university and then stopped for a couple of years, thinking to myself it’s time to retire, I’m getting old.” Joanne went on to talk about how she eventually started playing Quadball again for a team here in Toronto about 2 years ago. “I think sports teach us how to control our body and we are never too old to play sports.” Joanne shared how she believes a lot of the big lessons she learned in life came from playing sports.

“We often joke about not having as much stamina as the younger players but we also know that when we go on a pitch that there are so many more aspects to a sport and movement that sometimes being older and wiser can work to your benefit.”

Joanne spoke about the season in life, post-university when she felt she might be ‘too old’ for sports as a season when she wasn’t as physically active as she is today. Quadball is a physically demanding sport. It’s usually a coed team and is a full-contact sport. “I used to feel demotivated because I’d be pretty sore for days on end.” She went on to share how when she moved to Toronto and started training more and gaining more knowledge about fitness and the body in general she realized she could keep playing if she changed the intensity slightly and was very consistent with training. Joanne shared that she considers herself to be part of the first generation of Quadball players and most of her team in Toronto is in the same boat. “We often joke about not having as much stamina as the younger plays but we also know that when we go on a pitch that there are so many more aspects to a sport and movement than just stamina. Sometimes being older and wiser can work to your benefit.”

We asked Joanne about what she believes a personal trainer can bring to clients. She began sharing her view on the different ways we can work out and we dove into a conversation about pushing ourselves versus slowing down. “I believe there is a time and season to push ourselves but I also believe that there is a need for us as a culture to learn to slow down and commit to a program.” This is where Joanne believes a personal trainer can be so useful as a guide, coach, and accountability partner.

Toward the end of our time together Joanne shared how movement is something we are never too old for. “I like to ask my clients where they see themselves when they are 60 or 70 years old. Do they want to get down on the floor with their grandkids? If they do, my advice is to start now and to be consistent.

We absolutely loved our conversation with Joanne. We are excited to see her business continue to grow and expand. Joanne trains clients in the downtown Toronto region. If you’d like to connect with her you can find her on Instagram @joannelamfitness.