Fred Antwi is Sweat Equity's Founder, Publisher and Creative Director. With a diverse educational and professional background in Marketing and exercise physiology, Fred brings a wealth of passion and expertise to our publication.  Fred is also a former I.F.B.B. pro bodybuilder and Mr. Canada Bodybuilding Champion.  A certified Personal Trainer with 22 years of experience in the fitness industry, he is a publisher that has walked the talk.  As an avid athlete, CrossFitter and yoga practitioner, Fred offers a unique and broad perspective-both personal and professional-on these important issues.

 

Debra’s vision is to deliver honest, cutting-edge editorial and establish Sweat Equity as a powerful voice and invaluable resource for the yoga and fitness communities.  Her editorial goals are threefold; to provide publicity and promote recognition of local talent and businesses, to grow participation in all disciplines of yoga and fitness and to build awareness about the benefits.  Her career as a competitive swimmer enhanced her drive and motivation, which coupled with her business acumen and years of sales and marketing experience serve us well as our Director.  Debra's passion for helping people far exceeds any credentials of academia or expertise that she could boast about.  On an endless journey of self improvement and knowledge, mental and physical fitness are top priorities alongside enjoying her three wondrous children.

 

Dr. Ken is a chiropractor, certified strength and conditioning specialist and a certified personal trainer who teaches across Canada and the United States. A competitive power lifter for over 20 years, Dr. Ken regularly lectures to doctors and personal trainers about weight training, rehabilitation and nutrition. He is the clinic director for the AIM Health & Wellness clinic and rehabilitation and training centre in Mississauga.  He is the author of Optimal Muscle Training and the founder of the Society of Weight-Training Injury Specialists.

 

Kristen is an Ayurvedic practitioner and co-owner of Pure + Simple Inc., an independent chain of holistic spas in Toronto.  She’s the author of Beauty: Pure + Simple and writes the popular blog, holisticvanity.ca. There, she shares her thoughts and knowledge on Ayurveda and its beauty benefits.

 

A highly sought after personal trainer and coach, author, actor, fitness model and functional conditioning host of the series, Body Fuel. This renowned fitness expert’s business endeavors include managing elite personal training studios in both Canada and the U.S. and he is currently the owner of Think Fitness Studios.  Bishop is also the author of his soon to be released book, The Think Factor, a practical model for healthy living and optimal performance. He is a member of the Canadian Fitness Professionals Association, the American Council on Exercise and has worked with Olympians, sports stars, actors, corporate clients and both amateur and professional athletes.   

 

Mary Bamford is a Registered Dietitian and the founder of Essence Nutrition Counselling. She provides individual counselling and corporate programs that motivate people to establish helpful and lasting changes to their food choices, lifestyle and health. She is known for combining common sense practicality with evidence-based strategies. Mary began her career developing her clinical skills as a Registered Dietitian at McMaster University Medical Center. She next developed her business skills by completing her Masters of Business Administration while working in progressive sales and marketing positions in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries. Mary has experience
developing and selling unique and superior products that work. She has brought this expertise to her own successful private practice and now looks forward to reaching a larger audience by developing and overseeing nutrition programs and products.

 

One of Toronto’s most celebrated yoga teachers, Diane– co-owner of the Downward Dog Yoga Centre in Toronto – has been studying various forms of yoga for over thirty years. Through her pursuits in yoga, she strives to understand and support the needs of the individual, approaching each class as a gateway to a magical healing journey.  In 2000, she was able to communicate this approach to mass audiences, filming 65 half-hour episodes of Breathing Space Yoga. The show has been airing around the world ever since, and is today shown regularly on channel ONE.

 

For almost thirty years William has been a trusted expert in the area of self-help. He is an inspirational speaker, writer, healer, teacher and personal development coach. His program, Navigating the Soul, helps its participants identify the root cause of their behaviour, problems and thought patterns and has proven to be helpful in treating those dealing with depression, anxiety, stress and relationship issues.

 

Jane has appeared on television and radio providing sound advice and sharing insight on the many facets of healthy living, particularly in a corporate context. She is recognized as a powerful motivator, well respected speaker and facilitator with credits around the world as an educator of balanced living through options of holistic care.

 

 

Sara Elizabeth Ivanhoe began teaching yoga in 1995 while receiving her BFA from New York University. She holds a Yoga Philosophy degree from Loyola Marymount University as well as their Yoga and Ecology degree .   She has completed teacher trainings with Erich Schiffmann, Yoga Works and John Friend in the Anusara style.   Sara is the instructor for the “Yoga for Dummies” series, the “Crunch Yoga” series as well as the collaboration with Russell Simmons “Yoga Live” all together selling over 4.3 million units worldwide.  She is currently on Fit TV’s “All Star Workouts” and her self-produced “Yoga on the Edge” runs on Exercise TV.  She has been featured as one of the “Titans of Yoga” in the new critically acclaimed documentary.

 

With our current lifestyle choices, the reasons for getting in shape and keeping fit are even more important .  However, the ways to achieve that are numerous and often misguided by incorrect advice. Wayne Forsythe is a Cooper-PTC and I.S.S.A- SCC certified Fitness Consultant and Standard Test of Fitness Appraiser. With over 20 years in the field, Wayne has been a training director, nutritional adviser and general manager at several large fitness clubs including Goodlife, 24 Hour and Extreme Fitness.  Along the way Wayne has also owned and operated his own fitness club. His years in the industry, his background in Kinesiology and the numerous fitness certificates he holds, makes him an expert in the area of fitness.  

 

Natasha Vani received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from York University in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Science. While completing her undergraduate degree she specialized in an athletic therapy certificate program and then moved on to a fitness specialization program in her graduate studies. As a certified exercise physiologist Natasha worked with occupational and athletic populations ranging from groups such as the Ontario firefighter applicants to the Toronto Maple Leafs. During this period Natasha prepared and presented seminars on fitness and nutrition for competitive athletes and worked as a part time laboratory instructor in anatomy and fitness assessment & exercise counselling. In recent years she has shifted her focus to target the promotion of health and well being to the general population. Natasha was a regional manager for a Canadian health company in which she assisted in the development of the Exercise program and directly coached individuals in the areas of nutrition, exercise and emotional well being. Natasha is currently studying at the Canadian college of Naturopathic medicine where she is working toward becoming a doctor of naturopathic medicine.