Get to Know the Instructors – Made in Manitoba 2019

Susan Charach

Graduating from the University of Manitoba with her BRS she holds a double major: Aging & Physical Education. She became certified with the MFC over 20 years ago and has since become a trainer and an evaluator. In her current role of recreation therapist at the Victoria General hospital, she is able to put her training to good use. Susan loves being active with her kids and her husband as much as possible.

Ginger Lamoureux

She has a specialization in Exercise Science and Physical Education and have been teaching & programming fitness and sports for 25 years. I have had the pleasure in the past of working with the selection committee for the Olympic Softball program and running clinics throughout Alberta and British Columbia for player development in Softball. I am a qualified Sport First Responder and work with the Canadian Armed Forces Athletic Therapy Program working regional and national events in a variety of sports. I am a First Aid Instructor with MFC. I also am an MFC qualified evaluator

Jan Keryluk

She is a Wellness Facilitator on the Community Wellness Team for the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority.  Within her role, Jan delivers health promotion classes along with chronic disease and injury prevention programs for schools, community groups and work places..  The Manitoba Fitness Council, recognized her as Fitness Leader of the Year in 2012.  She also received the Healthy Living Award in 2006 from the Reh-Fit Centre Foundation of Winnipeg and the Women and Sport Breakthrough Award in 2002 from the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport (CAAWS). I’m still loving every minute of it!  Fitness classes are amazing opportunities to share my passion for movement to music.  My goal is to help you improve your fitness level and to keep it FUN!”

Annabel Scott

She is the owner of Pilates Manitoba Inc. It is the oldest and largest stand-alone full service STOTT Pilates studio and only GYROTONIC studio. She has been Manitoba Fitness Council certified since 1988; she is also certified with STOTT Pilates, Injuries and Special Populations, and GYROTONIC. Annabel specializes in special populations such as back pain, cancer, arthritis, fibromyalgia and Plus Size Pilates. Her passion is to create a small and intimate environment to teach the anatomy and physics of movement so that clients can have ownership of and internalization of their own stability and alignment. This makes their movement three dimensional, pain-free and fun.  

Jorie Jansen

She received her undergrad degree at the University of Manitoba and furthered her education with the prestigious 2 year International Olympic Committee Diploma in Sport Nutrition and is a Life/Executive Coach! Jorie has been working and mentoring in the field for over a decade. She works for the Canadian Sport Centre Manitoba as Director of Sport Dietetics. Jorie has gained extensive experience working with provincial, national and Olympic/Para-Olympic level athletes, the Winnipeg Jets, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Faculty of Family Medicine, and Legacy and Pan Am Sport Medicine Fellowships.

Ruth Reis

She has a love of fitness and teaching has spanned over 30 years. After training to be an instructor in 1982, she began teaching employee fitness classes. She followed this by completing her provincial certification in 1985, and has since continued her education with Manitoba Fitness Council (MFC).  She has pursued interests in martial arts, where she attained her 1st Dan black belt in TaeKwonDo in 1986 and her 3rd Dan in 2011. Yoga began in 2000 followed by education and training with Maureen Rae Studios. Today, Ruth is an MFC yoga certified instructor, teaching at various venues in Winnipeg including the CNIB and her own private studio.

Brenda Tittlemier

She graduated from University of Manitoba in 2006 with her physiotherapy degree. Looking for an adventure, she left Manitoba for the cold and dark winters of the great white north. Brenda settled in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories where she worked at the Stanton Territorial Hospital for 8 ½ years as a physiotherapist and clinical practice leader of the physiotherapy department. After several years of exciting adventures in northern Canada, Brenda returned home to Manitoba in the spring of 2015. She began her master’s degree in graduate studies at the University of Manitoba in the fall of 2017. Her thesis is aiming to establish the clinical practice of Canadian physiotherapists who treat individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Specifically, she is interested in what types of interventions physiotherapists offer people with knee osteoarthritis and if those interventions follow evidence-based practice

Christine Van Der Hoek CPT, CFP

Mfc’s Fitness Leader of the Year 2005

She is an instructor, trainer, educator, mountain biker, adventure traveler, triathlete and 3-time Ironman finisher. Christine has been involved professionally and recreationally in fitness for 25 years. Owner of The Training Zone and manager of fitness programs at Canada’s largest medical fitness facility (Wellness Institute), she has experience sharing ideas with other leaders, clients and participants in relation to their health and wellness goals

Dr. Malcolm Smith

He teaches courses in Fundamentals of Marketing, Consumer Behaviour and Marketing Research at the undergraduate and graduate level. Additionally, he has taught the capstone case course for students majoring in Marketing. The focus of his research is marketing to older adults, and in particular, age-related differences in memory for advertising. His research has been presented at numerous national and international conferences, and published in various texts and such journals as the Journal of Marketing, Journals of Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, Journal of Business Research, Psychology and Marketing, and Journal of Tourism Research

Cheryl Taylor-Kashton

As an MFC leader for over 20 years, Cheryl draws experience from leading hi/lo, step, cycling, shallow aqua, sports conditioning, balance training, fusion, yoga and Stott pilates classes.  Holding a Masters degree in Molecular Biology, Cheryl’s understanding of the body and how it functions translates into her unique design of class programs.  An avid runner and weight lifter, she enjoys the benefits of healthy living and is passionate about helping others achieve their fitness goals and dreams!

Raul Paragus

A fitness instructor for over 25 years, Raul Paragas’ fields of fitness certification through the Canadian Centre for Activity and Aging and the Manitoba Fitness Council include Dance to Music, Aqua, Weight Training, Older Adults and Arthritis. Raul has been a member of the Manitoba Fitness Council since 1993, and has worked with a number of fitness committees. Passionate about physical fitness and wellness, he enjoys working out, and plays basketball and badminton at Gordon Bell High School and Seven Oaks Hospital Wellness Institute