AGE:  36

PROFESSION:  Health Coach & Fitness Model (www.juliaevans.coach, IG @juliaevans.coach)

HOMETOWN:  Calgary, Canada

FAVORITE FOOD:  Smoothies, Smoothie bowls, and more Smoothies! (Backyard Bowls)

FAVORITE PLACE VISITED:  Japan. And can I say Whole Foods? LOL, I’m at Whole Foods almost everyday!

PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT:  Ireland

FAVORITE MOVIE:  The Boondock Saints…I love Willem Dafoe!

FAVORITE SINGER:  ODESZA, electronic, brass, and percussion music bands.

HOBBIES:  Dancing, music festivals, meeting new people, botany, dinner parties with friends, studying human potential, traveling, and attending personal development seminars.

BACKGROUND:  I’ve always been a fitness enthusiast (I’ve been a snowboard instructor and a fitness competitor). While visiting Santa Monica for a Health Expo in 2015, I had the pleasure of meeting Sonki. At the time I was still living in Canada and was focused on becoming a certified coach. The academy I attended eventually brought me to California and it was then that I had the opportunity to join Sonki’s boot camp. I participated in Sonki Fitness for about 5 months while I lived in LA and saw amazing results! Within the first 5 weeks of doing Sonki fitness, I improved my push-ups (strength) by 85%, sit-ups (core stamina) by 53%, and ran the mile 1:23 minutes faster! This is a testament to Sonki’s training and what can happen when you remain consistent with it. One particular area that I improved drastically was my endurance since my training had been mainly weightlifting prior to joining Sonki Fitness. 

What is your motivation to stay in shape?  I love the way my body feels when it’s strong and feel more joyful when I’m active. It also keeps be motivated to include friends for workouts, and that helps me stay accountable.

What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape?  When my routine gets monotonous, I hit a plateau, or feel myself losing motivation I’ll reach out to a friend, hire a coach or join a fitness group. I also find it helps me to track my fitness by making sure I put it in my calendar each Sunday.

There were times when I was training for my fitness competition that I would pull up to the gym and not want to get out of the car! I remember calling up a friend and asking her to tell me to get my butt out of the car and just go in! We can all use a nudge in the right direction and benefit from being held accountable.

What is your key to success?  I contribute a large part of my success to the fact that I have had to overcome adversity throughout my life. I have a debilitating form of dyslexia and had to work twice as hard when I was a child to make it through the school system. If you think of school as a ladder that you need to climb to get over a wall, a child with a learning disability will not always be able to climb that ladder to get over that wall. Instead, the child has to find a way around the wall by going under it, around it, digging a hole, or grabbing a rope. While the burden of dyslexia was challenging growing up, I can now see the silver lining. My disability has provided me tenacity, creativity and awesome problem solving skills in all areas of my life.

It’s been proven that people who are dyslexic are more likely to become entrepreneurs. Turns out I’m one of them 😉

What do you like about Sonki Fitness and how has it affected your life?  I love that Sonki Fitness focuses on cardiovascular health and improving your overall fitness. Attending Sonki Fitness has helped me become stronger and faster and naturally enjoy fitness first thing in the morning. I also felt a great sense of achievement after each class! Additionally, community is important to me, and I believe Sonki does an excellent job of bringing great people together, keeping them fit, and building a strong community.

What advice would you give to others about fitness?  Move your body everyday, even if it’s simply going on a short walk. Not only is it an excellent mood enhancement but also makes you more pleasant to be around.  😉  Cultivate the habit of moving your body daily until it’s like brushing your teeth, you’ll start to crave it. As soon as my eyes open, I put on my workout clothes and go on a morning walk. This has been a game-changer for me and helped me combat times in my life when I’ve been challenged with depression. We all go through challenges in life and the habit of being active is a great support tool.

Any other comments?  Thank you Sonki for this opportunity to share and for all the wonderful people I’ve had the pleasure of working out with at Sonki Fitness!