Author: Joan Minnery

Since the beginning of January, I have started teaching my own Zumba classes here in Brantford Ontario Canada. After being trained by the master of them all, Kelly Sloat from Art In Motion Dance Studio, I was encouraged greatly to pursue a dream of mine to get back into teaching fitness and become a Zumba Instructor. I obtained my certification license on December 2nd, 2011 and had the absolute highlight of my Zumba love fest when Kelly asked me to demo a song on Wednesday December 28th, 2011 at her studio. It was the calm before the storm. I’m a…

It’s been such an amazing time in my life. I can honestly say that as an adult, last year was one of my GREATEST years ever! It has been so overly prosperous and happy. Yes, happy! I have referred to last year as My Liberation Year, My Freedom Year and the Year of Peace and Tranquility. When I reflect back on where I was physically and mentally prior to this year, and the path of self-destruction and physical abuse I was on, it is nothing short of a miracle to see myself HERE. The Joan I see now is healthy, mentally…

Okay, so you’ve got yourself on a healthy eating plan, you’ve made positive changes to your diet and you are eating healthy foods but the scale isn’t moving. So, what’s next? What is the next obvious choice? That answer is openly evident, you must get moving. In order to be successful, some form of activity has to be added as you incorporate both diet and exercise combined together. You can’t have one without the other. You can’t lose weight effectively by just dieting alone and you can’t lose weight effectively by just exercising alone. They go hand in hand. Getting serious…

There are a lot of misconceptions out there about WHY people are overweight or why people continue to eat when they know they are unhealthy. How many times have we heard this insensitive question “Why are you fat?” It’s not rocket science folks, let’s face it, we are fat because we overeat, plain and simple. However blunt that may be, we all understand the reason we are fat. We eat and we gain weight. What should be focused upon are not the reasons we are fat, but rather what are the reasons we are eating. The question needs to be…

What would YOU do if you were told you were going to die? How would YOU react if you were faced with a life or death moment upon hearing those words from your Doctor that your time is coming to an end? Why would you NOT act upon those words IF you were also told that YOU had the absolute power to NOT die? When would you choose to listen? Would it be NOW or a while later, perhaps a few weeks later, maybe some months down the road, or would you choose NOT to act. Life is all about…

They say that when God closes a door, he opens a window. Well, in my case he opened up EVERY window in a skyscraper! As of February 2011, I was down about 60 pounds. I had made a decision to walk away from the life I was leading and the final stage of that meant that I had to walk away from ALL of it and understanding that this also meant purging all elements that were not supportive of my change. I had to create a harmonious balance to foster the positive energy around me. Resetting my brain to think…

I’ve always known life as a fat person. As a child, teen, young adult, and now as an adult woman, I’ve always been large sized. I have spent a few misguided and short-lived moments on the slender side. I slimmed down in the eighth grade, and then during my high school years I was constantly yo-yoing from sizes 10-14 and back again. After a crash diet when I turned 18, I seemed to lose the proverbial “baby fat” which lasted as long as the drive-thru line to get my first Fish Fillet. Sure enough, I gained it all back a…

Forty four years of being overweight makes you an expert on being FAT. I know how to be fat, how to stay fat, how to avoid fat, how to not be fat, and how to coexist with the security blanket around me, which IS fat. I know everything about being a fat person. I have lived that life for 99% of my time here on the planet earth. I’ve tried every diet out there and while I’ve had success, it was only fleeting. Every Monday was a new promise of “Today is the day I lose weight”. It wasn’t until…

My name is Joan Minnery and I’m 48 years old. I’m in a relationship with Keith Curley and I’m the mother of 22-year-old Bill Minnery. I’m a musical educator by profession as well as a special event coordinator and professional entertainer. I’m also the owner and director of Joan Minnery Enterprises which includes weight loss support groups and interactive health and wellness seminars and workshops. I lived life as an overweight person for most of my years but have shed over 150 pounds since 2010! Read my weight loss success story here on ShapeFit! Services I Provide: I provide motivational weight loss counseling,…