Meet Geoff Canal

I am a Martial Arts Instructor and a Personal Trainer. Some of my accomplishments include graduating College twice. Once was Fitness and Health Promotion and the other was Police Foundations. I have been certified through UFMA as a Martial Arts Instructor and recently completed my PTS certification through CanFitPro. I am also have my Level One Reiki certification. I have been in Martial Arts for 16 years. I am a second degree black belt in Jujitsu, and currently train in what is known as “North American Freestyle” or ”Sport Karate”. I have recently, just this past year started competing in tournaments. I have won a first and a couple of seconds in primarily fighting divisions. I currently hold a second place seed this year in point fighting in the NBL (which is primarily in the Americas). I played many sports in high school including Rugby and Football – where I was part of the championship team of 2005.

My journey starts when I was 18. Back then I wanted to be a powerlifter, so I would lift super heavy to become super strong. I didn’t get to where I wanted to get at that time though. I started, but over time I started feeling back pain. Like most people who are 18, we feel invincible, and can be stubborn with the “no pain, no gain” rule. My mother told me to slow down and take a break, but I didn’t listen and I paid the price. A few months after I was in a lot of agony. I had started going to a chiropractor, which I still have to get treated to this day. I have now learned my lesson, which I’m okay with. I believe that once I find my way in the world I will be healed because that’s the way the universe is, everything happens for a reason. Life is all about learning lessons and occasionally failing forward in them. That’s what it means to be human after all.

At the time of me being treated by my chiropractor I also saw a physiotherapist, because my injury was severe. So, my injury was this…. The left side of my erector spinae; or rather my low back muscle; popped, or deteriorated, to the point where my lumbar column in my spine shifted just enough to crush my sciatic nerve. The physiotherapist told me once that he could feel my spleen because there was no muscle there.

The following year I went to college for my first time. I went to school to be a Personal Trainer, though I did not pursue it do to the lack of confidence and belief in myself. I was not very fit at the time; in fact I was pretty fat. By the end of my second year; even though I lost interest I still finished the program; I had given up on a lot, including my Martial Arts. By July 2010 I was no longer into Personal Training or Martial Arts. I had pretty much given up all my goals and dreams that made me, who I am. See I am a very goal oriented person I am always looking at ways to better myself and make myself rich at heart.

Over the next few years, I had reached a real low point in my life. I had always had depression, but never like this. I actually gave up on life once. I didn’t want to continue, and I left. I came back later that night, and had a form “divine intervention”. They say before a person dies their flashes before their eyes. Well, I wasn’t dead, but my life flashed before my eyes. To this day I say the old me died that say and something more divine came back. I have never had a day where I was depressed since. I had the option of going on medication, but I refused, because of my history with medication as a child. I actually completely got over depression and told myself I needed new goals.

At that time, I applied back to college and got accepted to Niagara, this time for Police Foundations. By the end of 2011 I could no longer look at myself in the mirror because I was so fat. I was about 300 lbs at that time. I started January 2012 with a full out lifestyle change. I started eating salads daily. I cut out sweets, was eating super healthy, and in nearly one year, by my sisters 18th birthday in February 2013 I lost about 100 lbs. You’re only limited by what the mind says you can achieve!

By the time I was back in school, and I busy, I worked out all the time, school full time, and worked full-time (well, over 30 hours a week anyways). But, the main thing was I had goals again! I was very successful in school. I graduated with 88% average and this gave me the confidence to go forth with more education. But, for the time being I moved to Grande Prairie, Alberta, where I worked in the oil field. However, I did not like the work at all, and I found myself becoming more and more connected to Mama Gaia (mother Nature) and could no longer condone the destruction of the environment that was happening. I actually came back to Ontario with the intent of pursuing a degree in engineering. However, as time flew by I decided I no longer wanted to pursue that path. I was getting crazy downloads from the universe just giving me random idea’s and thoughts that brought together a lot of knowledge that made sense and I felt even more spiritually connected to Earth.

As time moved by, I was getting drawn back into Martial Arts. I busted my butt training and within a year started competing and started teaching again. I went to see a deep trance channeller, who told me that my purpose was to pursue in opening a business in mind and body. Lo and behold here I am starting a Personal Training and Bootcamp business. However, it won’t stop at that, I came back into the game because I want to eventually have a facility where I teach Martial Arts and do Personal Training. I want to do it all, so I will!

In December 2014, I decided with all the Martial Arts I do, I would get my level 1 reiki. Working with energy can be the most simple, yet a complex thing if you do not understand what it is. With energy work, I plan on pursuing learning and teaching Qi Gong and Tai Chi.

It was in March of this past year that I decided that I wanted to become a Personal Trainer. I also plan on going back to school to pursue a degree in Kinesiology in September. I have worked hard this past year trying to become the best me I could possibly be! There was a point after I completed my certification where I was unsure whether I wanted to work in a gym or take a chance and go on my own. My gut told me to take a leap of faith, because again, you are only limited by what the mind can achieve. I have a sense of loyalty and duty to myself and people around me, so I asked what people thought and I answered my own question in the meantime.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, You are right!” — Henry Ford

When it comes to what you want in life, it’s a matter of what you believe you can do! The power to succeed is a matter of you thinking you can and that you will succeed!

“Success is a decision, not a gift” – Steve Buckley

You choose your own path. You don’t have to be the healthiest or the most fit person to start, you just need to start. Make that decision and stick with it. If you want to succeed you need to want it, and want it with all your being! You need to want it as bad as you want to breathe! I can’t make the decision for you, you need to do that for yourself!

poster for my business launch