Karina is a certified personal trainer with a Master’s degree in Gerontology, specializing in health and aging. As owner of Ki Health and Fitness in Vancouver, BC, she provides individual and small group personal training, online fitness coaching, and nutrition counselling. As a 9-year vegan and 14-year vegetarian, Karina focuses on whole foods, plant-based nutrition. Karina has been weight training, swimming, running, cycling, and power yoga-ing her way to fitness since 2003.
Karina deals with a potentially life-threatening allergic condition which prohibits her from training after having eaten within 8 hours, in case a food triggers a serious allergic reaction when coupled with exercise. She also faces severe seasonal allergies and asthma that limit her activity for 5 months each year, as well as weekly allergy shots after which she can't train - again due to anaphylaxis risk.
Yet, with careful planning and unwavering dedication, she trains consistently 6 days per week (even through grad school while working 3 jobs)! Karina understands the many challenges involved in maintaining an active lifestyle, and aims to live by example in overcoming her own obstacles. She helps her clients to enjoy working out, and to fit regular exercise into their busy lives.
When she's not working out or training clients, Karina plays Australian didgeridoo, creates paper art (quilling, or paper filigree), designs and makes jewellery, and writes. She recently published her first e-book, called "How To Give a Sh*t About Your Health: Straight-up advice for getting healthy, fit, and energized for life".
