Frequently asked questions.

FAQ - Coaching

FAQ - Health Retreat

FAQ - Habit-Based Health

FAQ - STRONGER U CHALLENGE

  • Not sure what route will get you to your goals?

    Book a call with me and let’s chat. A no-pressure conversation to help me learn about you, your life and what you want to work towards, and an opportunity for me to explain my coaching style and options.

    Ask questions, get clarification, and make an informed decision.

  • Yes, I want to work with people who are motivated and committed to change & progress.

    All personal training sessions are valid for the month purchased in (and exceptions for carry over to the following month are outlined if we start working together).

    For Executive Coaching clients - to ensure we keep momentum going with our calls, all sessions are to be completed within 2 months of purchase of package.

  • Coaching works best for people who are interested in bettering themselves, their perspectives, and their contributions to the world, but need a little guidance, push, accountability, and support to get there.

    If you're feeling stuck on making progress on your own, a coach can be the hand up to guide you from 'I'd like to' to 'Ok, I'm doing it'.

    Schedule an info call and we can chat about what you’re looking for and see if my style of coaching is the right option for you.

  • Truth be told, I don't want you to do that either (unless that's what you want to do!).

    My job as your coach isn't to tell you what I think you should do. It's to work collaboratively with you, to help you uncover your path, work through obstacles, and come up with a strategy & plan that works for you, on your terms, with your intuitiheart & passion guiding it.

  • Well first off, everything is optional because this is your retreat! I suggest you get the most out of the week as possible but of course if something is not your cup of tea you are welcome to read, relax or go for a walk instead:

    Each day typically includes:

    Full body workout using TRX, Dumbbells, body weight exercises and other fun stuff! Don’t think workouts can be fun? Try one of mine and let me see if I can change your mind 😉

    Stretch/yoga session – modifications will be provided to accommodate every body.

    Healthy meals – All meals prepared for you using organic local ingredients as much as possible. You can sit back, relax and wait for meal time, or you can participate and learn how to make the tasty dishes. All Retreaters will receive a copy of the cookbook as well!

    Workshops – if you have never sat down, brainstormed, planned out and scheduled your goals well this is going to be a fun experience! I will use some cool tools to get your mind thinking and your ‘what if’s’ thumping. Other workshops will cover health & wellness topics.

    Downtime – the retreat will have time built in where you can read, take a nap, meditate, chill at the beach or pool, or get a massage.

  • The short answer is yes, definitely! The retreat is for anyone who wants to take a more focused approach to their health & fitness. All exercises can be modified to any fitness level. I have trained various clients aged from 18 to 89 from with a variety of fitness levels and teach outdoor bootcamp to a wide variety of participants – I am well-versed in modifying an exercise to make it easier for those that need it, and stepping it up for a challenge for others. Please don’t think you need to ‘get a bit more fit first’ before coming on a retreat. There is no baseline you need to achieve. My only request is that you want to be more active, healthy & happy, are willing to learn, and be open-minded and friendly to the others on the retreat, that’s it 🙂

  • I've had a wide range of participants on my Retreats. From friends looking for an active way to reconnect, to mother-daughter vacations, couples who want to get-away together, and yes, plenty of singles come along. It's the perfect way to have your alone time if you want it, and have lots of like-minded, active people to do activities together and enjoys with. The villa has plenty of space to chill out by yourself with a book or just your own thoughts.

  • I hope you take on as many fun activities and new experiences as you like, but no one should ever feel pressured to participate. This is your Retreat and your vacation afterall.

    If you decide you would prefer to sit a workout/yoga/walk or tour out and stay at the villa that's fine by me. Everything is optional.

  • No, your flight will need to be purchased additionally.

    The Retreat price includes your accommodation for 6 nights, 7 days, most meals & tours, as well as all workouts & yoga sessions.

    Additional costs will be (but aren't limited to): flight, travel insurance, a few meals out, optional excursions, souvenirs, alcoholic drinks and any other snacks or purchases you wish to make outside of the Retreat Villa.

  • Great, send ’em my way! You can either call me at 604-376-0515 or send me an email at info@marisajmae.com, I would be happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have!

  • Absolutely. Building strong, sustainable habits will have a positive impact on your health and body. However, this is not a quick fix 30 day belly blast program. Habits are built slowly and over time. There may be some weight loss in the 6 weeks, there may be a lot..or not. There are so many variables to consider including where you are starting from, are you able to show up to the calls & do the weekly assignments? How consistently are integrating the habits into your life?

    I will provide all the information, resources and best-practices that work for myself and my clients, but your success depends on you (and what you define success to be!)

  • HBH runs for 7 weeks. We will have weekly check-in calls on Sunday evenings @7pm (pacific).

    If you can't make these calls you still get access to all the same course information, pdf's, videos etc, as well as recordings of the group calls.

    In addition, you will get continued access to the course for life, so you can revisit and redo any of the modules you like, as you continue to build healthy habits that work for you and your life.

    So if the timing is slightly off for you right now, I highly suggest you still register and then do the course as it suits you. You will have lifetime access to the course material so you can revisit it whenever you like to tune-up your habits.

    I can't guarantee I will run the course again and (if I do the price point may go up over time).

  • Habit-Based Health is a 7 week group coaching course, which means you'll have access to all the materials, pdf's, videos etc via the online portal. Every week new content will be released. You can go back and revisit past lessons as need be (or at the end of the course if you want to redo it, it will all be available for you, whenever you need it).

    In addition to the online materials, there will be a group check-in call Sunday evenings at 7pm pacific time

    This call is to provide accountability and help guide you through the exercises and habits to ensure you have a full understanding of them. I will be available throughout the call to chat with each member and help you personalize the habits as they best make sense with your life.

    These group calls are the best way to gain a customization aspect to the course materials and ensure you stay focused and committed throughout the 7 weeks.

  • I hear this from clients alllllll the time. "I know what to do, I'm just not doing it!". So yes, we will go over the basics to ensure we're all on the same page.

    But likely some of the things I will talk about, you will have heard previously. And that's because it's not about knowing what to do, it's also about being able to implement it, in your busy life, in a way that works for you. And that's what those generic, quick fix, fad diet plans are missing.

    They assume if you just do exactly what they've written, you'll have success. And you may....for a bit. But inevitably life takes over and you find you can't commit to those strict plans in the long term. You regress back to old habits and feel yourself back at square one.

    But what if we changed those habits themselves? What if you built new habits that gave you healthy outlets for stress reduction. healthy habits that made it easier to choose nutrition options that made your body feel (& look) good!

    That's the new stuff we are going to focus on.

    The what, the why & the how of habit development as it relates to your health.

  • I believe that health and fitness should be accessible to all, not just those with the luxury of extra income to level up their health.

    If you are really interested and committed to changing your health habits but price is a limiting factor, please email me at info@motivatedmovementpt.com and we can chat.

    Each program I run, I allow 2 participants to be included on a reduced registration fee basis. Confidentiality will of course be honoured if you reach out and connect with me.

  • This challenge is for those who are ready to get into strength training. Ideally you would have access to a gym, however you can do the workouts at home if you have a few sets of dumbbells at varying weights. Ideally more than 5# and 8# dumbbells. Although if that's all you have, let's get started and make it work for now :)

    We are really going to challenge ourselves with this challenge because that's how we improve, grow muscle and inch towards gaining some muscle definition and tone.

  • The workouts will be about 30-40 minutes long. If you don't have time for that you can grab my free dumbbell dash workouts where all workouts are 20 minutes (or less!)

  • No problem - best spot to start is with my free Dumbbell Dash workout plan here. This plan is designed to get your started with 15-20 min long workouts that can be done anywhere. The Stronger U Challenge is meant for those that are ready for the next phase of strength training. If you're interested in learning more specifics on form, challenging yourself to see just how strong you truly are, and pushing past muscular endurance training (12-15+ reps per exercise) into muscle hypertrophy training (8-12 reps) ...this is where you challenge and build muscle. Don't worry, you won't get bulky, I 100% promise. Just strong healthy muscles that look sleek & sexy.

  • Yes! This is the perfect compliment for a cardio-focused routine! Strength training improved my running pace & time, as well as minimized my knee pain and enabled me to eventually run a full marathon. If you love cardio and haven't been sure how to integrate strength training into your routine, jump into this challenge!

SCHEDULE A CHAT

Hiring a trainer or a coach is a big decision. There are so many options and each coach has their own unique style, and personality. it’s important to find the right coach that meshes with you!

On this call, you'll have the wonderful opportunity to receive direct and insightful answers to all of the burning questions swirling around in your mind.

  • "She is organized, dependable, thoughtful, patient and clearly very skilled in her craft. I appreciate that she is able to design a program that is suitable for my abilities, challenging me but never pushing me beyond what I can safely do."

    Susan

  • "Working with Marisa has been like a slow but steady revolution. I needed to learn how to heal my relationship with food & meal prep, and I wanted to get healthier. And using her resourcefulness, versatility, and excellent coaching skills Marisa was able to get me on the right road. She teaches you how to use your own resources to reach your goals at a pace you can sustain. I was worried I wouldn't get a great workout, but I can feel the burn!"

    Rana

  • "I’ve been able to change my whole perception around food and making healthy balanced choices. Your add in habits are simple and easy to consider and implement. I’ve upped my overall daily steps, weekly workouts, amount of veggies I get daily, I feel more confident and was able to start doing things I love again in all different facets of my life. I’ve lost weight, I’m happier, I feel stronger, I feel less stressed and I have a better over all balance in my life again. Most importantly, I have started creating a positive relationship with food and am able to work through all the food guilt I was carrying around in my life."

    Jessica

  • "While I had been consistent with regular exercise, I was frustrated with my poor eating habits and looking for support. Marisa's approach is not prescriptive or restrictive. Implementing small changes and building on successes from week to week are some of the strategies that have made the biggest difference for me. Marisa's sensible guidance can give you tools to nourish yourself so you can do the things you want to do."

    Jill

  • "Marisa designs work out regimes that are customized on what my needs are in the moment but also focused on my fitness goals. So, if I’ve come off a long run, she adapts my training to account for tired legs or any specific problem areas I’m experiencing. Her enthusiasm and energy makes it fun and exciting and helps challenge me. Her holistic approach integrates strength training, cardio, yoga and nutrition. There’s nothing more motivating than reaching my goals and Marisa has been an integral part of my journey."

    Cindy

  • "My recent goals were to learn to use my condo gym equipment safely and properly in order to make this a regular addition to my exercise program. I now feel more fit, stronger, happier and equipped to take this on. I highly recommend Marisa, she is able to work with you on the goals that are important to you and make it fun at the same time!"

    Karen

  • "I’m so proud that all that my hard work might be helpful to other people! It’s a great testament to you – truly an appropriate vignette to use to introduce people to your highly effective and compassionate approach to personal training."

    Mary

  • "A friend and I did a 5 session pack with Marisa and we both loved it! The exercises were challenging but fun, varied, and tailored to our goals and abilities. Marisa was friendly, knowledgeable, and flexible with training times. Months later, I am still using a lot of the skills I learned from Marisa in my workouts."

    Amy

  • "I had never been able to do a squat as it hurt my knees too much. Through our training you got me to squat down low enough that I am able to read my putts when I golf. Even with this new found ability I still miss most of them."

    Casey

  • "Since I started working with Marisa I haven't had to go to my (previously) regularly needed chiro + physio appointments. The regular aches and pains that I had have gone away and I am enjoying life without the regular flare ups!"

    Andrea