Our Fitness Instructors & Class Leaders
Meet the Instructors!
Nadine, a self proclaimed fitness, health, and wellness enthusiast, has grown this passion over years of participating in and leading sports and fitness activities which has developed a strong belief in the positive benefits of a healthy and active lifestyle.
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For over 15 years in her youth, she played competitive soccer. Expanding this interest in her adult years, she acquired her Senior Community Coach & NCAA Level 1 coaching certificates and coached competitive youth soccer for over 10 years with Kanata & West Ottawa Soccer.​
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Her soccer days came to an end with a knee injury, but she didn’t want to lose her active lifestyle. In order to keep fit, but not risk impacting her recovery or reinjuring her knee, she went looking for something new. And in 2009, she met Wendi Paterson and was introduced to Nordic Walking; she hasn’t looked back.
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Nadine’s career began in marketing, business development, fundraising and event project management which ultimately led to her joining Nordic WalkFit’s Leadership Team in 2012, and later becoming the Managing Partner and co-owner.
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Nadine can always be found enjoying the great outdoors with her friends, family and dogs, or participating in healthcare-based fundraising events which inspire and motivate others toward better physical and mental health. She loves cycling, hiking, snowshoeing, fitness training, swimming and walking her dogs!
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Nadine also leads live virtual fitness classes from her home fitness studio, and is a regular practitioner of yoga, pilates, resistance training and Essentrics classical stretching. She keeps up-to-date with proven and effective forms of exercise and nutrition for healthy, balanced, and active living by following and studying emergent research.
Certifications include:
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Urban Poling Instructor Certification Level 1 & 2, Master Trainer
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CanFit Pro Certified Personal Trainer
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First Aid and CPR/AED Certified
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NCAA Coaching Certification
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Concordia University, Bachelor of Commerce
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Cornell University - Nutrition & Healthy Living Certificate
Nadine Imbleau
Ardeth Kirkham
Ardeth first attended an Urban Poling/Nordic Walking clinic with a friend back in 2009 and was hooked right away! The Nordic walking groups provide her with the perfect fusion of outdoor fitness pursuits and social fulfilment. Her outdoor activities don’t end here; she also enjoys cross-country skiing and cycling.
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She currently juggles working part-time at physiotherapy clinics in Kanata and leading snowshoe and Nordic walking classes with Nordic Walkfit.
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Ardeth has her BPE (Hon) from the University of Ottawa and her MA PE from the University of Western Ontario. She completed an internship with the Department of National Defense where she conducted fitness testing, prescribed exercise programs to military personnel, and worked on the BMI project.
Certifications include:
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Urban Poling Instructor Certification Level 1 and 2
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Urban Poling Course for Rehabilitation and Wellness Professionals
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Canfit Pro Certified Personal Trainer
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First Aid, CPR/AED
Sara Charon
Convinced by a friend to join Nordic WalkFit in 2008, Sara found a workout that suited her perfectly. It provided a great workout, a variety of locations, fresh air and a great group of people to do it with. She has always enjoyed being outdoors; she was a member of the Camp Fortune Cross-Country Ski Patrol, and loves camping, kayaking, and snowshoeing.
Currently Sara runs her own Interior Decorating company, and is the President of the North Gower Recreation Association, whose mandate is to promote healthy lifestyles.
She has been involved with Girl Guides of Canada for 20 years. As a Guide Leader, she promotes healthy lifestyles and activity. She provides experiences that embody that by taking the girls hiking to Zion, Bryce and the Grand Canyon; climbing mountains in British Columbia; canoeing down the Ottawa River; and hiking in PEI.
Certifications include:
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Urban Poling Instructor Certification Level 1 & 2
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First Aid, CPR/AED
Tracy Brooks
Tracy has been involved in fitness activities for many years. She graduated with a degree in Physical Education from Western University then completed her Bachelor of Education with a specialty in PE.This interest, and following experience, has made her a qualified fitness instructor.
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​In 2017, she trained for and completed the Ottawa 1/2 marathon.When she retired from teaching in 2018, she discovered
Nordic WalkFit and was hooked from the start. In 2019, she completed the Urban Pole Instructor Certification course and joined Nordic WalkFit's leadership team. Tracy enjoys sharing her enthusiasm for Nordic walking (and snowshoeing) as daily exercise and the importance of staying physically active as we age.
Certifications include:
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Urban Poling Instructor Certification Level 1 & 2
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First Aid, CPR/AED certified
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Bachelor of Education, specialty in Physical Education
Debbie Watson
Several years ago, Debbie connected with a friend who was doing Nordic WalkFit snowshoeing and decided to give it a try. She had found her winter sport! After that, she was on-board for all seasons. Debbie completed her training and joined Nordic WalkFit’s Leadership team in 2019.​
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She has always been active; a keen dancer since childhood, studying ballet, modern, jazz, tap, flamenco, belly dancing, ballroom, and step dance; she still takes classes on a weekly basis. She developed an interest in Pilates and became a certified mat and apparatus instructor and worked for about 7 years in a local studio.
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A retired IT professional, she has always promoted exercise as a way to overcome the stress of a desk job, especially when mixed with fresh air! She loves meeting people through the Nordic WalkFit groups and spending time with them outside.
Certifications include:
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Urban Poling Instructor, Level 1 & 2
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First Aid, CPR/AED
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Bachelor of Science, Math and Computer Science
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Pilates Mat Instructor
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Pilates Apparatus Instructor
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Biomechanics, Anatomy, Sports Injury
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Peer Leader and Mentor to new Leaders in the Women@Heart program (a peer support group for women with heart disease at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute)