An Inspiring Individual: Marylin Tsakok

Every once in a while, we like to feature someone who inspires us with their dedication to health, fitness and movement. This week our feature is Marylin Tsakok.

All through her childhood, 20’s and 30’s, Marylin had struggled with her weight and self-esteem due to her sedentary lifestyle. In her late thirties, through strict diet and treatments, she lost 25 lbs in 6 months. She reached one of her goals but she also wanted to find something that was affordable, fun and sustainable to maintain her weight.  So she joined a Tae Bo class for the first time.   She was hooked after the first class and loved how it made her feel after every class. She slept better and felt more confident.  In fact, she loved it so much that she dreamed of becoming a certified Tae Bo instructor.

To reach her dream, she first became certified as a personal trainer as well as a group fitness trainer in order to increase her chances of becoming a Tae Bo Instructor.  At the age of 46, ten years after her first Tae Bo class, she went to Los Angeles (from Toronto) to get tested. She passed the test and got certified to fulfill her dream!

Her zest to learn continued. She travelled far to attend fitness workshops for instructors.  At age 54, she became a certified jump rope instructor.

She took early retirement from work at age 55 to focus on her desire to being a top-notch fitness instructor as her second career.

She is now 59 years old and a grandmother!  She teaches group classes 4 to 5 times a week at corporate offices, a local college and a country club.  Her classes include kickboxing, muscle conditioning, bootcamp and spinning. She also volunteers at a local non-profit helping more than 20 women to stay fit.  When not teaching, she practices CrossFit and Animal Flow!

Marylin said, “I am getting stronger and I feel I move better every day.  Not sure when I am going to slow down. But as long as I can move reasonably well, I will keep on moving.  One is never too old or too late to exercise.”