Grace Bukowsky
Name: Grace Bukowsky
Specialty: Sports & Fitness Nutrition
Certifications: ISSA Certified Sports Nutritionist & ISSA Certified Personal Trainer
Home Gym, city and province: Gold’s Gym, Langley, BC
Training style: One-on-one / Small Group / Large Group
Why did you become a personal trainer?
In my younger years, I was very active physically, but as I began my career, sports and exercise stopped. By age 35, felt the need to make a change towards a healthier lifestyle. After losing over 30 pounds and beginning to compete in bikini, I wanted to be able to help others achieve their health and fitness goals. Becoming educated about the sport to be able to further my own physique, I wanted to share this information with others that may be in the same place I was when I started. I also want to be able to dispel many of the myths and half-truths when it comes to fitness and nutrition that are so common today.
What do you think is the reason your clients gravitated to you?
I strive to promote an environment for myself and my clients that is filled with positive energy. When it comes to training programs and nutritional guidance, I follow a science-based, individualized approach with each client, so they have the most effective tools to achieve their own personal goals. I believe in sharing information and encourage my clients to ask lots of questions, so they can learn as much as possible along their journey. At the end of the day, my clients are the boss, which means I prepare the recipe and they do the work. Our business model focuses purely on my clients’ success, and it has little to do with “me” as the focal point.
Greatest client success story.
This is such a difficult question for me to answer, as I really feel I have had so many incredible success stories within our team of athletes. When I take the time to think about this, it really makes me swell with pride to think of my clients’ successes. One of these many success stories that truly stands out would have to be Catherine. She came to us after competing in her first bodybuilding competition as a figure competitor, where she did lose a lot of weight, but a large part of that was muscle tone, due to poor nutrition and excessive output. Her journey with me combined a very substantial weight loss as well as stepping onstage again with a completely different physique, along with a whole new mind-set and personal level of confidence, by placing second in a brand new category for her, in women’s physique. Through Catherine’s journey with The Fit Life 24/7, she gained a higher understanding of nutrition, the importance of proper supplementation. and progressive training techniques.
Why do you think you can rep EFX Sports like a boss? What do you love about the brand?
I believe strongly in only standing behind a brand that I can trust that the products really are as good as they claim to be. Much like the way EFX got its start by looking for a better way to do things, that has been one of my main objectives when it comes to providing the best programming, nutritional guidance, and general information to my clients. I have built a strong level of trust within my team and followers, so that if I believe in a product and make recommendations for these products, my team and followers believe in my advice. Something I love about EFX is their Dock to Dock testing. It is so important for me to know that a product I am recommending to my clients, really is what it claims to be. Science-based products allow the company to grow and achieve success, in the same way it allows its consumers to see success in their journey.
Why should YOU be Canada’s Top trainer?
I should be Canada’s Top Trainer because I'm committed to the success of my clients. I do not believe in the practice of many trainers in the industry who invest all of their efforts into those clients who are bodybuilding/physique bikini etc. competitors who are most likely trying to win a show. My client base is so diverse, from bikini and bodybuilding competitors, to marathon and triathlon athletes, to lifestyle clients looking to get back to healthier living and even clients with special cases, such as autoimmune diseases and hormonal imbalances. No one person is more important than another to me. Each one of my clients’ successes is truly how I measure my own success. I feel such joy and pride every time my clients reach a new milestone along their journey.
What is your favorite EFX product and why?
EFX Kre-Alkalyn would be my favourite product, because it really did change the way I incorporate creatine into my plans. Gone are the days of massive loading of creatine to get the results you desire, along with the agonizing stomach distress that comes along with this loading phase. I also really like Karbolyn Hydrate, as my bodybuilding athletes are able to see incredible benefits of this rapid glycogen replenishment immediately post workout, without the distress on the system that can be found with other products in this category. I also find this product to be especially useful for our endurance athletes that need to consume carbohydrates and electrolytes during their races.