Name: Danielle Daviault
Hometown: Cornwall, Ontario
PSP employee since: July 2019
What inspired you to pursue a career focused on fitness?
Years ago I had my own type of “hitting rock bottom” moment when it came to my health and fitness. I worked at a job that consumed all of my time, so healthy eating and exercise was the furthest thing from my mind. I decided to go back to school and make a life change. Long story short, I had my own life transformation and fell in love with fitness. I wanted to be an individual who could help others on their own journey, since I knew how hard that trek was all on my own.
What do you enjoy about working in the CAF/DND environment?
I love being able to meet new people and have new experiences each and every day. There is always something going on, so the day to day never gets mundane. By teaching a class like our Tactical Athlete program, I get to see some CAF members come back to class each day and see their progression week after week, both physically and mentally. Sometimes people come into the class nervous about trying something new, but then flourish so quickly and discover their own love for fitness and weightlifting.
What are some of the challenges that come with the job?
My biggest challenge would be creating those coaching relationships with CAF members that come to my classes or follow my personal programming, and then having them get posted to another city or sent on deployment. When you know you have created real progress with someone’s fitness level, you hope that it can be carried on with your absence.
What kind of exercise or sports do you enjoy in your free time?
I love weightlifting; mastering the Olympic lifts is my next goal. I have always incorporated them in my normal training, but I hope to become more proficient with my lifts moving forward. My last goal was training for a Strongman competition, and I was able to achieve third place in my division. To sum up my training style – I pick up all the heavy objects I can find.
What are your tips for staying fit while spending more time at home and practicing social distancing?
Just keep moving. Specific training goals might be put on hold for a bit if you don’t have access to a home gym. We might be working with what we have around the house or very small pieces of fitness equipment. Try to keep things lighthearted and fun; variety is the spice of life, right? Play with rep schemes, sets, tempo and different loads (use a backpack full of books, an animal, a jug of water, etc.) Just have fun and move.
Tell us something unique about yourself outside of your job (hobbies, special interests, etc)
I love to decorate. You can normally find me searching Value Village, Facebook Marketplace or antique stores for obscure items to fill my apartment with. My favourite find is a vintage record player/radio cabinet for only 75$!
