Our lecturers

Celena Scheede-Bergdahl has been working in the field of health and fitness for over 20 years and is currently a faculty lecturer in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at McGill University. Her research interests lie in the areas of insulin resistance, inflammation, and how to use exercise as a way to prepare cancer patients for surgery. Dr. Scheede-Bergdahl also holds a position in the Department of Anesthesia at McGill University, and works with the Perioperative Program (POP) at the Montreal General Hospital.

Cheryl Gillen has been an instructor with the YMCA for over 34 years teaching at various centres including Cartierville, Westmount, NDG, St-Laurent, and the West Island. She has taught a wide range of classes over the years including hi/low aerobics, step, toning, HIIT, circuit training, aerobox, stretch and strength, certified Pound instructor, aquafit, and fitness for seniors, just to name a few. Come join her for this energizing fun-filled event.

Evan Beloff is a personal trainer, wellness coach, and certified naturopath with a focus on dietary epidemiology. Outside his private practice and teaching, he has worked for the Westmount YMCA for close to a decade.

Louka Kurcer, also known as “The Kettlebell Guy,” has been teaching kettlebell training for over 10 years all across Canada. He is part of an international school of strength called StrongFirst, developed by Pavel Tsatsouline. He teaches specialty courses such as Bodyweight Training, Flexibility and Mobility, Functional Movement and Breathing.

Louka is also the founder of the Kettlebell Club in Montréal, where the focus is strength training for people over 40. Besides strength teaching and training, Louka enjoys spending time with his wife and two-year-old little boy.

Martin Lussier worked for the YMCA for over 25 years. He has been teaching at the University of Montréal’s School of Kinesiology and Physical Activity Sciences since 2001. His kinesiology specializations include: training for athletes and non-athletes, fitness assessments, exercise physiology and the effects of exercise on health.

He is self-employed and works as a trainer for a diverse clientele. Additionally, he is a lecturer and co-author of the series Mythes et réalités sur l’entraînement physique, la musculation, la course à pied et le vélo published by the Éditions de l’Homme.

An award-winning presenter, Nathalie Lacombe is the coach and cupid of the fitness industry. She blends decades of international experience with degrees in psychology and exercise science. The vice president of the Fitness Industry Council of Canada and a canfitpro advisory panel member, she uses her joie de vivre to coach profound and lasting changes with her clients and audiences.

Sarah Zahab is a registered kinesiologist, clinical exercise physiologist, and group fitness instructor with over 23 years of fitness industry experience. She is the owner of Continuum Fitness and Movement Performance in Ottawa, a personal coaching studio offering one-on-one coaching instruction, athletic therapy, physiotherapy, and registered massage therapy services (www.continuumfitness.ca).

Sarah specializes in bridging the gap between rehab and a return to sports activities, focusing on correcting muscle imbalances and perfecting alignment, movement patterns, and optimizing kinesthetic awareness. Sarah was recently awarded the canfitpro Canadian Presenter of the Year award for 2023. She is the creator of the Prenatal and Postnatal Strength workout DVDs. Sarah is a former international fitness competitor, a nationally ranked race walker, and a regular fitness expert on CTV’s Morning Live Ottawa.

Silvano Arnoldo has a bachelor of science in biology, and throughout his professional career, acquired extensive knowledge in nutrition and the human microbiome.  
He has over 30 years of experience working in the probiotics supplement industry. He initially worked for two global manufacturers/suppliers of probiotic strains and, for the last 20 years, as a probiotics industry consultant.

As a consultant, he gathered and reviewed scientific and technical documentation on commercially available probiotic strains, made recommendations for new product developments for human applications, and delivered product knowledge seminars to various professionals within the industry.

Currently the assistant director of operations at the Saint-Roch YMCA, Simon Louis-Seize completed a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at Laval University in 2008. He co-founded the weightlifting club Les Athlétiques in 2009 where he was the head coach until 2022. From 2008 to 2017, he was a fitness trainer for Excellence Sportive Québec-Lévis (ESQL) and the Institut National du Sport (INS). He also worked as an athletic trainer for Laval University’s Rouge et Or football team and coached several Québec teams in football and weightlifting. From 2017 to 2021, he trained Canadian Armed Forces members at Valcartier (Personnel Support Programs).

Sonia, a graduate of Concordia University, has been certified since 2012. She has completed
FMS functional assessment training and works with an active population to ensure safe physical
activity. Passionate about sports and athletic therapy, Sonia has worked with college and high
school teams, as well as with football players from the provincial and national leagues. She has
dealt with injuries of all types. Currently, she works with the athletes of Dawson College.

While this is her first time facilitating a workshop, Valérie Gautherot has been teaching at the YMCA for 23 years. Having taught a wide variety of courses, she felt like the time had come to share her knowledge with others.

She participated in her first aero-kickboxing training in 1991 with Sophie Dupontgand and then followed up in 2001. She began by teaching the aero-box group course and then started integrating kicks and punches in her aquafit courses. Participants loved it and it became her specialty.