Mike Uncorked:
Jon Foster & The New Motiv Experience
By Mike Butler
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A few years back I made the decision to become a healthier person. I wasn’t completely unhealthy: a little excess weight, poor cardio, no sense of my fitness abilities. I was a person who was very active, just not fit. Anyone can *want* to get healthy, or quit smoking, or watch what they eat etc. but you have to be *mentally* ready to make that commitment before your body can do it. Friends, family, personal trainers, and even strangers can be great motivators, but *you* have to do the work and stick with it in order to see and maintain results.
This time of year with family dinners, cold days spent lounging at home, and get-togethers with lots of food and drink, it’s easy to stray from your eating and fitness regime. Treating yourself is a good thing in appropriate amounts, and if you mentally prepare you’ll be fine. Are you mentally ready to take the next step to becoming healthier? Do you need a little assistance from a personal trainer or a new facility to work out at? Maybe a little MOTIV-ation will help!
What was once the Abs-O-Lute Health Club on Commercial Street in New Minas is now Motiv Fitness, with owner and operator Jon Foster taking the helm along with his Motiv team to offer the Valley a comfortable and flexible workout environment for all. Here’s a little bit about Jon and his new business.
Jon Foster was born in Newfoundland. He spent grade three here in the Valley at Port Williams Elementary and after finishing high school in Newfoundland he moved to Edmonton for a year before deciding to come back to Nova Scotia in 2002 to attend NSCC in Middleton where he later graduated from their graphic and web design program with honors. While in college he met his wife Ashley and never left Nova Scotia again.”After college I worked in the graphic design industry as an employee for a couple of years and then as a freelancer designing logos and building websites etc.,” says Jon. “Graphic and web design became a segue into several business ventures, including LED lighting sales, recycling print cartridges and cell phones, and an apparel brand, to name a few.â€
In 2009, opportunity knocked and Jon answered the door in the form of purchasing the Abhaya MMA facility and that began his business ventures into fitness and athletics. He took a big leap and constructed the Adventure Climbing Gym in 2013 in the back of the Abhaya building, which became his second gym business.
Starting in 2012, Jon spent five years in clinical research both as a part-owner in a couple of research facilities in Nova Scotia, and then strictly in business development as a sub-contractor for a larger company out of Boston. Although research provided many great opportunities and lessons in business it was not an industry he could be happy working for long term. When the Abs-O-Lute Health Club sale came to his attention in spring 2017, Jon jumped at the chance to move full time into the fitness industry and so, he “retired†from research.
“We took over Abs-O-Lute knowing there was a great infrastructure and member base in place from the previous owners and that there were improvements we could make to take it to that next level,” explains Jon, “We have re-branded as Motiv Fitness, are developing a lifestyle brand as well as making several visual changes around the facility. New functional equipment is being added to our “Stealth Room,†which will allow us to cater to athletes at every level as they work towards improved performance. Several back end parts of the business have been put in place as well, including automatic funds withdrawal through the Valley Credit Union, giving us the ability to offer our $23.50 bi-weekly membership option.â€
On future plans, Jon says, “Who really knows what the future holds. I intend to run and grow Motiv Fitness with the big dream of someday building a multipurpose facility combining two or more facilities. Whatever opportunity comes my way I will embrace it and run with it, if it fits into my plans. All of my experiences with martial arts have taught me so much about how to approach problems and situations in all aspects of my life, and I am very grateful I ended up walking through those doors. The path to where we are today is all over the place but each venture has led to the next and invaluable knowledge and skills have been gained from each, failed or successful. There’s so many changes happening at the gym right now and that’s where my focus is: making the best facility for all types of clients.â€
Motiv Fitness is the place to go for friendly service and clean and maintained equipment. You also have access to fitness classes, personal trainers, and more. If you’re making the plan this fall to change how you feel and think about your health, consider making Motiv part of your lifestyle change. To Jon and his MOTIV-ating team: Congratulations on your new business adventure and thank you for giving the Valley a place to make wonderful healthy lifestyle changes!
Check out the new website at motiv.ca
On Facebook: facebook.com/motiv.ca
Instagram: @motivfitnessns
For Abhaya: Check out abhaya.ca.
Facebook: facebook.com/abhayamma/
Instagram: @abhayamma
For Adventure Climbing Gym, peek at the website Adventureclimbinggym.com, Facebook: facebook.com/adventureclimbinggym/
Instagram: @climbacg
