Andrea Klas doesn’t let the unknown define her.
Klas competed in figure skating and cycling, and was also a runner and triathlete between her 20s and 40s.
Before Klas turned 50, she started to notice she wasn’t feeling as strong – more tired and brain fog.
When Klas entered menopause, she said specialists told her this is just how it is due to aging. But Klas didn’t accept that.
As she got into body building and learned more about nutrition, she started feeling like herself again.
Now the 56-year-old helps others through their menopause and andropause years with her Andrea Klas Whole Body Fitness program in North Vancouver and Lions Bay.
“I think a lot of people give up on the perimenopause, menopause [stage], just not going to deal with that,” Klas said, adding that hormonal changes can scare some people and cause them to simply try to ignore the topic.
The program is also for busy parents, people who have tried everything and nothing has worked and people who want to age powerfully, Klas website states.
“We can age with power, age with strength and actually we can get stronger,” she said.
Each person in the eight-week program works with a personal training coach, a registered dietitian and mindset coach, where they all help create a personalized plan for the client’s fitness and health goals. They meet at the gym two to three times a week, and get a customized meal plan such as a cookbook to help with nutrition, Klas said.
“Being fit [isn’t] just about going to the gym, you have to match it with the nutrition,” Klas said.
People complete weekly in-body scans to see their progress and have access to an app to connect with other clients and coaches while also getting access to nutritional advice.
Klas launched the business and program in Lions Bay in 2021.
But it was a huge risk, she said, as she was starting from scratch. She saw success quickly after making a Facebook post, with 10 people wanting to take part in the program. Now that number has grown to 90.
Most of her clients were travelling to Lions Bay from North Vancouver, and in 2023 Klas decided to temporarily partner with Elevate Gym on Pemberton Street while she looks for a new permanent space in the area.
The work is paying off, as Klas won the Service Excellence Award (1-10 employees) at the 2024 Business Excellence Awards from the North Vancouver Chamber in November.
“It meant all the world to me because when you build something from scratch, you really feel good about it,” Klas said. “It gave me confidence to keep going, because it’s a lot, you could work 24 hours a day on this business. It was like ‘You know what? You’re making a difference.’”
January one of the highest influx in interest, fitness business owner says
The team sees a huge influx in January for New Year’s resolutions and September around back to school, Klas said.
January can mark a stressful time for some due to people setting big goals and then get anxiety about achieving them, she said.
“I think the biggest tip is building it into a lifestyle. I always tell my clients, ‘what’s your why?’ When you lose the reason why you’re doing it – the deep reason – you tend to go off in another direction,” Klas said.
“Also take it day by day,” she added. “If you make a choice to do the right, good thing and take care of yourself, it becomes not daunting, because [you set up] habits.”
Moving forward, Klas hopes to find a permanent space in North Vancouver and potentially expand to Vancouver.
“We’ve created a great feeling when our clients get in here, none of the gym matters, like no one notices any other trainers, it’s just great,” Klas said. “So we want to move into our own space in North Van so that we can just keep that community and expand that way.”
Abby Luciano is the Indigenous and civic affairs reporter for the North Shore News. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
