How does one end up moving from the bustling, urban city of Toronto, Canada to the mountainous, tropical city of Turrialba?

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Here’s how!

  • Fall in love with the friendly people, landscape and pace of life.
  • Fall in love with a Costa Rican and get married!

April Binnie, from Toronto, Canada did just that and now, five years later, continues to be happily married living in Turrialba with her Costa Rican husband Felix (Tony) Sanchez and they are now expecting their first baby – a girl!

Where they met, is another story!

April had originally come to Costa Rica to volunteer at the Voz Que Clama Mission and the CISA Spanish School outside Turrialba in a town called Tuis.

Shortly after April had first arrived in Tuis, the Costa Rican Directors of the Mission and Spanish school had told April that they worked out at a gym in Turrialba at the Graduate school, CATIE – Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza. (Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center) and had told her that they wanted her to meet the Manager/Personal Trainer of the gym, Tony Sanchez.

They said he was the best Personal Trainer they had ever known because he is so passionate about his work and loves helping people reach their fitness goals.

So, April, being new in town, went to the gym to not only meet Tony, but also was simply hoping to find a place where she could feel comfortable to work out and get to know more about what there was to do in the Turrialba area.

Well, the story continues with April not only being happy with what the gym, facilities had to offer, she was also impressed with the Personal Trainer!

Tony, however, made the first move and invited April to spend the day with him in San Jose, as their first date. One date, led to another, and as their friendship built, cultural barriers kept disappearing and love blossomed to their eventual wedding date a year later, held at the Hacienda Tayutic Estate in Turrialba.

Since then, they have centered their energy on expanding their love for fitness!

Besides running three gyms in Turrialba (CATIE Gym, Olimpia & Ergon) and being associates of a gym in San Pedro (Kinesio Gym) at the Outlet Mall, they have created programs for locals and foreigners via the Costa Rica Christian Fitness Adventure.

The CCFA programs can include Personal Training, Meal Plans, Tours, Accommodations (homestay, rental, or hotel), Volunteer/Mission work, and Spanish classes.

The programs are designed to help those wanting to lose weight through meal plans, exercise, and Personal Training and even helps those who have specific goals such as gaining muscle mass, or for athletes training for a specific sport, etc. Over 200 clients, locals and foreigners can testify to seeing results!

Tony’s credentials include him being a three time National Body Building Champion and is a Certified Personal Trainer (UCR). His recent accomplishments include training a team of 9 men & women for the Fitness Model competition run by the Central American Fitness magazine Revista ES in September 2010. 3 of the 9 competitors (all first time competitors) left with second place finishes.

For more information on the Fitness Programs available in Turrialba, please visit the the Costa Rica Christian Fitness Adventure website here.

Note: For those who are visiting or are living closer to the San Jose area and find it difficult to come to Turrialba, Fitness programs and Personal Training are available through the Kinesio Gym in San Pedro.

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Written by VIP Member April Binnie originally from Toronto, Canada now living in Turrialba, Costa Rica.

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