Super Nova of The Month: Tanya Vezina
Congratulations to Tanya Vezina, Our Aug 2025 SuperNova!
Tanya’s Comeback Story
After a full knee replacement in late 2024, Tanya made it her mission to do whatever it takes to get her knee back and to return to golf by June 2025.
Recovery didn’t go as planned—routine tests led to another surgery to implant a precautionary pacemaker, which limited her ability to lie on her side and made knee rehab even harder.
Recovery didn’t go as planned - routine tests led to another surgery to implant a precautionary pacemaker, which limited her ability to lie on her side and made knee rehab even harder..
Still, Tanya stuck to her daily physio routine and gradually rebuilt her strength. Nova Coaches collaborated with her physio team to help her return to training in March, focusing first on lower body mechanics and walking—hitting her daily step goal each day even with a cane.
As her strength improved, she began working on her golf swing - starting with upper body movements and slowly reintegrating her lower half. In June, she started swinging her club again. By July, she was back playing 18 holes.
Tanya’s story is a reminder of what steady effort and consistency can do, even in the face of setbacks.
Read on to hear about Tanya’s journey and her approach to health and fitness.
Mindset & Motivation
What is your biggest motivation that fuels your health and fitness journey? You have been a Nova member for 7 years - how has this motivation changed over the years?
“Life is short… I love how life keeps changing and I know that I need the best version of myself at the time to fully enjoy each new life chapter. As a result I am committed to working to be my best, as I am, where I am.
My primary motivation has always been to build a stronger, more resilient body—one that allows me to fully embrace my passion for experiencing the new—whether through travel, golf, meaningful social connections, or volunteer and professional opportunities.
Living with an autoimmune condition and managing a few injuries along the way means I have to stay mindful of my body’s needs. I’ve come to understand that motion truly is lotion—regular movement helps me feel my best. But I also recognize that motivation evolves as life does.
Seven years ago, my focus was on building core and upper body strength to manage back pain and recover from knee debridement. Since then, I’ve dealt with minor shoulder issues and a progressively degenerating knee, which led to some unexpected and fascinating compensation patterns in my body. I’m incredibly grateful for Zack and the team at NOVA, who always found a way to keep me moving, no matter the challenge. One thing has remained constant: my NOVA sessions are my me time—and I’ve made them non-negotiable.”
Recently, you’ve had some physical challenges such as knee replacement… How has this changed your approach to your health and fitness?
“I’ve become a strong advocate of going into surgery as strong and prepared as possible. The experience made me more mindful of how amazing the body truly is, how much we take for granted and how vital exercise and recovery tools like compression icing really are.
Equipped with core strength and exercise discipline, I felt ready for the slow road of knee recovery. Still, I was completely unprepared for how much my leg would “shut down” in order to heal.. … I literally couldn’t lift it at all and had to rely on a leg lifter tool for the first couple of weeks.
I learned to celebrate the “baby wins” – like gaining a couple more degrees of knee flexion – knowing that these daily, often monotonous, physio exercises were absolutely essential for regaining mobility. One of the keys to my early success was consistently using a compression icing machine throughout the day to manage swelling and pain vs increasing pain
medications.
Post-TKR proprioception changes are common, so balance training is now a part of my routine. Relearning how to trust and properly use my operated knee is still ongoing… I am truly invested to undo years of compensatory movement patterns…
A constant hurdle is finding the balance between challenging the body and doing too much…. I continue to use compression icing and need to remind myself that my body is still healing. With time, strength and stamina will continue to grow – I just have to respect the process and stay consistent.”
Training & Progress
What does your current fitness routine look like? For example, do you do weights, cardio, stretching, sports or walking and what frequency?
“I train with Zack and Matt three times a week to build strength, improve stamina, and rewire my brain-body connection. I truly appreciate their innovative approach—combining stretching, weights, mobility work, and FST sessions—to help “wake up” my operated side. I am golfing once again and, with time, look forward to resuming long walks.”
What recent health, strength or fitness accomplishment are you most proud of and WHY?
“I am thrilled to be back on the golf course! As the current Women’s Golf Captain at CVGC I truly value the golf experience – especially the laughs, friendships and amazing time spent in nature.”
You’ve made great progress on your knee rehab since the replacement - what routines or habits did you implement to make this happen?
“My surgeon explained that a successful knee replacement is a 50/50 partnership - surgical skills are only part of the game – it is up to me to invest the time to obtain best success. As a result I was fiercely committed to my physio rehab program…. twice-daily exercises , consistent compression icing and in-person sessions three times a week were non-negotiable. Clean eating habits ensure that my body is getting the fuel it needs to heal.”
Lifestyle Changes & Challenges
Aside from the recent physical challenges, what obstacles do you find exist in your life that may sometimes get in the way of your momentum or your ability to reach a personal goal? Are there any strategies you follow to overcome these challenges?
“As my body changes with age, managing weight has become a constant challenge. In an era dominated by screen time, I prioritize in-person connections—yet, given my current limited mobility, these connections often revolve around food.
Since the reality is that my social life is closely tied to eating, as a true foodie, I have learned to find healthier choices when dining out, focus on clean eating at home and most importantly accept the choices I make and manage my expectations accordingly.”
What specific healthy routines, habits or ‘hacks’ do you practice outside of your exercise plan? For example, is there a specific nutrition, sleep, supplement or stress management plan that you feel has really worked for you?
“I enjoy cooking and have always made “all from scratch”… I make sure to have Greek yogourt, roasted chicken, boiled eggs, and avocados on hand for grab n go meal solutions… aside from taking Vitamin D supplements I aim to meet my nutritional needs by focusing on fresh veggies, fruits and lean protein sources…. I do get involved in a variety of work and volunteer projects and I use a time management program to organize my days – it’s a true stress reliever knowing that all will get done!”
Future Focus
How has sticking to your health and fitness plan benefited your life? For example, has being more healthy and fit allowed you to do new things that you could not before or has it positively impacted the lives of others you care about?
“Good nutrition and regular exercise has always been a part of our family life...
An added bonus is that a new understanding of the importance of lean protein sources has sparked a curiosity for exploring new recipes and cuisines… Sharing that my son swam competitively during his growing years and “fast food” was and is never on the menu.”
What does success in health fitness look like for you going forward and what new goals are you focused on next?
“Achieving health fitness success will be to manage my expectations and celebrate the “small wins” as I continue my knee replacement rehab. My new goals – once my body is ready – are to walk 2K comfortably and rebuild the muscle mass I lost – both of which I hope will help reduce the body fat gained during recovery.”
There are so many perspective gems in this interview that we hope will help you on your own health journey. A couple that pop out to us are:
1)Commitment:
Tanya speaks about being 'fierce' about her recovery. When faced with a physical set back - showing up to physio once a week does not work. Note how Tanya did her exercises twice daily and makes her training sessions 'non-negotiable'.
2)Managing Expectations:
We have to be realistic with what can be achieved and also how it falls within our own values.
3)Celebrating Small Wins:
It takes stacking small wins over and over to make a big win just like it takes 100 pennies to make a dollar. If you can not appreciate the small victories you will struggle getting to your main goal.
