My healthy life: Maxine Munro

Best HealthUpdated: Mar. 19, 2009

Maxine Munro, an occupational therapist turned yoga instructor, dishes about downward dog and doughnuts

Source: Best Health Magazine, Spring 2008; Photo by Dan Callis

“I dragged him to his first yoga class; he dragged me to my first meditation session,” says Maxine Munro with a laugh, explaining the roots of her award-winning Therapeutic Approach Yoga Studio in Halifax. “He” is Mike Munro, her husband and business partner. They work side by side: Both teach yoga, he leads meditation classes and physiotherapy sessions, and she manages the studio. They’re often so busy—with classes, clients and raising their kids, Jordan and Lauren—that they make it a point to book lunches and Friday date nights to get some time alone together. Not that they mind being busy: “We love our work, so it’s okay if it seeps into our lives,” says Maxine.

Her motto

“Moderation. Anything you do to excess—even exercise—will make you unhappy or unwell.”

Early-bird strategies

“My day starts as early as 5 a.m. I do a few pick-me-up yoga stretches: Upside-down poses like downward dog are best, because they increase blood flow to your brain for an energy boost.”

Guilty pleasure

“Rich seafood—I can never say no to smoked salmon or scallops! If it’s on the menu on date night, I order it.”

Fitting-in-fitness smarts

“I make time in lots of ways: We share after-school pick-up with another parent, and pre-plan meals to avoid that end-of-day scramble.”

Next girls’ get-together

“I booked a pedicure with a friend—at a spa with a hot tub so we can go an hour early and relax!

Fave quick-fix supper

“I’ll make rice-noodle spaghetti topped with tomato sauce and puréed vegetables so my kids can’t pick them out. My daughter would eat it for breakfast if I let her.”