If you're a fitness-lover living in Whitehorse, chances are you have already heard of Eliza Armstrong. And for those who haven't, word of mouth is getting around in the community.

People are talking and not just about the first-rate work done by the fitness supervisor of the wellness centre at the Canada Games Centre, but also about the facility itself.

'I think that the wellness centre is really important for Whitehorse because it caters to a lot of different population groups that the private clubs can't accommodate completely,' said Armstrong. 'We have a very large senior population that comes up and also a lot of families, so it's a really good environment.'

The facility is located on the top floor of the Canada Games Centre. It offers a wide variety of weight machines as well as free weights and has more than 30 cardio machines, which include treadmills, bikes, plus rowing machines. There are a number of different membership packages that an individual can purchase. These include day, month and year passes as well as even a 10 punch pass, which allows for 10 visits to the centre. All passes allow for full access in all areas of the Canada Games Centre, not just the wellness centre.

Armstrong has been an employee at the centre since mid-March. She is a certified personal trainer through the American Counsel on Excercise and her role is to assist her clients as well as the general public with learning how to properly use the equipment in a safe manner. Armstrong also sets up and conducts individual as well as group workout programs.

The Canada Games Centre was built for the 2007 Canada Winter Games. There are a wide variety of sports facilities located in the centre, including hockey, basketball, indoor soccer and swimming. The wellness centre is a product of this, but it wasn't until January that funding was provided by the city for equipment and for a limited level of supervision. However, the level of popularity at the facility didn't really begin to take off until the start of September.

Kathy Zrum, the leisure program co-ordinator at the Canada Games Centre, thinks the work done by Armstrong has helped attract more people to the fitness centre.

'Having someone working in the centre has allowed people to find out different ways that they can add elements to their workouts and I think it also allows us to make sure people are using the area effectively and safely.'

She said Armstrong has a lot of good qualities that make her successful at doing this type of work.

'I really valued and appreciated Eliza's enthusiasm,' Zrum said. 'She is very forward thinking on how to make the wellness centre one of the best facilities for a wide range of people. So not just the people who are doing really heavy training and tough workouts, but how can we make it appeal to everybody in the community. I think Eliza being very approachable is a really positive trait and everybody can find that they are conformable talking to her.'

Armstrong grew up in Whitehorse and from an early age was involved with outdoor sports such as soccer. She discovered her calling in this line of work in 2004 after starting a job at Peak Fitness, where she working as a receptionist. While working there Armstrong witnessed the progress made by personal trainers with their clients and from there she started to take the steps needed towards becoming a personal trainer. Armstrong is still increasing her knowledge on fitness by taking courses in continuing education, which will help her teach an even wider variety of classes.

So far she has taught programs such as Kids in Motion as well as the Seniors Stretch and Strength program.

Armstrong is impressed at the increased numbers visiting the centre.

'Since September it is amazing to see the growth (at the Canada Games Centre),' she said. 'I think more people are just realizing that it is a multi use centre and you can do so much for that one price.'