The daters
Stacy Irvine is a co-founder of , a top-rated Canadian fitness and sports medicine company, with five locations in Toronto.She currently works as the strength and conditioning coach for the University of pc28high-performance track team and recently published her first book, “Your Better Instincts.” She is a health and fitness expert for “Cityline” and “Breakfast Television” and regular guest on “The Tonic.” Stacy also co-hosts the Totum Wellness Podcast with her husband and Totum Life Science co-founder, Tim Irvine. He is a guest expert on Global’s “The Morning Show,” where he provides tips on fitness and wellness.
The dates
Tim: “Stacy was my track coach for off-season speed work. That was the start of what has turned out to be an incredible partnership. She was smart and funny and had a personality that I was immediately drawn to.”
Stacy: “Tim was the very handsome quarterback of the university football team. Who wouldn’t be interested?”
Tim: “We both ended up on a university ski trip together to Montana, where we had mutual friends that were hanging out during the day skiing, and dancing at night. Stacy was a much better skier than I was and had just placed and won a bet with a male friend of hers that she couldn’t jump off a cliff. It was a scary proposition to see her balancing on this cliff and then flying down approximately 20 feet into a cloud of snow. She nailed the landing and I was impressed! Following this event, with a group of our friends as witnesses, I promptly lost my balance and fell into a tree well. Stacy was laughing so hard she had to lie down in the snow and wait for me as I did my best to climb out of this embarrassing situation. She helped me gather my skis and poles and we made our way back down the hill together. I realized then that possibly the best way to Stacy’s heart was by making her laugh.
Our first date was at Alexander’s Restaurant in Saskatoon. It was medium-fancy and close to where Stacy lived, so it seemed like the right spot. Stacy made me feel amazing. She was funny, smart, and I was infatuated with her. Butterflies all the time.”
Stacy: “I was super-motivated about my training and being successful at school during the time I started dating Tim.I had also dated many people prior to Tim but I think that when I was with these other dates, I was always wondering what I was missing out on by not being with my friends. Being with Tim was completely different. I had so much fun with him, and often we laughed so hard together that I would be doubled over in tears. Tim could turn any place or situation into something hilarious.
Our early dating life was super-fun and exciting. Tim was great at leaving notes for me on my desk in graduate school, so that there were always reminders of how much he was thinking about me. Even though we had very busy schedules we would book time together. I remember freezing-cold winter mornings we would plan a date together at Robin’s Doughnuts to meet for a hot chocolate before classes. I think the fact that we were both willing to get up very early to see each other before our classes was a good sign that we really liked each other!
Soon I was living in Winnipeg, training with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and we were trying hard to make dating long-distance work. That was not an easy time for us. We talked on the phone a few times a week and saw each other sometimes on weekends. Tim had booked off work in Saskatchewan to come and visit me for a few days and we were planning to go camping at Grand Beach, a beautiful area with natural expansive views across Lake Winnipeg. Tim had planned to propose to me on the beach, but we had an emotional reunion in Winnipeg and he decided that he could not wait. He proposed to me in the front seat of his car!”
Tim: “Going into business together was not necessarily planned; it just evolved that way. We were both personal-training together and the person running the small company we worked for asked if we both wanted to become owners. Not knowing what that meant, we said sure. Luckily for us, we match each other well with our approach to business, as well as having different but complementary skill sets. It has allowed us to grow the business more effectively and keep our relationship safe.
I’m guessing every long-term relationship has its tough spots. For us, it has always been about communication and a willingness to evolve as people. We have been lucky that we have a high level of respect for each other and, once the tension of the moment is gone, we have a desire to figure out how to resolve what has caused our issue.”
Stacy: “There is no question that making time for each other is critical. When our kids were young, we always had a date night weekly for the two of us. We try the same thing with older kids, but their schedules tend to pull one of us with them, so when we can, we turn a trip to the soccer field or hockey rink into an opportunity to have a mini-date.
Tim and I also love exploring, and we often look for the hidden gems of a city. Our first home together was in the Brewery Lofts in the east part of Toronto. We spent many days and nights walking along Queen East and enjoying live music at The Opera House and oysters and martinis at The Ceili Cottage. It was a great place to catch a game while sitting at the bar. Ossington is a part of pc28that we also love. We have had many dates that started out with pho from Pho Thien Thanh and went on from there with the incredible shops on that strip, checking out Style Garage and Rotate This to listen to music together.
Our favourite dates that involve fitness are usually things that take place in nature, often with our two German Shepards keeping us company. We love hiking through the many beautiful ravines in Toronto. The trails leading into Evergreen Brickworks are our favourite.In the summer we love to hike through these trails and sit outside to watch the sunset on the patio at the Picnic Café.
Now, as a couple who has been ‘dating’ for over 30 years, we have realized that you need to carve out some time to be together doing the things you love … or it will not happen. Life can get incredibly busy, especially when your children’s schedules take over. We have always made our relationship a priority because the stakes were high in that if our relationship failed so would our business. It takes planning — but it is always worth it.”
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