Almost ten years ago, I became sick with asthma, the experience made me stop and think. I knew then, in my heart, that I hadn’t finished the work I had promised myself to do earlier in life. I had contracted Polio when I was nine years old. That’s when I began a rigorous exercise program. As I got better, I realized that exercise and maintaining a healthy lifestyle were the path to a better life. It was then, in my early teens, that I decided to make exercise and good health my life's work. Actually, it was more of a “calling”.
Hanna Forrest was born and brought up in Iceland. As a child she had polio and was bedridden for 3 years. Because of her illness, she spent much of her lifetime striving for better health and a stronger body. After graduating high school, she attended and earned a BA degree from the College of Physical Education and Therapy at Laugavatn in Iceland, and later earned a Masters degree from Aalborg in Denmark.