YOUR GUIDE TO GETTING FIT By Jeannette Cooperman, George Mahe, Elizabeth Rund, Samantha Stevenson, and Emily Wasserman
Photography by John Smith
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An Excellent
Adventure Running’s monotonous. Add a few more sports, a teammate, gorgeous woods and river, and the chance of getting lost in the wilderness. BY JEANNETTE COOPERMAN
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Does it make you feel like an Amazon afterward?” asked Aubrey Byron. The other woman cocked her head. “Yeah.” Byron, a freelance writer who grew up canoeing on the Black River, smiled. “That’s what I want.” Adventure racing is more than canoeing. More than running in the woods. More than mountain biking. It’s a day of all three (and some races add whitewater rafting, high ropes, or rappelling off a water tower), plus the added challenge of navigating without GPS. Shortly before the race, you’re given a paper “topo map” of the terrain and the checkpoints you’ll have to find, using an oldfashioned compass and your brain. Byron arm-twisted a friend, Olivia Cooper, to join her this past December, and they entered their team, The Monthly Cycle, in the Castlewood 8-Hour Adventure Race, run every year by the Alpine Shop. Race director Emily Korsch offered prep advice: “Because the sport is based on performing well in unpredictable terrain, literally anything can be molded into AR training: Carrying heavy Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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grocery bags to the far end of a parking lot. Carrying your kids in a backpack for a hike.” Granted, they’d also have to practice “the nitty-gritty of AR: climbing hills, running in wet shoes, carrying your bike over obstacles.” Korsch says “either running or biking to work is a great way to sneak extra training time into a weekday.” If you just groaned at the thought, she suggests leaving your car at work one evening, biking home, biking in the next day, driving home. “Plus you have to carry a pack with your work clothes, shower supplies, and computer, so you are naturally training for carrying a pack with mandatory AR gear”—which includes first-aid supplies, a headlamp, whistle, emergency blanket, puffer jacket, and so on. “Most of it’s for your safety,” Byron concedes, “but you get dropped points if you don’t have these things.” You also have to schlep your mountain bike in your canoe, she adds, which is “awkward, and there are balance considerations.” Forget fancy rope knots; she and Cooper used zip ties and carried a pocketknife. Unlike the veterans who ran at top speed straight into dense woods, The Monthly Cycle duo were hiking and laughing—but Byron does wish they’d trained a little harder, especially for steep hills. Her most useful tip? “Having snacks, honestly. I thought maybe there’d be a pause between disciplines. We ended up eating in the canoe, stuffing in granola bars.” She felt good about the biggest challenge, though: orienteering. “We went to Greensfelder ahead of time and just tried to know where we were on the trail. Then we said, ‘Let’s see if we can get to this creek.’” Then they learned that the St. Louis Orienteering Club offers more structured practice sessions and lessons, plus maps to permanent courses at Carondelet Park and Rockwoods Reservation. Now, Byron and Cooper are hooked. “It’s like a triathlon in the woods,” Byron says, “and I just always want to be in the woods. Plus it’s five straight hours of activity—with a lot of teamwork, especially three hours in when you haven’t eaten—and you’re navigating, self-reliant. It just feels good.” Kind of…Amazonian.
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IN IT TOGETHER Push through these high-intensity workouts with friends. BY SAMANTHA STEVENSON
FASTER FITNESS
TRAINING FOR WARRIORS
IRON TRIBE FITNESS
“Can you do it on your own? Sure,” says owner Marshall Ray, “but it’s so much more fun in a group environment. You want to push yourself harder.” At the Brentwood workout facility, participants lift barbells, swing battle ropes, and do burpees during 45-minute classes. Offering up to eight classes a day, Faster Fitness features customizable programs with a coach, bi-weekly body-fat checks, and an app to track nutrition accountability. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously,” notes Ray. “If someone said, ‘Hey, I just want to work out,’ we might say, ‘Right on.’ We’re going to support them and give them all of the coaching they want.” 1432 Strassner.
Train like an MMA fighter using a strength-and-conditioning system founded in martial arts. “Where some programs might just focus on cardio or strength, we do both,” says owner Zach Bruce. Originally used to train elite fighters, the workout’s been adapted for the general population. Workouts alternate between cardio and lifting days. “It’s a results-based system,” says Bruce, noting that each member has an accountability coach. The real accountability, however, comes from working out in a group. “The benefit is being in a group of people on the same mission,” says Bruce. “We’re all here for results.” 284 East.
At Iron Tribe, all workouts have four components: cardio (running, jump rope, biking), strength building (throwing medicine balls, lifting barbells, moving sandbags), bodyweight workouts (gymnastic moves, push-ups, pull-ups), and yoga. There are typically 12 to 16 people in the 45-minute classes. Owner Steven Baum believes that the group setting is key. “You’ve got this support group to help motivate you and keep you coming back,” he says. “It’s the social aspect that keeps them coming. No one wants to be last in a group setting—they don’t want to look like they’re not working hard—so everybody works a little bit harder.” 1336 Strassner.
More Ways to Get Moving
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Working up a sweat is often a matter of finding the workout that most appeals to you: Pilates or yoga, barre or boxing, cycling or dancing, rowing or surfing… Can’t pick just one? Many facilities offer a menu of options. Rather work out while staying in? There are even services that bring personal training and equipment to your home, customizing the workout to your fitness level. Sample the myriad options at SLM’s Be Well STL Bootcamp. Sponsored by Missouri Baptist Medical Center, the wellness event is slated for June 29 at Westminster Christian Academy. stlmag.com/bewellstl. Photography courtesy of Faster Fitness
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Press
Run
KMOV reporter Alexis Zotos shares her must-have snacks, gym routine, and what’s she itching to try next. BY SAMANTHA STEVENSON
FAVORITE WORKOUT “I love rowing. I think it’s a good allbody workout, and it’s low-impact. If you do it properly, you’re using a ton of your core and legs. You can get a good full-body and leg workout with the rower.” WORKOUT REGIMEN “I used to use ClassPass, which I loved. It gave me the opportunity to try a ton of classes around St. Louis, but now I mostly just go to Fitness Formula in the Central West End. It’s a full-body circuit workout, so it really kicks my butt. Ideally, I go four or five times a week, but three is my every-week goal. I try to toss in some spinning classes here and there, and when I can sneak in a yoga class, I like to.” FITNESS BUCKET LIST “I want to try aerial yoga. I also want to get into Pilates, because I do a lot of cardio and weightlifting, but I don’t do as much of that core strengthening. I think it would be a good challenge.” GO-TO HEALTHY SNACK “I’m a big celery-and-hummus, celery–and–peanut butter kind of person. I bring edamame and pistachios to work a lot. As a reporter, I could be stuck who knows where for who knows how long, and there is nothing worse than a hungry reporter.”
Her job as a broadcast journalist on KMOV’s 10 p.m. newscast means that reporter Alexis Zotos has mornings free for workout classes. With her wedding coming up in August, she’s eager to stay active and aims for at least three gym sessions a week, even while recovering from a recent knee injury. Over time, she’s realized that working out is beneficial for more than just her physical fitness: “I feel less like I am doing this just to be fit and more that this is a part of my routine. It’s that hour of the day that I can just put my cell phone down and really devote time to me.” Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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SECRET TO FITNESS SUCCESS “Find a friend or a co-worker to work out with. I feel like that accountability and having someone else is key. It makes it enjoyable, because there’s a little bit of that social aspect, but there’s also having that partner to make sure you guys both get there in the morning.”
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Leave It All
on the Mat Stretch and relax with these local yoga studios, groups, and more. BY ELIZABETH RUND Yoga Buzz Strike your poses in some of St. Louis’ most scenic spots. Yoga Buzz holds classes all over the region, including such storied venues as the Anheuser-Busch brewery, the Arch, and City Museum. Classes are often paired with other activities: beer tastings, cooking classes, or even playing with cats. yogabuzz.org. Yoga Hikes STL April through November, unwind and reconnect with nature during an hour-long yoga class in the great outdoors. Yoga Hikes STL is intended to get participants “out in nature and outside a room with four walls,” says founder Sheila Dugopolski. “You’re out seeing the birds and wildlife and getting fresh air.” 12251 Natural Bridge, 314-732-2211, yogahikesstl.net. Pure Hot Yoga St. Louis was home to hot yoga before it became a nationwide craze. Open since 2003, Pure Hot Yoga offers 60- and 90-minute classes in a room kept hotter than 100 degrees. Why so hot? Hot yoga has a range of health benefits. 6630 Clayton , 314-644-2226, yogastlouis.com. Yoga Trapeze St. Louis Unlock your inner acrobat with trapeze yoga. Stretching while suspended in midair might seem daunting, but
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it’s a fun way to relieve back pressure and create more body movement. “The trapeze allows for inversion,” explains owner/instructor Arielle Abramzik Travelstead, “and you have more room to stretch.” 3965 Park, 314-2011211, yogatrapezestl.com. Yoga in DeMun Yoga asana practice and Zen meditation are taught in a studio in the DeMun neighborhood. Founder/instructor Christy Lin not only teaches students how to practice yoga but also guides them on a journey of body and spirit. Classes encourage both stretching and “strengthening the muscle of attention,” says Lin. “We are here for a pause in everyday life.” 6348 S. Rosebury, 314-365-4469, yogaindemun.com. Green Finned Hippy Farms Located near Pocahontas, Illinois, this farm offers the best yoga partners: goats. The four-legged yogis are “specialty trained therapy goats that have a love for spending time with people,” explains farm owner Alicia Davis. Classes are designed to put participants in the goats’ environment. Goat yoga is available spring through fall, but spring is the best time to see baby goats. 256 Hickory, Pocahontas, 618-669-2897, greenfinnedhippy.com.
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Fresh
Fitness From rowing to climbing, new workout options abound. BY SAMANTHA STEVENSON
CycleBar
PLNK STL
Climb So iLL
Row House
Party meets pedaling at the indoor cycling gym’s three area locations. The workouts come with a high-energy soundtrack of everything from Justin Bieber to Skrillex. At the same time, the workouts are low-impact. “We get a lot of people who are runners who can’t run anymore,” says Nafisa Bangura, manager of the franchise’s newest area location, in Richmond Heights. During the 45-minute classes, you get a solid cardio workout without wear and tear on your joints. “And because you cycle to the beat,” says Bangura, “you get a good high-intensity workout as well.” cyclebar.com.
Using the celebrity-beloved Lagree Method, PLNK instructors teach high-intensity, lowimpact workouts on Megaformer machines in small classes or one-on-one sessions. “It’s all about alignment, but in different postures, but on a machine that adds intensity,” says owner Brooke Meek. “We incorporate flexibility and balance in every workout to work multiple muscles under constant tension. It’s really unlike anything else.” Adding to its original location (1560 S. Lindbergh), the hands-on fitness studio opened a second location in the Central West End (4643 Lindell) last September, and a Chesterfield location’s on the horizon. plnkstl.com.
Want to take your workout to new heights? Scale the 55-foot-tall wall at this rockclimbing gym to build your endurance, core, and grip strength. “You’re utilizing pretty much every muscle group but in a more fun, sort of programmed way,” says co-owner David Chancellor. Filled with brightly colored walls, climbing trails, classes, and more, Climb So iLL’s first location is in a former power plant near Lafayette Square (1419 Carroll). This summer, it’s expanding to St. Charles, opening in the Steel Shop building (650 N. Main Center), near the riverfront. climbsoill .com; stcharles.climbsoill.com.
The national rowing franchise is opening six locations across the region; the first is coming to South County later this summer. Gym-goers are put on low-impact rowing machines, with water in the background, mirrors in the front, and dimming lights as a coach leads. “You feel kind of like you’re in a rowboat,” says co-franchisee Pam Wilke, who’ll operate three locations. “Everybody’s stroking at the same time, and you’re getting out of it what you’re putting into it. Anyone—across fitness levels—can really get a great workout and feel like they’re part of a team.” therowhouse.com.
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts, courtesy of PLNK STL, Climb So iLL, Row House
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BLAZING SKILLETS
Caryn Dugan shares advice on healthy cooking. BY GEORGE MAHE
Just over a decade ago, Caryn Dugan began the transition from “Lean Cuisine queen” and lover of Spam to plant-based diet advocate, preaching her gospel of “a plant on every plate” in cooking classes and seminars and on local TV morning shows. She partnered with Forks Over Knives to create the first Forks Over Knives community and support program, and her website (stlveggirl.com) includes info on Culinary Rx, her online cooking and nutrition program. Here, Dugan offers her favorite summer recipe and some helpful cooking tips.
Cooking Tips 1. A “dry sauté” not only reduces the fat, calories, and cholesterol in a dish but also condenses the flavors. Fats and oils coat the ingredients and your taste buds, creating a flavor absorption barrier.
Plant-Based Paella Serves 4 1/2 ellow onion, chopped 1/2ed bell pepper, chopped 1 poblano pepper, chopped 1/2 bunch of asp agus (rough ends cut off and remaining stalks chopped in half-inch pieces) 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup vegetable broth 1 cup fresh Chinese shiitake mushrooms (or other), destemmed and roughly chopped 3 piquillo peppers, chopped 1/2 cup ooked artichoke hearts, chopped 1/4 cup een olives with pimientos, halved 1 cup San Marzano tomatoes, roughly chopped, including leftover juice from can 1 1/2easpoons smoked paprika 1/4easpoon freshly ground black pepper Pinch of saffron 1 pound riced cauliflower 1/2 cup een peas Italian parsley to garnish (optional)
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Add the onion, bell pepper, poblano pepper, and asparagus to a preheated, oven-safe 15-inch skillet. Dry-sauté, beginning with high heat for 4 minutes. Bring heat down to medium-high and stir often. When the onion becomes translucent, add the garlic and continue to stir. If the vegetables begin to stick, add a tablespoon or so of broth to deglaze. After about 1 minute, add the mushrooms, piquillos, artichokes, olives, tomatoes and juice, paprika, ground black pepper, and saffron. Stir well. Add the riced cauliflower and mix well again. Add 1/4 cup of the broth, stir, and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, checking every 5 minutes or so to add more broth if it evaporates (but only if it looks dry). In the last 5 minutes, add the peas, lightly stir, and place back in oven. Garnish with parsley and serve from hot skillet.
2. Using what’s called the “hack and hold” method, mince the garlic first and allow it to sit out for at least 15 minutes. This allows the potent cancer-fighter allicin to form. 3. Using cancer-fighting cruciferous vegetables— for example, cauliflower rice—instead of rice also reduces calories by a significant amount. Eat them every day. 4. Frozen vegetables are great for your health and pocketbook. Their nutrient density remains intact because they’re frozen at peak freshness—and stocking up is inexpensive.
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Trim
Treats Healthy summer snacks BY EMILY WASSERMAN
Confluence Kombucha’s Coconut Yogurt The tangy treat is also used as an ingredient in PuraVegan’s (307 Belt) açaí bowl. 4507 Manchester. Foundation Grounds’ Kisses The bite-size treats are vegan and made with coconut, so you won’t feel guilty eating more than one. 7298 Manchester. Fred and Ricky’s Creamy Chocolate Pudding The pudding doesn’t include dairy—and it’s gluten- and nut-free. fredricky.com. Hank’s Cheesecakes’ Sugar-Free Cheesecake Sweetened with all-natural SweetR sweetener, the low-carb dessert options include blueberry, chocolate, lemon, and raspberry. 1063 S. Big Bend. Revel Kitchen’s Chia Seed Pudding Bowl The gluten-free side is available in small or large portions. eatrevel kitchen.com. Seedz Café’s Sweetz The vegan café in DeMun offers (natch) plant-based desserts: Cheezecake, brownies, and oatmeal doughnuts. 6344 S. Rosebury. SweetArt’s Vegan Cupcakes Among the rotating menu of vegan and gluten-free goodies: cherry amaretto and chocolate snowball. 2203 S. 39th. SymBowl’s Green & Sticky Enjoy the smoothie—a mix of kale, cucumber, celery, spinach, apple, and agave—on Wednesdays for $5. 11215 Manchester. Whisk’s Vegan Thumbprint Cookies Pair the Cherokee Street bakery’s pint-size cookies with a cup of Big Heart Tea. 2201 Cherokee. Winslow’s Home’s Vegan Cookies The vegan breakfast cookies are made with oats and dried fruit. 7213 Delmar.
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Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
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