Austin Fit Magazine April 2022: The DIY Issue

THE DIY ISSUE APR 2022

Made to

Clim

The Sounds of Fitness

A Gym From Scratch

The DIY Van Life

The civilized way to escape civilization.

The 2022 Subaru Outback. ® Ride in comfort when you head off the beaten path. If you want to take it even further, the Onyx Edition XT includes dual-function X-MODE ® and a 260-horsepower turbocharged SUBARU BOXER ® engine. Go where love takes you.

2022 SUBARU

OUTBACK

PREMIUM

The 2022 Subaru Outback is a 2021 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ (excludes Wilderness Models).

Best Resale Value in its class for two years running, according to Kelley Blue Book.1

$

344

2

PER MONTH LEASE/ 36 MONTHS/12,000 MILES PER YEAR

$2,405 Down Payment $595 Security Deposit $344 First Month’s Lease Payment $3,344 Total Due at

Lease Signing

NDD-11

2022 SUBARU

CROSSTREK PREMIUM

NHTSA 5-Star Overall Safety Rating.3 Best Resale Value in its class for two years running, according to Kelley Blue Book.4 97% of Subaru Crosstrek vehicles sold in the last 9 years are still on the road today, more than Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, or Jeep Compass.5

$

289

6

PER MONTH LEASE/ 36 MONTHS/12,000 MILES PER YEAR

$2,005 Down Payment $595 Security Deposit $289 First Month’s Lease Payment $2,889 Total Due at

Lease Signing

NRD-13

AUSTIN SUBARU 7

1 Vehicle’s projected resale value is specific to the 2020-2021 model years. For more information, visit Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. Kelley Blue Book is a registered trademark of Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. 2 MSRP $30,528. This close-ended lease available to well-qualified lessees. Total monthly payments = $12,384. 12k miles per year, additional overage fee of 15¢/mile may apply. Lessee is responsible for all maintenance unless otherwise specified. Additional fees for early termination, payment delinquency, and/or excessive wear and tear may apply. Lessee must provide appropriate auto insurance throughout lease term of 36 months. See Austin Subaru for details. 3 Government 5-Star Safety Ratings are part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA’s) New Car Assessment Program (www.SaferCar.gov) 4 Vehicle’s projected resale value is specific to the 2020-2021 model years. For more information, visit Kelley Blue Book’s KBB.com. Kelley Blue Book is a registered trademark of Kelley Blue Book Co., Inc. 5 Based on Experian Automotive vehicles in operation vs. total new registrations for MY2012-2020 as of December 2020 6 MSRP $27,459. This close-ended lease available to well-qualified lessees. Total monthly payments = $10,404. 12k miles per year, additional overage fee of 15¢/mile may apply. Lessee is responsible for all maintenance unless otherwise specified. Additional fees for early termination, payment delinquency, and/ or excessive wear and tear may apply. Lessee must provide appropriate auto insurance throughout lease term of 36 months. See Austin Subaru for details. 7 Purchase/lease any new (previously untitled) Subaru & receive a complimentary, factory scheduled maintenance plan for 2 years/24,000 miles (whichever comes first). See Subaru Added Security Maintenance Plan for intervals, coverages, & limitations. Customer must take delivery before 12/31/2021 and reside within the promotional area. See Austin Subaru for program details & eligibility.

Introducing

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ENERGY IMMUNITY DIGESTION RECOVERY

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From the Director be, yet it takes a lot of self-discipline and motivation to actually go through with it.

Today, the furthest I trek into DIY projects are mainly watercolor painting and the occasional hemming of pants as I have somewhat limited knowledge on sewing.

I admire and respect those who have that seedling of an idea, push forward through the wall of indifference and inconvenience, and let it grow into something more than what they started with.

This year’s DIY Issue is all about highlighting those people, places and things that remind us if we want to build or create something, we have to actually commit to building and creating said thing. Especially, when we consider the past few years that were subject to the pandemic, having that motivation and courage to create when everything collapsed tells an even more beautiful story than just creating for the sake of creating. Today, creating means something different — it feels like a rebirth and rebuilding of what we once lost.

I hate to be the one who continues to bring up the pandemic after two years since it all began, but we must recognize that the hardships we endured during that time only birthed the opportunity for beauty in the future. Two years later, we are now starting to reap those benefits — those beautiful moments we thought were long gone.

In this issue, you’ll get to see some amazing projects many Austinites have built during and because of the pandemic. You’ll see the innovation of two guys who built a backyard rock climbing wall at the peak of gym closures.

You’ll hear about a local man who started an at-home gym building service when the world shut down. You’ll learn just basic building/crafting/creating techniques for meal plans, lifestyle changes, mindfulness, spring cleaning, dance studios and everything in between.

I hope you’ll leave this issue with both a greater motivation to create and a greater appreciation for those who create. So grab a pen, pencil, paper, drill or simply prepare your mind and heart for what’s to come — let’s make something!

HARDSHIP BIRTHS BEAUTIFUL PROJECTS, AND WE’RE STARTING TO REAP THE BENEFITS.

I

grew up in the age of Pinterest. When Pinterest was released to the public, I was 10 years old.

When I got my first iPhone, I went crazy with downloading all the mobile apps I could. Pinterest was, of course, one of them.

While I didn’t actually end up doing a lot of the DIY projects on Pinterest — mainly due to a lack of motivation — I pinned many ideas to my board for a future date (one that, if we’re being honest, would probably never come). The beauty of DIY is that pretty much everything can be repurposed, and honestly should

Keep Austin Fit,

Landry Allred

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT

APRIL 2022

4

C R E AT I V I T Y

Exposure

ARTIST SIENNA DELCONTE TITL E: Come Together ATX IG: @sienna.olivia.designs WEB : siennaoliviadesigns.com

Want to possibly be featured in AFM?

Email your work to afmteam @austinfitmagazine.com!

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

April 2022

THE GOOD STUFF

32

FOR THE RECORD

36 MADE TO CLIMB APRIL 2022

44 THE DIY VAN LIFE 6

Contents

HIGHLIGHTS

Letter from the Director 4 | Digital Content 8 | Pet of the Month 69 | Ambassador’s Corner 74 | Events 76 | Rides and Races 78

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WHAT’S FOR DINNER?

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A GYM FROM SCRATCH

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SPRUCE UP YOUR SPACE

NUTRITION

Recipe of the Month: Healthy Linguine with Clams 10 The Do’s and Don’ts of Meal Planning 12 A Taste of Austin 16

LIFESTYLE

WELLNESS

Transforming Homes One Plyo Box at a Time 20 The Sounds of Fitness 24

Living With PCOS 52 Building Mindfulness 54 New Life, Old Items 58

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FITNESS

Dance, From the Ground Up 60 Trained to Run 62 Homemade Fitness 66 KMB: Austin Gymnastics Club 70

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

AUSTINFITMAGAZINE.COM We’re more than just a monthly publication. Join us online and on our social networks to see the additional awesomeness we’re up to. austinfitmagazine.com

LATEST HEALTH TRENDS IN AUSTIN

NUTRITION

Changes for the Long Haul

APRIL 2022

WELLNESS

5 Major Acupuncture/Acupressure Points for Headaches

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FITNESS

How to Build Your Own Workout Routine Throughout the Day

CEO | LOU EARLE PUBLISHER | LYNNE EARLE CTO | DREW TERRY

#KEEPAUSTINFIT Follow us on Instagram: @ AU S T I N F I T Tag us or use the hashtag #KeepAustinFit for your post to be featured.

DIRECTOR OF CONTENT | LANDRY ALLRED ART DIRECTOR | BEN CHOMIAK PHOTOGRAPHER | BRIAN FITZSIMMONS MARKETING DIRECTOR | AMANDA BOURESSA CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Kati Epps, Billy Bosco, Katerina Cotroneo, Mia Barnes, Emma Aguirre, Monica Brant INTERNS Alexie Rendon, Aja Webber, Chad Dyer, Dafne Villanueva, Sam Hacker, Therese Vonesh, Braysin Cupp

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This publication and all of its contents are copyrighted.

Austin Fit Magazine is the assumed name of its publisher, Louis M. Earle, who has no interest in the business of Denis Calabrese who operates an exercise program under the assumed name of Austin Fit, which trains individuals to improve their jogging or running skills to participate in marathons. The views, opinions and other representations published in Austin Fit Magazine are not those of Austin Fit or any of its directors, officers, employees or agents.

PLEASE RECYCLE THIS MAGAZINE

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

NUTRITION AUTHOR

Coach Kati Epps at MyBody GX

APRIL 2022

RECIPE OF THE MONTH n Healthy Linguine with Clams Servings: 4 387 Calories, 47.1 Carbohydrates, 4.7 Fat, 24.3 Protein INGREDIENTS: 4 strips bacon (no sugar added) 1 cup red onion, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp red pepper flakes 40 littleneck clams

1 cup dry white wine (I used sauvignon blanc, but pinot grigio would work well) 8 oz linguine no. 7 ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

KATI EPPS

PREPARATION: 1. Heat a large skillet or sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon.

Cook until the fat renders and the bacon is well browned, about five minutes.

2. Remove the bacon and reserve; pour out all but a thin film of the fat.

3. Return the pan to the heat and add the onion, garlic and pepper flakes.

4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about three minutes.

5. Add the clams and wine and continue to cook over medium heat until most of the wine has evaporated and the clams have all opened—this should take about 10 minutes. (If the clams aren’t opening, top the pan with a lid until they do.

Discard any that never open.)

6. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until tender yet still al dente.

7. Drain the pasta, reserving a cup or so of the cooking water, and add the cooked linguine directly to the pan with the clams.

8. Stir in the parsley and cook for 30 seconds, adding a bit of pasta water if the noodles look dry.

9. Divide the clams and pasta among four warm bowls and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

APRIL 2022

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

NUTRITION AUTHOR

Sam Hacker

THE DO’S AND DON’TS OF MEAL PLANNING n Finding the energy for chores is

difficult enough and a lack of food can make it worse. But life is simpler with meal planning.

P APRIL 2022

lanning and preparing meals can sometimes feel like climbing a mountain.

The length of time necessary can seem too long, the amount of food can be overwhelming and the type of meals may feel boring.

But meal prepping can and should be a healthy, enjoyable process. There are multiple ways to go about it, but ultimately, it comes down to what works best for you. According to a 2019 study, everyone approaches diets and lifestyles differently and will therefore process food differently. There is no one-size-fitsall approach. However, there are steps you can take, regardless of your life stage or health level.

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schedule is one of the biggest things to consider. By making a specific time to work on your meal planning, you remove another level of stress.

Depending on how busy life can be, you can break things up to make meal prepping less demanding by doing a little bit every day or by preparing each individual meal on one day of the week.

Krista Large, a certified nutritionist from Living Large Wellness, gives an example of an effective schedule: • Tuesday: Plan • Friday: Inventory • Saturday: Shop • Sunday: Cook Recognizing your plan for the day is also important.

Making a microwavable or oven-heated meal every day is delicious, but if you have errands to run, bringing along a meal that needs heating doesn’t make as much sense as packing a salad or something similar.

When planning the week out and discerning what ingredients to buy, it’s also important to consider the season. The cost of berries, for example, rises in the winter because they are no longer in season. However, celery and bananas are always in season, so their prices shouldn’t fluctuate as much.

What to Do When Meal Planning

First, recognize that life happens.

Though it would be much easier to have every moment scheduled out, that can’t always happen. Kids, jobs, spouses, accidents, traffic, meetings — anything and everything can seem like a stumbling block to having a healthy lifestyle.

Next, you must start prepping. Knowing your

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

n NUTRITION Done right, meal planning can also help you save costs and reduce food waste. Meal planning, inevitably helps reduce food waste and budget costs. By buying just enough ingredients for your specified meal plan, you don’t overspend on things you won’t eat, which in turn, reduces your food waste because less is being thrown away after expiring.

For ladies, keep in mind your monthly cycle as meals may change depending on what stage you are in.

“Since your hunger increases at the end of your cycle, you should prepare more starchy vegetables,” suggests Lahana Vigliano, CEO of Nuvitru Wellness.

more(…) which can help better (our) overall relation to food and body image(…) which can then provide peace of mind,” says Adrien Paczosa, founder of iLiveWell Nutrition.

It’s OK and even encouraged to have variety in your meals! This variety not only provides more vitamins and minerals but can also help you avoid developing food sensitivities.

“Overconsuming the same thing creates food sensitivities, even if it’s healthy food,” Vigliano says.

One idea from Paczosa is to “avoid the fifty shades of tan.” Add some purple cabbage one day, some blueberries the next and take it a step further by trying some purple dragon fruit to your meals.

As you prepare, don’t forget each puzzle piece necessary for a complete meal — carbs, protein and fat.

The balance between these three will be different for every person and meal, but that balance is important.

As the last thing to avoid, don’t forget to check out food blogs full of recipes, bursting with clever ideas and delicious meals. While there will always be some recipes that only work for the original creator, the people who make it their full-time career to blog about recipes generally know what they’re doing. Large recommends Evolving Table, based here in Austin, for some delicious and easy recipes. afm

What Not to Do When Meal Planning

A key thing to avoid is stressing about meal planning.

Meal planning is meant to decrease stress. By planning specific times and meals, you release a weight off your shoulders since there’s not as much pressure choosing what to eat or what ingredients are needed to prepare.

Another thing to avoid is planning the same meal every day. With meal planning, you can increase the enjoyment of food by having more decisions and putting thought into what each meal should be. Then, you’re not just eating three meals consisting only of boxed macaroni and cheese — you stop only seeing ingredients and start seeing meals. By putting more thought into your meals, we can “actually enjoy it

APRIL 2022

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NUTRITION AUTHOR

Alexie Rendon

A TASTE OF AUSTIN n Whatever food craving you have, here are some top cookbooks by Austin authors to add to your kitchen counter.

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magine if you could eat and drink your way around Austin from the comfort of your home with dishes prepared by your own hands. Now, you can! Thanks to these local authors, anyone can enjoy Austin’s unique food experience by way of cookbooks.

The Peached Tortilla: Modern Asian Comfort Food From Tokyo to Texas

KENNY BRAUN

Jack Allen’s Kitchen: Celebrating the Tastes of Texas

Often, the artful balance of foods found on menus everywhere can be traced back to the unique lived experiences and multiple cultures. The Peached Tortilla is no exception.

After leaving a career in law to pursue his passion for food, Eric Silverstein started small with a food truck serving his version of Asian favorites.

The Peached Tortilla has since grown into a highly successful business.

The cookbook and memoir share Sliverstein’s lived experience through food. Recipes pay homage to the time he spent living in Japan, influences from his Chinese mother and recipes that date back to the beginning of his food truck days up to now as chef of multiple restaurants. You won’t go hungry with this one!

For Jack Allen Gilmore, owner of Jack Allen’s Kitchen, few things are greater than good ol’ Texan hospitality and delicious food made with locally sourced ingredients.

Since 2009, Jack Allen’s Kitchen has been serving classic southern favorites with a southeastern twist.

Gilmore prides himself on honoring the hard work of local farmers by cooking with their fresh produce in all of his restaurants.

“Years ago, I remember standing at the farmers market listening to customers ask the farmers how and what they should cook with their produce,” Gilmore says. “This is where the idea for the cookbook got started.”

Organized by season, Gilmore hopes his cookbook will inspire readers to cook with in-season ingredients and fresh produce sourced from local farmers.

APRIL 2022

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EASY TIGER

CONSUMABLE CONTENT

Bread on the Table: Recipes for Making and Enjoying Europe’s Most Beloved Breads

The Austin Cookbook: Recipes and Stories from Deep in the Heart of Texas

Good things come in time. The founders of Easy Tiger Bake Shop & Beer Garden hope you take the time to sit down at the restaurant to stay a while. Come enjoy good company while surrounded by great food.

Come break bread, literally. The award-winning bread served at Easy Tiger are made of love, crafted by hand and composed of premium ingredients. Along with traditional hearth bread, customers can enjoy craft beer, weekend brunch and a variety of menu items such as sandwiches and soups.

David Norman, author of Bread on the Table, spent a great deal of time traveling Europe and North America to study the art of bread-making traditions from cultures far and wide. The book also features recipes to incorporate homemade bread into everyday dishes.

Franklin Barbecue: A Meat-Smoking Manifesto and Franklin Steaks

You never know where a hobby may lead you.

Aaron and Stacy Franklin loved to throw backyard barbecues. Years later, these barbecues were the very thing that caused them to take a leap of faith to open a barbecue truck in Austin.

Since its humble beginnings in 2009, Franklin Barbecue has received many accolades and has been praised nationwide by Jimmy Kimmel, former President Barack Obama and many people in between.

Franklin Barbecue serves everything from meat by the pound, individual sandwiches and homemade pie.

The deliciousness keeps on giving. The Franklins have released everything you need to get your hands dirty at home so you can try to barbecue like a pro. You will find guidance in the cookbooks on barbecue and steak. You can even buy their line of specialty dry rubs, all while wearing Franklin apparel.

Happy cooking! afm

ABRAMS

WYATT MCSPADDEN

Take a tour of Austin with author and food connoisseur, Paula Forbes.

After moving back to Austin from New York, Forbes set out on a journey to eat and drink her way around Austin. Her goal was to get reacquainted with the city and find recipes from restaurants in the area to craft a cookbook that would honor Austin’s authentic food landscape.

The cookbook was a labor of love as Forbes sat down with restaurant owners, chefs and Austin residents to find out what made these recipes so special.

“I have some friends who went to UT and now all live in D.C. They told me they had a potluck consisting of dishes made from the book.” Forbes says.

“It was like bringing a piece of Austin all the way across the country.”

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

NUTRITION AUTHOR

Kati Epps

WHAT’S FOR DINNER? n Join Kati Epps as she walks through how to create your own meal planning system for each month.

MON

SUN

3

er Cauliflow ith sw u Cousco hew s a Mint C to Pes

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APRIL 2022

hai Vegan T n Rame

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hrimp

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25

19

Flautitas

lazed Orange G ngles Tria Tempeh

de Pollo

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en Hatch Gre n ke ic h C Chile a d a il h Enc le Cassero

esar Texas Ca ard Salad Bo

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hicken Greek C Skewers

27 Charred Salad Cabbage

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8

7

Tso’s General and n e k Chic Waffles

ggplant Stuffed E nd ba with Lam ts Pine Nu

Grilled S Tacos

Vegan ’s Pie Shepard

r Lone Sta Market s r’ e Farm

and Chicken e m a Edam s g n li p m Du

Puttanes

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The Well

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1

vocado Chilled A h it Soup w Seared e tl Chipo hrimp Corn & S

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Verde Tomatillo a Sauce Enchilad

S AT

FRI

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/Mango Salmon w esty er Z Salsa ov sh a M li u Ca

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2

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hrimp Chilled S Salad

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callop in Seared S Purée Spinach

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23 Jalapeño alad Orange S

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oasted Kale & R tato Sweet Po pple A h Salad wit ts u & Waln

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hat’s for dinner? Those three dreaded words can wreak havoc on a calm day. The answer depends on available ingredients, pickiness of eaters and available prep time.

Luckily, planning can take the stress off!

Planning a week or a month of food can be a great time-saver, not to mention a financial saver at the grocery store. Coming up with a system that works for you, your family and your budget is better done in advance.

If you think about the foods and flavors that are most popular to those you are feeding, you can start putting together a system for choosing foods. For a monthly system, consider creating themes around the days of the week.

variations of flavors bring everyone to the table for a delicious and healthy meal!

SATURDAY: Salad Saturday! Salads do not have

to be boring with bland ingredients and a splash of dressing. You can incorporate roasted nuts, fancy cheeses, sweet fruits, grilled veggies, bright citrus dressings and proteins that range from grains to surf and turf! Think of the things you love, flavors that remind you of summer or a picnic on the beach, throw them on a bed of mixed greens and bask in the flavors!

SUNDAY: Take to the Streets Sunday! Austin has

some of the most amazing and healthy restaurants.

Stop by a farmers market, food truck park or any farm-to-table options to support local chefs and farmers alike!

MONDAY: Meatless Monday — a great way to

bring more vegetables to the dinner table. Explore authentic spices from around the world and new plant-based groceries. Items like tempeh, legumes, yucca, jicama, kimchi, sprouts and jackfruit are great options that can bring great textures and flavors to your Monday menu.

Now that you have a plan, it’s time to get to work implementing your new culinary adventure. On Sunday, after taking to the Austin streets and being inspired, make a list of dishes you plan to make for the week. Check your recipes for serving sizes, prep time and cooking time. If the recipes fit your skill level and time availability, evaluate your fridge and pantry. Make a list of grocery store items, farmers market items and specialty items that you need. Once everything is purchased, sort your items by dinner and days.

Freeze items you want fresh later in the week. Then, prep any items you can in advance. This may include cutting veggies and chilling them in water, marinating proteins, roasting nuts or creating your own mixed seasonings.

If you are stuck in a rut of continually making the same dishes, this is your new freedom! No more lastminute dinners thrown in a pan that lack flavor or imagination. No more fast food stops because there is nothing in the fridge. You finally have the answer to the time-old question: “What’s for Dinner?” and it’s a great answer!

Bon Appetite! afm

TUESDAY: Let’s taco ‘bout Taco Tuesday! Seriously, who doesn’t love a great taco? Whether you use fish, chicken, beef, beans, stir-fried veggies or other fun fillers, tacos win all the time!

WEDNESDAY: Wind Up Wednesday! Take to

twirling that spaghetti around your fork while you look at your beautiful Shrimp Piccata — or your family across from you! Wednesday can incorporate your Mediterranean fix. You may be going with Greek-inspired kabobs, Spanish Paella or Italian Puttanesca. Whatever the case, you can’t go wrong!

THURSDAY: Anything Goes Thursday! Are you

looking to bring inspired authentic dishes from Africa, Ireland or Thailand? Maybe you are looking for a good old Midwest meat and potatoes kind of night. Let your taste buds be your guide to fun flavors, known and new!

Coach Kati Epps is the founder of MyBody GX with a background in chemistry from Colorado State University, an ACE certified personal trainer, health coach and nutrition specialist.

FRIDAY: Fish Friday! Fish are high in omega-3,

which is great for growing brainpower and muscle, reducing inflammation and adding a lean protein for all-around great health. There are so many fish in the sea — experiment with mussels, sole, ahi tuna, crab legs, salmon or even octopus! The textures and

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

LIFESTYLE AUTHOR

Therese Vonesh

TRANSFORMING HOMES ONE PLYO BOX AT A TIME n A deep dive on Texas Garage Gym Builders — a

company that transforms homes through building custom gyms.

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usinesses crumbled, suffered severe setbacks or were forced to shut down when the pandemic swept across the world. Nothing was left untouched at the hands of the unknown.

But Texas Garage Gym Builders is unique. The pandemic changed the way their business was going — for the better. When the pandemic hit, their phones started ringing and emails flooded in. People couldn’t go to the gym anymore, and that’s where Texas Garage Gym Builders stepped in.

Texas Garage Gym Builders specializes in designing and building professional-grade, at-home gyms. This Austin-based company mainly focuses on the

APRIL 2022

major metro areas of Texas but also services across the state. From almost commercial-size gyms to installations as little as 100 sq. ft., Texas Garage Gym Builders is the “only company out there that offers this level of service,” says Preston Wilson, founder and owner.

Wilson is a happy, friendly guy, which has helped him build his business from the ground up.

Wilson’s quick smile and sense of humor changed the course of his career in great and big ways.

Texas Garage Gym Builders didn’t start big, though.

It started with a need — and a lack of time. Wilson is busy like the rest of us, trying to balance work, family and life. The desire to work out was always in the forefront of Wilson’s mind, but he couldn’t

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find time to run to the gym in town. On top of that, good workout equipment is expensive.

Luckily, Wilson was always good with his hands; woodworking and construction were skills embedded within his past.

“I just went in my garage one day and built myself a plyo box with a piece of wood that I had and some really basic tools,” Wilson says.

“It was not super pretty, but it worked.”

Then, in 2016, Wilson got one of his first “commissions” when some friends saw his work and asked him to build them one. His business soon started to take off.

“I got the idea that maybe on the weekends, I could build some for extra money and sell them on Craigslist,” Wilson recalls.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF TEXAS GARAGE GYM BUILDERS

I JUST WENT IN MY GARAGE ONE DAY AND BUILT MYSELF A PLYO BOX WITH A PIECE OF WOOD THAT I HAD AND SOME REALLY BASIC TOOLS, IT WAS NOT SUPER PRETTY, BUT IT WORKED.” After that, it was all about building relationships and getting the word out. With his day job in rearview, Wilson pursued this idea further. He wanted to start a business designing and building at-home gyms. He says he did it “old school” and drove to local gyms in Austin, handing out flyers to let people know about his newfound business idea. For almost four years, Texas Garage Gym Builders was a one-manstrong business.

2020 was a year that went down

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in history. It was also the year Wilson signed a lease for his first commercial space. His business was growing and could no longer continue out of his backyard.

When the pandemic hit in early 2020, Wilson was signing the papers to have a permanent business space. Naturally, Wilson was nervous, as the timing of his lease was not ideal. Plus, he was a new father.

To deal with the uncertainty of the coming year, Wilson hired Dominique Vela — his first

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

n LIFESTYLE

business partner — to help get the company through the difficulties of the pandemic. However, the pandemic turned out to be a turning point for Texas Garage Gym Builders.

“The pandemic worked the opposite way than I thought,” Wilson says. “It kinda blew up what we were doing.”

Suddenly, everybody wanted an at-home gym. As the number of calls coming in increased, Wilson expanded his crew. Now, Texas Garage Gym Builders is a company run by former trainers, athletes and weightlifters. Wilson never talks about his crew without a smile and he loves giving them credit.

“I founded it and had the idea, but I can’t say enough about everybody that’s here,” Wilson says.

Customers wanting to transform their garage or room in their house

APRIL 2022

into a place of fitness usually reach out via the company’s website.

Wilson sets up a time to visit the customer’s property where he takes measurements, asks questions and works with the customers. “(I) talk to them about what kind of workouts they do (and) what their goals are, so we get them the right equipment,” Wilson explains.

Every build is unique. Some projects take weeks; some only take a few hours. Texas Garage Gym Builders works with several different vendors when purchasing and installing equipment, but a large portion of their commissions are built and customized by Wilson and his team. He says any piece of equipment they can’t find, Texas Garage Gym Builders can make.

Wilson has built for many different people, including American author Ryan Holiday. He remembers messaging Holiday on Instagram after seeing a video of

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the writer working out on one of his custom builds. Wilson recalls this as the first of his at-home installation commissions. He and Holiday then planned and designed a gym for Holiday’s house. By now, Wilson’s business has constructed over 200 gyms in homes across Texas.

It seems that not much matters more to Wilson than doing good, honest work with the crew he has grown so fond of. Wilson constantly expresses joy from having an amazing team at Texas Garage Gym Builders.

“Our job is to go in and transform these spaces so that people can transform themselves,” Wilson says.

From humble beginnings and weekend hobbies and favors, Texas Garage Gym Builders has transformed spaces, one plyo box at a time. afm

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LIFESTYLE AUTHOR

Dafne Villanueva

THE SOUNDS OF FITNESS n Music is essential in fitness. Read about some locals who have curated their ideal playlist for their workout regime.

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n a city as active as Austin, you can never venture too far without seeing someone jogging or walking their dog while wearing earbuds. But what are they listening to? Here, we’ll be following the lives of several Austinites whose workout playlist reflects their gym activities.

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Daria Lane

JON LANE

UT college student Daria Lane will never say no to a hike, especially when it includes her AirPods and a good podcast.

As a fan of influencer Emma Chamberlain, Lane’s go-to listen when stepping out into nature is Chamberlain’s Anything Goes podcast.

“I have three favorite episodes that I listen to when I want to hone in on a conversation,” Lane says. “‘identity,’ ‘quality over quantity’ and ‘a happy and healthy life’ are the ones I usually do when on a long walk or hike.”

Lane explains how listening to the podcast provides her with a sense of empowerment and excites her to take on life.

In addition, the podcast provides advice and helps her see things from a different perspective than usual. For Lane, being surrounded by trees, creeks and dogs on a hiking trail with her favorite podcast is a little slice of bliss.

Kevie Wierzbowski

ILIANA VARA

St. Edward’s college student Kevie Wierzbowski curates his perfect playlist when doing cardio with all songs aligned to EDM. “My favorite DJs like JOYRYDE, Wax Motif and Chris Lake stimulate me,” Wierzbowski says. “Having a variety to choose from lets me not worry about a song not matching my energy.”

Wierzbowski explains that listening to EDM or house music allows him to match his attitude at the gym to the beat of the music. He also mentions that while he loves the gym and EDM, his music taste is completely different when he practices yoga as he gravitates toward softer and more meditative beats. For Wierzbowski, the difference in workouts allows him to change his music and set a different mindset for each exercise.

ALEJANDRO ARREZO

A newcomer to Austin, 19-year-old Catelyn Toney has always been interested in sports. As a tennis player, she enjoys running to maintain the stamina required for the sport. Her playlists are eclectic, ranging from Taylor Swift to Greta Van Fleet. She prefers upbeat music to keep her mind focused and moving. Tennis allows her to create medleys.

“I’m satisfied by any mood or pace of song coming through the speakers and enjoy anything from my typical collection,” Toney says.

Toney is no stranger to tennis, and she chooses her music based on the mood of the match and the day’s training, sometimes choosing between medleys based on how intense they are. When Toney is outside, whether she is running or playing tennis, music always plays and helps her focus for a match or a good run.

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Catelyn Toney

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n LIFESTYLE Christian Flores

JUAN VALDES

Chicago native-turned-Austinite, 23-year-old Christian Flores has made the gym an extension of his home. While working out is therapeutic, Flores notes that he mentally prepares himself for the workout even before arriving at the gym. Typically, his regimen consists of strength and conditioning workouts, so his playlist is all about using his groove to push through the nitty-gritty exercises.

“Music is a catalyst that helps strengthen my connection with myself holistically,” Flores says. “It is through music that I mentally prepare myself for the inner battle.

So I choose songs or motivational speeches that I can genuinely adhere to.”

Flores’ playlist is all about motivation — songs that speak and challenge him to do better when doing his final sets. His songs range from early ‘90s rap to present-day reggaeton, sometimes mixing in a motivational speech when pushing for the last rep on a set.

Tony Hu

Every person loves a challenge, and Tony Hu is an excellent example of making a gym challenge look like an evening stroll. Hu is currently trying out the 75 Hard program, which challenges him to work out twice a day for 45 minutes while also focusing on selfesteem and discipline.

“I listen to rap and hip hop because a lot of the time, the high bass and music sequence are composed in a way that creates a good workout atmosphere,” Hu says. “I relate to lyrics a lot too, and if the verses resonate with me, I like to listen to them when working out.”

While Hu loves a challenge, music makes everything better.

He states that music is part of his everyday life, especially when working out twice a day.

Austinites Music Influence

JUAN VALDES

Many people’s music selections shift drastically. These Austin locals have demonstrated how their workouts are influenced by their music while exercising and how this reflects their personality and motivation to reach a goal.

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LIFESTYLE AUTHOR

Chad Dyer

A GYM FROM SCRATCH n Meet personal trainer Josh Nitzberg who made his Texas Iron PT gym from scratch.

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lue lights shine off of a dumbbell rack, painting its cobalt hues onto the surrounding black walls. Next to the dumbbell rack is other equipment you’d find at a gym — a deadlift platform to its left, a squat rack across the room and a cable machine next to the squat rack.

This is the home of Texas Iron PT, an Austin-based gym and company patiently pieced together by personal trainer Josh Nitzberg.

However, Nitzberg’s collection of gym equipment wasn’t always for his personal training company.

“Initially, I wanted to have a place where I could have friends over and we could work out, have fun and goof off,” Nitzberg states.

When COVID-19 shut the doors to numerous public gyms, people

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looked for alternatives to get their fitness kick. Nitzberg capitalized on this opportunity and founded Texas Iron PT in 2021, offering a personal gym environment for his clients. Nitzberg has been a certified personal trainer since 2018, previously working for larger gyms in the Austin area.

Assembling the Gym

Nitzberg didn’t buy all of his equipment immediately. Rather, it was a slow collection process that started in 2016.

“The first piece of equipment was a barbell and some plates,” Nitzberg says. “It’s the most bang for your buck — you get the most versatility with a barbell. It’s not the best piece of equipment, but you can train your whole body, which is a gym necessity.”

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By 2018, Nitzberg’s collection grew to include a deadlift platform — which he made and even burned a Texas outline on its center to make it his own — along with a dumbbell rack made by a friend and a pullup bar. He crammed his equipment into his garage where he and his friends worked out, sometimes opening the garage door to use the outdoor space.

Nitzberg preaches about the importance of getting multifunctional equipment.

“With home gyms, your biggest limiting factor is space,” Nitzberg says. “Being efficient with your space is important.”

Personalizing Texas Iron PT

Having your own gym or dedicated workout area feels

PHOTOS COURTESY FROM JOSH NITZBERG

synonymous with having your own place for the first time. And like having your own place, the quality of time spent in your gym can be increased if you make it feel familiar. Nitzberg painted his gym walls a sleek black and hung plants and posters to give the room a sense of freshness and motivation.

What truly stands out at Texas Iron, however, is what greets clients when they first walk in.

“Tucker is always here,” Nitzberg says.

Sitting in his dog bed is Tucker — the gym dog, mascot and employee of the month for 14 straight months. He patiently waits for clients to work out so he can cheer them on.

“I give clients the option to not have Tucker there, but they all love him,” Nitzberg says. “They complain if he is not here.”

Building Your Own Gym

Assessing the kind of exercise you plan on doing can determine what type of equipment and quality that’s needed. This can also help maximize space, like getting machines that are multifunctional for your intended exercises.

“Make sure to fit your needs,” Nitzberg advises. “Not everyone needs five to 100 pounds of dumbbells.”

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n LIFESTYLE Finding things to make your space stand out can help you keep coming back. Adding things like plants, posters, mirrors, a Bluetooth speaker or even a couch and TV combo can turn your gym into a personal area of solace.

Today, Texas Iron houses an array of machines, nearly completing Nitzberg’s bucket list of gym equipment. He has a hyperextension bench, which can be turned into a glute-ham raise, a dumbbell rack and a calf raise machine. There is also a cable machine, a power cage with an adjustable weight bench inside and a belt squat machine.

Aside from the major pieces, there is also an assortment of bands, weights and barbells.

Investing Wisely

Despite the excitement that comes from building a home gym, you must still have wisdom in your purchases. A qualm Nitzberg has with home gym equipment is that it typically doesn’t function as smoothly as commercial-grade equipment.

“You need to know which equipment you don’t want to be cheap on,” Nitzberg says. “A squat rack is a squat rack. The things that make squat racks better or worse don’t change a whole lot person-to-person.”

Gym equipment is a lot like bed sheets — you get what you pay for.

Something like a cable system or multipurpose bench demands more of an investment if you value quality. The better the equipment, the more likely you are to return, which is the goal at the end of the day.

So if you’re hoping to make your own gym, remember to make your space truly your own and always ask yourself — what are the demands of your fitness journey, and what equipment can satisfy those demands? afm

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LIFESTYLE AUTHOR

Therese Vonesh

PHOTOGRAPHY

Evan Ruderman

FOR THE RECORD n Austin native Payson McElveen, a

professional Red Bull mountain biker, shares the story behind his new record.

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ayson McElveen dipped the back tire of his modified bike into the northernmost coastal waters of Iceland in September of 2021. McElveen traversed the interior of Iceland to reach the southern coast in 19 hours and 45 minutes. This set the record for the fastest bikepacking time across the entire frozen country.

Austin native McElveen, who now lives in Colorado, raves about the amazing cycling community present in Texas and happily admits he visits often. But his desire to do things off the beaten path urged him to explore the world. Seemingly crazy ideas like crossing Iceland in less than a day have caused McElveen to push the sport of mountain biking in new and different directions.

McElveen, an athlete sponsored by Red Bull, pursues these ideas like none before.

AFM: What gave you the idea to cross Iceland?

McElveen: Rarely do I come up with something totally on my own,

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and that was certainly the case this time. Chris Burkard, (a wellknown American photographer), reached out to me and my fiancee and asked (if ) we wanted to go on this trip in Iceland to bike tour a new route he’d put together in the Westfjords region. Besides the interior of Iceland, it’s the most sparsely populated coastal area.

It’s dynamic and unbelievably beautiful. It feels like you’re on a different planet.

Because of (my) competition schedule, I was hesitant to do this 700-mile, multiple-day ride. It would make me pretty tired for the rest of the races that year. But he kept working on us… he knows if he can appeal to my competitive side, it can be beneficial. So he said, “What about trying to set a record on a different route while you’re there or trying to ride this section faster than anyone?”

To this day, I can’t remember whose idea it was or who had that eureka moment, but we thought, what if we just tried to ride from one coast to the other in under a day? Let’s see if it’s even possible.

AFM: How did you choose your equipment?

McElveen: The spirit of efforts like this (is) to limit the amount of interaction between the athlete and crew, because I’m doing what’s called “self-supported.” I started

with all the food I needed because there are no gas stations, grocery stores, nothing in the interior, so I had to carry 24 hours’ worth of food and some water treatment tablets. The idea was to do the ride as if I was 100% alone.

Osprey (is) one of my sponsors.

They have this cool hydration pack called the Duro 1.5L that is basically a little hydration bladder and it has some storage. I carried that. I also had a few small bags on my bike, which is typical for ultradistance rides.

It seems like every year, bikes get more specific and specialized.

Between mountain and road bikes are now what people are calling gravel bikes. I put together this crazy, almost Frankenstein bike

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that was a hybrid of the hybrid.

It was a gravel bike, but I had a suspension fork on it because it was going to be rough. Then, I put even wider tires on it than is typical (and) “arrow bars.” That was less because of the speed, because the speed was not very high, and more just hiding from the wind. Over the course of 20 hours, that makes a big difference.

AFM: How did you stay fueled for 20 hours?

McElveen: When you’re riding that hard, from a physiological standpoint, you actually can’t eat enough. Your body can’t process calories quickly enough, so you’re always working at a deficit — you’re burning faster than you’re putting

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

n LIFESTYLE

in. The trick is to eat 200 to 300 calories of food an hour. Loads of carbs. Diversity is also important. I had traditional ride food like bars, gels and chews, but I also carried mini pizzas, croissants, cinnamon rolls and Rice Krispies Treats.

As soon as you get hungry in the middle of an effort, your blood sugar has dropped so much that you’ve run out of carbohydrate stores and you’re now switching to fat metabolism. You go a lot slower; you can’t burn fat as fast. The trick is to never get hungry. Not eating could spell the end of the ride.

I ended up with two bars and a handful of gummy bears left. Three more hours, and I would’ve been completely without food.

AFM: What motivates you to push through rides like this?

McElveen: Efforts like this require you to face things and get in touch with yourself in a way that wouldn’t happen otherwise.

It’s a constant rollercoaster of wanting to give up, being inspired

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and remotivated, and being on top of the world. There will be sideways rain and headwind for five hours straight, and you’ll question everything. Then, that will disperse, there will be a double rainbow and you’ll have a tailwind and feel amazing again.

The folks (who) become successful are able to control what happens in their head. It becomes way less about the physical and more about the mental. The thing that helps me is reverting to gratitude. Being thankful for the opportunity, for being healthy and for having the fitness I’ve worked so hard to have — just being in the place, getting the opportunity to see it and understanding it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. afm

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2020

Made to

Climb Meet Damir Okanovic — local rock climber, American Ninja Warrior and builder of his own backyard rock climbing wall.

AUTHOR LANDRY ALLRED

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Six years ago, Damir Okanovic knew nothing about rock climbing much less anything about what it takes to build a rock climbing wall. But by the end of 2020, he had built a climbing wall in his backyard, had been a climbing coach at Crux Climbing Center for three years and had been personally training and leading youth lessons for five years.

Though Okanovic hasn’t always been involved in rock climbing, he’s been an active athlete for several years. He made it to the national finals of American Ninja Warrior in seasons 9 and 11 and was even on Team Europe in USA vs. The World in January of 2020.

After moving from Upstate New York in 2016, he eventually picked up rock climbing and even started leading youth programs at Austin Bouldering Project to improve his grip strength for ninja training since he tries out each year.

When COVID-19 hit and gyms started closing in late March of 2020, Okanovic refused to fall behind on his training.

“I needed this in my life,” Okanovic says. “Otherwise, I’m going to get weak, and I can’t afford to be weak because everyone else is progressing.”

Creek, Gus Fruh, Rogers Park, McKinney Falls State Park, Milton Reimers Ranch and other spots along Barton Creek Greenbelt.

When the pandemic hit, outdoor climbing became the only alternative to rock climbing, unless you had your own equipment at home. So Okanovic decided to build a climbing wall to continue his training.

The Great Wall

Although building a rock climbing wall was new territory for Okanovic, working with wood wasn’t. He’s always crafted with wood as he built his own deck, shed and other at-home projects like ninja gyms. When he decided to build the climbing wall in his backyard, he got help from his roommate at the time, Riley Wood.

Surprisingly, it only took three days to build the wall, working on it all day and night.

“I thought it was going to take us a lot longer because I was going in with no background of building a climbing wall,” Okanovic says. “I built chairs, benches and simple things like picture frames, but not a climbing wall.”

They started by making an 8-foot-tall wall but realized once it was angled, Okanovic, who is six feet tall, could easily touch the top. They scrapped the first draft to make the second wall that is now 12 feet tall and eight feet wide. With this final wall, they added a kicker panel at the bottom and a 40-degree overhang.

Okanovic says angling the board was one of the most difficult parts of the building process. They had to use a truck, rope and tree to act as a pulley in order to lift the 300-pound board with each panel weighing about 60 pounds. While the wall was angled, they built everything around it.

Though building the actual wall took a short amount of time, waiting on the climbing holds took the longest as they were waiting to have them shipped from Utah.

Eventually, they decided to make their own holds out of wood, filing them down and painting them to make the holds smooth and easy to grip. Unfortunately, they only had about five or six holds on the wall at the time.

The Path to Climbing

Okanovic is originally from Croatia but immigrated to New York with his family when he was 10. When he moved to Austin, he was first drawn to rock climbing because of the community and camaraderie surrounding the sport. He remembers his first day climbing at ABP when multiple strangers approached him with advice to improve his climbing strategy and skill.

“Coming from New York where you don’t really talk to anyone — here are just people waving at you and being super nice,” Okanovic says. “The people drew me into wanting to pursue it more and become better.”

Today, Okanovic climbs at least five times a week alongside his coaching. As a youth program leader, he often takes students to do outdoor climbing at various sites around and outside of Austin including Bull

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About a month in, they were finally able to order holds and fill more of the wall. It wasn’t until the second or third month that they were able to fill out the rest of the wall. When North Austin Rock Gym permanently closed because of the pandemic, Okanovic and Wood were able to reuse the holds that the gym was selling and bought about 300 to complete their wall.

The Canvas of Climbing

Once they had the wall built, it was time to set the route. To do this, they had to pre-drill holes and put t-nuts into the panels that the holds would connect to. Then, every time you remove a hold, you can put it anywhere else, as long as it fits within those pre-drilled holes. As you interchange these holds, you create a new route each time.

“The best part was looking at the plain wall,” Okanovic says. “You’re looking at a canvas, and you want to paint all over it. That’s what we did — we looked at the wall and set all these routes.”

Okanovic likens route setting to putting together a puzzle — using trial and error to figure out the best route. They based each hold position on the difficulty and type of reach someone would need to execute while climbing.

Some positions result in dynamic movements, in which you rely on momentum and timing, while others result in static movements, in which you rely on grip strength.

They modeled most of their route setting on outdoor climbing as they visited places like the Greenbelt and replicated the climbs on their wall. At these outdoor sites, they found the crux — the hardest part of the climb — and used these to set different routes.

A lot of the route setting was also based on the estimated height

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of a person, as being taller or shorter can impact the way you execute a movement. These tactics would help them know when to move a hold or swap it with a different one.

The Risk and Reward

With great reward, however, comes great risk.

Okavnoic says it was risky because if you mess up drilling into the board, you must buy another and waste money as boards were up to $80 at the time.

Fortunately, after the fact had a tangible reward.

“We took a step back and were like, ‘Did we just make that?’” Okanovic says. “We actually built it as it would be at a gym.”

Once it was finished, they climbed it almost every day and even invited close friends over to try it out.

However, once gyms opened back up, he now climbs it maybe two or three times a week.

Okanovic hopes to add more features to it, including potentially a top deck, painted sides, more holds and another 30 feet to create a corral.

After posting about his wall project on Instagram, people started asking if he could come to their place and build one. So far, he’s built 12 at-home climbing walls across Austin. Through building walls for others, he’s gained more knowledge on specific building techniques to the point where he’ll have to return to his original wall to make adjustments. About four or five months ago, he even added two walls to expand.

“The walls that I built after mine are so much better,” Okanovic says. “So I always go back to mine and make adjustments if I learn a new trick or if someone gives me tips on how to make it stronger.”

The Climb That Stuck

Okanovic reflects on his time rock climbing and claims this sport was the one that truly stuck. From basketball to soccer to tennis to volleyball to even martial arts, he has widely traversed the athletic scene.

But once climbing entered his life, everything changed.

“I tried a lot of different sports in my life (...) and nothing stuck with me like climbing did,” Okanovic says. “When it did, I was like, ‘Maybe this is something I can pursue.’”

Through the climbing community and now having the opportunity to enjoy the sport outside, inside and at home, he has realized the prominence climbing has in his life.

“For some people, (it’s) going for a jog or walk,” Okanovic says. “This is my thing — I love to wake up and go climb.” afm

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The DIY Van Life APRIL 2022

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Check out Billy Bosco’s experience traveling across the country in a van he built himself.

A U T H O R B I L LY B O S C O | P H O T O S C O U R T E S Y O F B I L LY B O S C O

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Last year, I built a van and traveled across the country for seven months by myself.

When people hear about van life today, it’s usually through the lens of a fairy-tale series of Instagram posts where everything is perfect. I didn’t want that — I wanted to be truly nomadic. I needed to disconnect and step out of my comfort zone!

I’m a personal trainer in Austin who felt cut off from this planet, absorbed in the rat race of life. So I bought a van, learned to use power tools, transitioned my personal training business online and set a date for May 1st to leave.

furniture, as well as basic plumbing and electrical!

Every day, I would build something only to notice small inconsistencies the next day. The van had issues on the trip, so I spent hours diagnosing and problem-solving.

My dad would have loved to be part of this project, and I would have loved his help. Now when I see a house or van, I think about the process and team that brought it to life. It gives you a greater appreciation of how things come to be.

Along the way, I also learned some other important life lessons from my travels.

1 Live Life For Yourself

Why Build the Van?

This was the hardest lesson to learn, in part because I had to unpack what that really meant. Today, we’re constantly fed expectations of trendiness, love and success. The challenge is sifting through the information overload and learning to discern your choices from society’s expectations.

At the same time, the thought of sharing this trip

My dad passed away when I was very young. He was a jack of all trades around the house. I wanted to be that person for my family and friends but had no one to teach me. So it only felt right to build a van from scratch and travel the world.

I learned how to measure and cut plywood for

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with the world was exciting! With every place I visited, I wanted to tell a story about it. The validation I felt from the feedback was intoxicating.

During the first couple of months of the trip, I looked forward to hearing feedback about the place more than actually enjoying it.

This wasn’t my original goal, and it started to come to my attention when I hit the Great Smoky Mountains. I had no signal at my campsite and most of the park. I spent the next four days off the grid, and it was liberating. This intimate experience was mine and only mine.

Time alone will make you think thoughts you wouldn’t normally have time for. I was forced to face my demons and think about how I was presenting

myself to the world. Was this the real me or just a version of me I wanted people to see?

After that moment, the rest of the trip was pure bliss. I shared certain things with the world but 85% of my day was to myself. It wouldn’t have been possible unless I found a way to isolate myself and get uncomfortable.

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2 Get By With Less

no impact on my happiness. I had shoes on my feet, clothes to wear for the elements and places to be!

I wouldn’t have discovered this truth had I not only lived off everything in my tiny van. You don’t have to be a minimalist to enjoy life, but ask yourself, how much do I actually need to be happy?

How much do we really need to be happy? Did I need six pairs of shoes or clothes for multiple weeks?

I didn’t think so, but I had the room for it so I just kept collecting stuff in my apartment.

Switching to the van changed this. There was no space for anything but essentials. Despite having minimal clothes and gear, I felt completely comfortable the entire trip. What I had was good enough, and it had

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3 Diet and Exercise

As a trainer, I thought this was would be the biggest hurdle. Working out daily with a mix of machines and free weights was my routine. I cooked the same foods daily and always tracked my calories. When the trip started, I got a Planet Fitness membership but wasn’t in town enough to use it consistently. I had a stove and

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4 Reconnect With Our Planet

sink but not enough space for elaborate meals.

“Less is better” became the motto of the trip. Staying active was the priority. My legs were taken care of from hiking 12,000 to 15,000 steps a day. Upper body strength was handled by a pair of adjustable dumbbells kept in the trunk. Once a week, I’d drive through a town to get a pure strength lift at Planet Fitness. With this less stringent routine, my physique and strength were exactly how I wanted them to be.

Dieting posed a bigger problem. It didn’t take much to fill the mini fridge, and the sink didn’t have enough space for many dishes. So I got creative and used a single pan to toss vegetables, rice and some kind of protein. It never looked pretty but tasted great and fulfilled my nutrient need.

You don’t have to work out heavily and follow your diet to a T every day — you just need to do something consistently. Eventually, I got into a groove of lifting weights two to three times a week. My daily meal goal was to eat at least one fruit, one vegetable and lean sources of protein. It wasn’t perfect, but I stayed realistically active and healthy!

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This is one of the most important lessons. I was raised in the suburbs of Illinois with cornfields and concrete towns. I’d go camping a couple of times a year but then quickly retreat to my suburban lifestyle.

Then, I moved to Austin which is the most outdoorfriendly city I’ve lived in. Even still I found it hard to get far enough from the urban sprawl to feel alone.

When we isolate ourselves in concrete jungles, we forget we are of this planet, not just on it.

Something happens when you spend the night in an area with dark skies. You feel small. You see the sky flooded with stars and constellations you forgot about.

You remember the stories attached to them and can look at stars in awe the same way our ancestors did.

Suddenly, we don’t feel like individuals — we feel like one species surviving on this one planet we have.

We already know or have heard a lot of these lessons, yet we brush them off and return to our busy lives.

It’s not until we isolate ourselves that these lessons

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come to life. You don’t have to build a van and travel the country. Just find a way to get out of the city occasionally to recharge. afm Billy Bosco is an Austin-based personal trainer who sells his own fitness supplements.

The world is full of deceptive marketing and fast-track approaches to health. It’s his mission to cut through this and help everyone become realistically fit.

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WELLNESS AUTHOR

Dafne Villanueva

LIVING WITH PCOS n Austin women share their lifestyle

with PCOS and nutritionists answer questions for living your best life despite the condition.

What the Experts Say About PCOS

Dr. Danielle Desroche, an Atlanta-based women’s health and hormones specialist spoke about how PCOS affects one in every 10 women.

“Many women begin to exhibit symptoms as teenagers, and

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the standard treatment is to put them on the pill,” Desroche says. “PCOS is more than just an excess of androgens in women; it also includes issues with fertility, depression, anxiety, high cholesterol and disordered eating.”

Desroche and San Antoniobased nutritionist Amber Fischer, CNS, LDN both recommend that women who need to change their workout routine because of PCOS do strength training to improve insulin resistance or exercises like pilates or yoga, which lower testosterone levels.

Desroche highlights fiber being a crucial nutrient for those with PCOS as it helps regulate blood sugar, promotes bowel movement and lowers cholesterol. In addition, high-quality proteins, such as fish and chicken, as well as high-quality red meat, should be included on a plate’s protein portion. Healthy fats are also required in the form of

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DR. DANIELLE DESROCHE

MADISON CROWLEY

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olycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) affects more than 200,000 women in the U.S. a year, yet many know little about the condition.

PCOS is a chronic hormonal condition in which the ovaries produce excessive androgens — male sex hormones, which are generally present in small amounts in women. While birth control is a treatment for PCOS, the disorder also requires many lifestyle changes for women to be healthy and safe in their bodies.

avocados, olive oil and fatty fish.

“The goal is to eliminate inflammatory foods,” Desroche says.

When indulging in foods that are not the best for those with PCOS, Fischer says that simple starches like sugar and white bread or pasta are the most important foods to cut back on.

ODETT OCHOA

ALYSSA LIGHT

Both Desrcoche and Fischer suggest using the Environment Working Group’s “Healthy Living” mobile application to scan products to determine which are non-toxic, noting that environmental toxins play a significant role in wellness.

Although the EWG assigns a rating of one to 10 to products based on their safety, Desroche suggests selecting products with a rating of four or less.

How Local Women Deal with PCOS

“This doesn’t mean we can’t have them, only that we need to keep in mind when and how we consume them,” Fischer suggests.

Desroche also recommends following the 80-20 rule, which states that you should eat whole foods 80 percent of the time and indulge in gluten or dairy products 20 percent of the time.

Along with nutrition, Desroche recommends women with PCOS engage in stress management for wellness and self-care. She notes, however, that mental health looks different for everyone, and therapy may or may not prove helpful for those with PCOS. Sometimes wellness can look like going for a long walk, doing yoga, limiting social media or phone time, and meditating. Stress management is undervalued in PCOS, but simply putting yourself first at the end of the day is sufficient.

Odett Ochoa, a first-year graduate student, was diagnosed with PCOS at 18, but she realized it wasn’t the worst diagnosis she could receive.

“I’ve always been able to maintain a pretty good diet,” Ochoa says. “It’s been pretty easy to cut down on my gluten and dairy intake.”

Furthermore, despite having participated in various sports her entire life, Ochoa changed her workout routine due to the fatigue she felt after a lot of cardio.

As a full-time student at the Bill Munday School of Business, she now chooses pilates to help her stay fit and healthy after the diagnosis. As a result, despite having PCOS, she can now live her fullest and healthiest life as an adult.

Another student, Alyssa Light, who is a senior at St. Edward’s University, also experiences PCOS. She notes that while she doesn’t suffer the full extent of symptoms such as irregular menstrual cycles

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OLIVIA SOLIS

and cystic acne, she doesn’t let the diagnosis dictate her life.

“I take (it) day by day,” Light says.

“Sometimes I do enjoy my plates full of veggies and protein and other days I enjoy a good pizza.”

In addition, Light says she enjoys dancing as a workout because it doesn’t feel it exhausts her like other exercises usually do.

On the other hand, 63-yearold Olivia Solis has lived with PCOS since before enough knowledge existed to understand the condition. Solis, who was diagnosed at the age of 20 and shortly after having her first child, explains that she had to make many changes to her life when she was diagnosed. As a result, she gave up alcohol, dairy and gluten because of her severe symptoms of heavy menstrual cycles, depression and weight gain. In addition, she grew her garden and cooked the majority of her meals at home. As a result, her lifestyle has completely transformed so she can live a long and healthy life and her choices allowed her to have two more children while also lessening her symptoms throughout her life.

Sustaining a healthy lifestyle with PCOS necessitates the coordination of numerous factors such as well-being, avoiding inflammatory foods and strength training. Nonetheless, each woman is unique and may experience milder or more severe symptoms.

Despite the challenges of the diagnosis, there are ways to take care of your body while living with PCOS by focusing on health, wellness and exercise. afm

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

WELLNESS AUTHOR

Alexie Rendon

BUILDING MINDFULNESS n Mindfulness expert James Butler explains the art of mindfulness and why it’s helpful to stop and smell the roses.

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ith the weight of the world seemingly hanging on our shoulders, it’s no secret that many of us are overstressed, overworked and desperately in need of guidance to navigate our fast-paced society.

James Butler, the Mindfulness Campus Coordinator at The University of Texas at Austin, is highly familiar with the art of mindfulness and hopes implementing these practices for people of all ages can greatly improve one’s quality of life.

We had the privilege of speaking with James Butler to better understand what mindfulness is and how it can enhance one’s life.

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AFM: What is mindfulness?

Butler: I take the definition of mindfulness from Jon Kabat-Zinn who founded Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction — knowing what you are doing while you are doing it. I would also add doing these things with compassion and nonjudgment. It can be done anywhere, anytime. It’s all about bringing your attention to the present moment.

Neurologist, author and Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl has a great quote about mindfulness. He says, “Between stimulus and response is a space.

In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom.”

Research has shown that mindfulness can help improve mental and physical health, reduce stress levels and positively affect a person’s memory.

AFM: What is the history behind mindfulness?

Butler: Acknowledging the roots of mindfulness is important to me. Even though I have studied mindfulness and I am the mindfulness campus director at UT, I want to stress that I cannot take credit for it.

The history of mindfulness traces back to Buddhist philosophies. A group of U.S. physicians adapted mindfulness into their practices in the 1960s to improve the well-being of all people, regardless of their cultural or religious beliefs.

AFM: Why are you so passionate about mindfulness?

Butler: I’m passionate about mindfulness because it is personal to me. Several years ago, I was diagnosed with depression, anxiety and PTSD. I learned about mindfulness through therapy. I started using it a lot to help me move through the things I was going through. It helped to center me and make me more present.

After putting on yoga videos in my kindergarten classroom, I was seeing how it was helping them too.

AFM: How can someone develop mindfulness practices in their daily life?

Butler: I ask people to think of one to two routines they do every morning, during the day and at bedtime. Thinking of those routines, when could you incorporate some type of mindfulness practice? The mindfulness practices could be things like focusing on your breath, engaging in some type of movement, thinking about what you’re thankful for, reaching out to loved ones, immersing yourself in music, spending time in nature, doing art, tuning in to your five senses.

AFM: How can mindfulness be implemented in parenting?

Butler: When your child acts in a certain way, take notice of what that does to you. What emotions does it bring up, and why? How do you usually respond? Pay attention to the root of what’s happening.

Young kids can say things that come off totally different than what they actually mean. They are developing. They do not have the words or emotional maturity to fully explain themselves. These behaviors have reasons and being

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RESOURCES TO LEARN MORE ABOUT MINDFULNESS: • James Butler has created resources for teachers to use in the classroom to invite daily mindfulness tactics into their learning environment.

• Listen to a speech given by Jon Kabat-Zinn on the power of healing through mindfulness.

• UT Austin students can find resources through mindful UT, led by James Butler. mindful UT promotes the betterment of student mental health through mindfulness practices and activities.

aware can help us to focus on what they are actually trying to communicate.

AFM: What are some common misconceptions about mindfulness?

Butler: A lot of times, mindfulnes is seen as sitting in a dark room with your eyes closed, but it can be so much more. It’s about tapping into what fills your cup and doing it with awareness. If you do it consistently, it becomes a habit.

Then, when stress arises, you can use these tactics to navigate it.

I’ve seen mindfulness become weaponized. People will suggest you use it to become more productive — do a little mindfulness practice so you can get twice as much work done.

This is the total opposite of what mindfulness is. The point of it is to slow down and take notice, not slow down to then turn around and speed up.

I just want mindfulness to be seen as accessible to everyone, regardless of your identity or background. It’s not portrayed that way in mainstream media, but it can be helpful to everyone. afm

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

WELLNESS AUTHOR

Katerina Cotroneo

SPRUCE UP YOUR SPACE n It’s spring cleaning

season, and we’ve got tips on how your home can create a space where your mental, physical and social health can thrive.

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edicated spaces are just as important to your lifestyle routine as dedicating anything else, such as time or allowances. You must give priority to your space the same way you do with your time.

With that said, spring is the perfect time to reevaluate your space and make room for the new!

“Spring cleaning” only goes so far — a space you occupy often needs to be a comfortable and motivating environment.

Fortunately, my mother, Regina Cotroneo, is an award-winning designer in Austin for Laurel Haven Homes. She shared some tips on how to create a space as such.

“Deep clean, simplify, rearrange,” Cotroneo says. “Sometimes it’s just a matter of what you can take away

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to make space for a yoga studio or art space — whatever activities you may be into most.”

You have to prioritize your happiness, and by doing so, your space reflects that inevitably.

Whether it’s in your townhome, one-bedroom apartment or dream custom home, every area is a blank canvas that you get to design with yourself in mind.

Cotroneo emphasized it is important to welcome physical, emotional and social well-being into the space you’re creating.

Studies have even shown your environment is directly linked to your mental health.

If your space is cluttered and reflects none of the things that bring you joy, you will inevitably feel more anxious. Bare walls and bland colors are going to make your

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home feel less like a safe space and more of a depressive dumping ground for the artifacts of your life.

How to Build an Empowering Space

So how can we ensure your space promotes mental health?

For starters, make your home welcoming. If you don’t have the proper furniture or area to have guests over, it is difficult to host social engagements. You should be able to say, “Come over!” and proudly welcome friends and family. So make sure you have a cozy sofa for your guests or even nice bar stools around your kitchen island. That way, you can feel comforted knowing they enjoy your space just as much as you enjoy having them there.

If you’re more introverted or

A SIMPLE APARTMENT OR TOWNHOME HAS THE POTENTIAL TO SET THE TONE FOR YOUR LIFE. GET OUT OF YOUR PRAGMATIC ZONE AND INVEST IN A BEAUTIFUL RUG THAT WILL NOT ONLY ELEVATE YOUR SPACE BUT YOUR MOOD.” KATERINA COTRONEO

want to focus on your inner self, perhaps a mediation corner or updating your patio to be a place you can be with your thoughts or a reading nook in a serene area.

Again, your space is what you make it!

Another way of ensuring your space promotes your mental and physical health is prioritizing that space in your home. If you have a treadmill tucked under your sofa, the odds of you pulling it out are slim to none. If you find a way to make it work in your space, the odds of you hopping on it after work for even 30 minutes are much higher.

“The days of hiding your equipment for the sake of the aesthetics are done,” Cotroneo says. “Most of my clients proudly showcase their treadmill or Peloton

in a designated home gym or otherwise.”

For those of us not lucky to have ample space and square footage for a workout room, multipurpose rooms can save the day. A multipurpose room could be an office/workout space or a guest room/office — anything that makes your space as optimal as possible for your lifestyle or the lifestyle you are striving for.

If you are not loving your space but are unable to move, that doesn’t mean you have to continue to dislike where you live.

“A simple apartment or townhome has the potential to set the tone for your life,” Cotroneo says. “Get out of your pragmatic zone and invest in a beautiful rug that will not only elevate your space but your mood.”

Cotroneo emphasizes taking care of one’s space is just as important as taking care of one’s energy and overall well-being.

So what’s necessary for a spring revamp? Know how to simplify, invest and prioritize.

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Simplify your space to make room for the things in your life that matter most, whether it be a dining set to share meals with friends or a home gym area to work on your physical health. Invest in quality furniture and details that will elevate your happiness and overall aesthetic, which could include vintage posters of your favorite artists or a new sustainable bed set. And last but certainly not least, prioritize your well-being and ensure your space is fit for you, up to date and guarantees that when you are home, you are happy to be there. afm Katerina Cotroneo is a professional photographer turned lifestyle writer. Using her marketing background and her talent behind the camera, Katerina tells unique stories through her lens and captures diverse perspectives.

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

WELLNESS AUTHOR

Mia Barnes

NEW LIFE, OLD ITEMS n Check out these seven household items

you can repurpose, in the name of health!

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here is no planet B — it’s everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to preserve the Earth’s resources, and doing so will benefit human health for years to come.

Fortunately, doing so can also save you money while providing new uses for old objects!

Instead of tossing everything into the recycling bin, employ a bit of creativity. Many items that are easily repurposable can pose a threat to our health if we keep using them for their original purpose for too long. Here are seven household items you can repurpose into something else.

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You might not think of your pillow as something that gets particularly germy unless you recently recovered from a cold. However, they tend to contain over 100,000 dust mites. These are living organisms that poop! Each of the little buggers excretes 20 or more times per night.

Now that you are ready to replace your pillow, hit pause before throwing it in the landfill. You can use that soiled stuffing for a gardening pillow — your knees are far enough away from your nose to keep you safe from germs. You could also create narrowly stuffed rollers to stop drafts from under doors, doubling the eco-friendliness of your craft.

Shower Caps

It’s far eco-friendlier to shower than bathe, especially if you keep things short. You don’t always have to shampoo unless your locks get limp and greasy without lathering up. Many people can go two to three days without scrubbing their head, and their hair will stay healthier for it. Of course, that means protecting it from stray spray while you wash the rest of your body.

All those plastic caps can create an ecological nightmare. Instead, use them to keep your white carpets clean. Dry them out when they get worn or germy and use them as shoe covers. You and your family might take off your sneakers at the door, but these are good to keep on hand when maintenance pays a visit.

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Pillows

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Toothbrushes

You could pay a small fortune for a professional tile and grout cleaning job.

However, it’s nothing that you can’t DIY with a little elbow grease — and the right tool!

The CDC recommends swapping out your toothbrush once every three months

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into the jar — the old wax will float to the top.

What do you do with this treasure if you don’t intend to make a new candle from scrap? How about stopping your energy from leaking out your windows? This sticky stuff makes an excellent substitute for caulk, reducing your carbon footprint and saving money on your electric bill.

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Egg Cartons

Remember that trick about starting seedlings with bits of dirty old sponges?

You needed one other magical ingredient — an egg carton. You can also fill the cups with a bit of potting soil to get your peppers and tomatoes sprouted for the spring.

Egg cartons also make handy holders for all sorts of doodads. Use them to organize your button collection.

Do your children love making crafts with acrylic paint?

You have the perfect spot for primary colors with plenty of mixing spots leftover.

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You can’t bleach colored tablecloths. However, you can find oodles of uses for that fabric once the stains make it too unsightly for your table.

The simplest thing to do is cut your cloth into rags. However, such a sizable piece has plenty of other possibilities.

Fold it in half and stitch the seams to make a pet bed big enough for the fluffiest pup. Cut it to shape and make an apron — the stains won’t matter when you wear it to stop splatter.

and sooner if you see frayed or damaged bristles. That’s an awful lot of plastic left lying around in landfills.

Instead, use them to give your kitchen and bathroom grout a thorough cleaning. You can use a bleach and baking soda mixture to scrub away any mold.

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Sponges

Sponges can get germy in no time. Even putting them in the microwave or dishwasher only works for so long before it becomes questionable.

However, you shouldn’t toss the old ones if you have thirsty houseplants — using them in the bottom of the pot or vase keeps stems moist. You can also cut them into small squares for starting seedlings in an egg carton. Depending on the material, you might be able to add yours to your backyard compost bin.

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Tablecloths

There’s only one Earth, and it’s everyone’s job to take care of it – human health depends on it, too! Recycling is part of the solution, but it’s even better when you can give new life to old items at home. Even germy products can serve a use that enhances, not harms, human health. afm Mia is a health and wellness writer and the Editor In Chief at Body + Mind. She specifically enjoys writing about women’s fitness, as well as mental health-related topics. When she’s not writing, Mia can usually be found reading poetry, taking a dance or cardio class, or hiking.

Old Candle Wax

Removing the last bits of sticky wax from candle jars isn’t as tough as it sounds.

All you need is a pot of boiling water. Empty the boiled water

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

FITNESS AUTHOR

Aja Webber

DANCE, FROM THE GROUND UP n Check out Fanny Gonzales, founder of

Corazon Latino Dance Studio, and her tips to starting your own dance studio.

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ancing is a versatile way to get a good sweat in while having a great time. While there are so many great dance studios in Austin, some people have the goal of starting their own. The hardest thing about starting any business of your own is knowing what resources you need to do it.

Based in Austin, Corazon Latino Dance Studio was founded

by Fanny Gonzales in 2009, but she didn’t always have the loyal clientele she does now. Gonzales explains that she began working for other studios, but her real dream was to start her own.

“When I came to Austin, I worked at a bunch of different fitness places for 12 years,” Gonzales says.

“I dreamed about opening my own business and I finally said, ‘This is the moment,’ because a lot of people knew me, and I had a lot of followers.”

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Here are some essential tips from Gonzales’ experience if you’re thinking of starting a successful dance studio.

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Have Passion

The first thing you need when starting your own business is passion. Whether your passion comes from inspiration, your own dance experience or simply from the idea of starting a business, this passion is going to give you the drive you need to start your own studio.

Gonzales originally began her dance career in Venezuela where

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she had three small businesses.

However, once she moved to the U.S., she didn’t have the same momentum that she did in her home country.

Before starting her own studio, she worked at places like 24 Hour Fitness and the YMCA. However, her passion for starting her own business was sparked again as she began meeting more people and making connections with other dancers. Although she loved working at other fitness centers, she hoped to make her own personal bonds with her clients.

“I love what I do,” Gonzalez says.

“I love dance, I love the music, the people and their transformations through exercise. I just love connecting with the community.”

TIP

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Plan Ahead

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Gain Experience

Be aware that even though passion is essential to starting a dance studio, so is experience. You don’t necessarily have to have experience with starting a business, but some dance experience is obviously necessary.

Gonzales has had years of experience with many different types of dance, which is why she can safely and effectively run a dance studio. Gonzales is able to recognize when her clients are feeling uncomfortable or a certain dance move is hurting them and can offer safe alternatives to fit their needs.

“If they’re feeling tired, I tell them to march in place,” Gonzales says. “If they have joint problems, or something like that, and a position is uncomfortable, I can give them a different position to do. I can also recommend different styles of dancing to different people.”

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Consider Finances

It is also important to keep in mind that dance studios can be costly. If you want to start a small-scale studio in your garage, the budget may be lower.

However, for a bigger studio, it’s going to cost much more.

Most dance studios have wallsized mirrors, ballet bars and hardwood floors, which can easily rack up to thousands of dollars for purchase and installation. Even if you can afford those things, they are just the basics of dance studio equipment. Depending on what type of dance you’re teaching, you will need specific materials such as yoga mats, dance shoes, and live or pre-recorded music, which can quickly add up.

The average cost of building a dance studio is $10,000, so plan accordingly.

While starting your own dance studio sounds fun, it is a lot of work. However, if you have the passion and drive to do it, you most definitely can. Just be sure to plan ahead, make connections and save up funds — this will make your dancing endeavors so much easier. afm

PHOTOS COURTESY OF FANNY GONZALES

Gonzales also emphasizes the importance of planning ahead. When she first started her studio in Austin, she had a small space as she thought it would be perfect for her clientele.

However, her business began growing rapidly.

“I started out renting a space, but then I had to move to a bigger place,” Gonzales says. “I just had too many people — like over 600 people.”

When starting a dance studio, you have to think of what your end goal is. For Gonzales, she wanted to create a studio that would reach a wide group of people, but some people might want something on a smaller scale. Try to plan accordingly to what you imagine your studio as.

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

FITNESS AUTHOR

Chad Dyer

TRAINED TO RUN n Ironman Triathlon veteran Devin

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unning a marathon is a Herculean task alone. But you don’t simply step onto the starting line and go — you must train beforehand. As the saying goes, in order to run, you must first walk.

Devin Lofland, who competed in an Ironman Triathlon in November of 2021, weighs in on his experience and what he learned.

“The biggest piece of advice is don’t compare yourself to other people because it doesn’t help,” Lofland says.

“If you allow yourself to accept that you have to start wherever you are, then you can start! Patience is a big factor.”

Once you’ve decided to train for a marathon and found your starting place, now comes the real training.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEVIN LOFLAND

Lofland shares his tips on how to effectively train for a marathon.

“I had to sign up for my race in order to prevent myself from having a way out,” Lofland says. “It’s important to have accountability.”

Lofland created ultimatums with friends, family and loved ones — things like if he fails to run that day, then he has to do the dishes for a week or buy lunch for everyone.

Another reason why signing up for the race early on is a good option is that it gives you a goal to work toward.

Lofland warns to not make the goal too far-fetched.

Finding the Motivation

Training for a marathon is rigorous. It’s too often that people don’t place enough stakes on their training, find the act of running monotonous and eventually fizzle out. Getting creative in how you push yourself can be the deciding factor in whether or not you train until the marathon.

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“Setting something up that is three or six months out is more realistic than trying to run your first ever race in two weeks,” Lofland advises.

Reverse engineering your training regime can also be helpful. First, you need to gauge how much you can currently run in a session or weekly. Once you’ve figured out your capacity, compare that to how much you’ll need to run in the marathon. Then, lower the number of miles weekly in increments until you reach your current daily limit. This should give you a rough estimate of how long

your training regime looks. This also provides soft goals to hit weekly.

Getting Connected

Any burden can be lightened when shared with others.

That’s why Lofland suggests you find a community or social circle to get involved with.

“I started working with a group here in Austin called the Austin Triathlon Club,” Lofland says.

Finding a running group or developing a circle of

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n FITNESS people who will push you to train is a game-changer.

The people who Lofland has met through the Austin Triathlon Club have since become his source of accountability and also his running partners.

“Facebook is the best place to start, or visit your local shops,” Lofland says.

“There are a ton of running shops here in Austin, and they are always welcoming.

You just have to walk in and say hi.”

If visiting a shop in Austin seems like something you’d want to do, try checking out places like The Loop Running Supply, Rogue Running, Trek Bikes or Mellow Johnny’s. If you’re unable to visit shops in person, fret not. With access to social networks like Facebook and other apps like Strava and Whoop, the possibilities of finding a community are at your fingertips!

Get Expert Help

Don’t be afraid to seek out a professional — even the most talented of athletes get expert help.

“A couple of guys from the Austin Triathlon Club and I started working with a coach, and I’ve been an athlete my whole life,” Lofland says. “The greatest athletes in the world use coaches all the time.”

A coach can offer an outside perspective on how you’re training and possibly shed some insider tips on the world of marathon running. Good places to start looking for coaches in the Austin area can be Rogue Running, Coach Up or even Yelp!

Final Tips

Some final advice is to not only listen to others but also listen to yourself. When Lofland began his training for the Ironman, his heart rate was too high to run at the speed he wanted to.

“I had to accept things like being OK with running for miles and miles on a really slow pace and build my endurance,” Lofland says. “Listen to your knees. Listen to your hips. Listen to your heart rate. If you’re hurting or injured, back off a bit and just do what you can.”

Beyond that, have as much fun as possible, and enjoy the fresh air during the marathon!

“I like running,” Lofland says. “It keeps me focused, it keeps me driven and ultimately, it’s about seeing what you’re made of.” afm

Get Creative

Running can get boring quickly if it is always on a treadmill or the same route. Try mixing up your routine once in a while like running at night, in the morning or in new locations like Lady Bird Lake Trail, Shoal Creek Trail or the Barton Creek Greenbelt.

“At one point, I went to Galveston beach for a weekend and did a training session there,” Lofland says. “I’ll always remember going there, and it kept the training interesting.”

Check out this list from 365 Things Austin for more ideas on where to run in the Austin area.

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BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT SPONSORED BY

ST. ELMO RUNNERS n We collaborate with our local community

to activate and elevate fitness, health and wellness resources for everyone.

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owdy, we’re St. Elmo Runners.

Here in Austin, we collaborate throughout the community to activate and elevate fitness, health and wellness resources for everyone. We love to promote and celebrate a wide range of experiences that help support an active community. From running shoes, apparel, training gear, biometric screenings, wellness options to even a yummy taco place, we are energized by being a part of everything that supports an active lifestyle.

The club founder, PJ Thompson, is a RRCA and UESCA certified run coach as well as a Runner’s World Coach and can always be found wearing both a headlamp and the most fashionable branded gear, all while shouting out route

directions. Jamie Pratt, co-lead and Sr. Running Campaign Manager is a Certified Wellness Program Manager with a strong interest in behavior change and is known for sharing moments from her “morning miles” (remember — it only counts if it’s on Strava AND Instagram).

Together, they maintain a weekly midweek run where they prioritize safety and lots of good laughs and conversation. Drop in on the first and third Wednesday of the month at their regular El Chilito Manchaca location at 6:30 a.m. Alternatively, they meet at lululemon Music Lane Store along South Congress on the second and fourth Wednesday at 6 p.m.

As a team they stay up to date on local events and innovative brands, regularly hosting race preview runs, shakeouts and pop-ups around town. In 2022 alone, they’ve already

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partnered with lululemon, Atreyu Running, Patagonia, Brooks, Fleet Feet, Garmin and Asics. With a summer series of run events planned and a busy fall schedule, there is undoubtedly something for everyone, whether you are a multimarathoner or couch-to-all distances runner.

If you are in search of local opportunities, DM them directly at St. Elmo Runners on Instagram, find them at a community event or email at stelmorunners@gmail. com, and they will happily share any and all options for you to get active — and likely throw in some taco suggestions as well.

Let’s all take to the roads and trails with the following mentality, courtesy of Jamie and PJ from St. Elmo Runners: Be a Run Boss. afm IG: @stelmorunners

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

FITNESS AUTHOR

Emma Aguirre

HOMEMADE FITNESS n Looking to makeover a space in your home to be your new gym? Here are some top things to consider.

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hether you’re turning a room in your home into a gym or clearing a space to use as needed, transforming a space depends largely on its intended use. Working out from home has become increasingly popular, and creating an enjoyable space could be the motivation necessary to move more.

Plan for context

First, consider functionality — what is your intention for the space? If you’re replacing an entire gym membership, a room or garage remodel might be best. This kind of training requires more equipment, thus more space.

If you simply want a quiet area for meditation, core work or a quick pilates class, finding a corner of your home might be the solution. Small corners can be restrictive, though, so make sure you can stretch each arm and leg out without hitting a wall or object.

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Discerning what equipment you need or already own is important as well, as the space needs to be big enough to house everything and provide necessary electricity. You also must consider if you can use the equipment correctly in the space.

Are the ceilings high enough for a jump rope? Is the room long enough for battle ropes? If you’re using a TRX, can you safely position a wall mount where it allows you to angle your body in all directions for full use?

Also, keep in mind the location of your space. Garage conversions make great gyms as do small,

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backyard sheds. But will this encourage frequent visits to your gym or remain “out of mind, out of sight”? Closing the door to the newly remodeled guest-room-turned-gym also makes ignoring your workout easier.

By designating a corner of a room you frequent often, you may be more inclined to use it. Notice if your designated spot is upstairs or downstairs — will the plyometric movement impact the ceiling below?

If you intend to use a wall ball, how might that impact neighbors on either side?

Fill it up

Creating an inspiring spot is where the fun begins. Having a home gym means you can add personal touches, such as art, artifacts, plants or custom lighting. You get to build your own atmosphere and experience that you enjoy being in.

Good flooring, or a supportive mat, is key to any workout space.

Consider installing a professional rubber gym floor to protect your joints. The same rings true for a thick, non-slip mat. If you plan to spend a lot of time in your new space, supportive flooring will help prevent unnecessary slipping during

yoga or a potential knee injury from jumping on a hard surface consistently. Mats are also available in double sizes so if you can’t cover the entire floor with professionalgrade flooring, you can still have support in one section of your space.

Think about ventilation and whether you need to add a freestanding fan or install ceiling fans.

Summers can be balmy, and working out in a hot, uncomfortable room could provide another excuse to avoid working out. Curtains and blinds for large windows during the warmer months will help cool the room and provide outdoor

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inspiration and scenery when the weather is cooler. Position your equipment so you can use the natural light, and add windows or large doors you can open.

Adding full-length mirrors will create the illusion of space for smaller gyms and are necessary for evaluating form and progress. Add two or three decorative mirrors in a line along one wall for impact.

Lighting is another key component to consider when designing your ideal workout spot.

Remember the room’s function. If you plan to spend time meditating, practicing yoga or tai chi, create a mood with soft lightning, lamps and dimmers that you can control. If you are planning high-impact cardio on a treadmill or bike, consider adding colorful LED lights that correspond to the beat of the music for full effect.

Depending on what kind of workouts you plan to do, finding a wall to mount a television could be a must-have, as well as making sure your favorite audio can be played.

If you plan to stream workouts from the TV, you’ll want to have your equipment and mat set up accordingly in front of it, which might require some rearranging.

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

n FITNESS

Having the spot set up, ready to go with mats and weights nearby, will prevent any excuses from creeping in. Make sure you’re logged in to any apps you use and find those workouts you love in advance.

Storing your equipment

Storing your equipment takes planning as well. Weight racks can be bulky and unattractive, so use shelving units that reflect your personality instead. Decorative baskets and bins can house rolledup mats as well or find foldable mats for inside a drawer. Installing wall mounts, hooks and shelving for things like towels, bands and foam rollers create visibility so you’ll never forget what you have or where it is and keep equipment safely off the floor. Find a spot where you can store a few water bottles and any necessary cleaning supplies, as well

APRIL 2022

as a large whiteboard or chalkboard for goals, inspiring quotes or workout plans.

Ultimately, you might set up your home gym and realize you don’t use half of the equipment you thought you might, your lighting isn’t working well or it feels stuffy after a good sweat session. You’ll only know when you get in and use it to know how well it’s working! afm

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Emma Aguirre’s training career began with spinning almost 20 years ago in a small womenonly gym in South Texas.

After a career in journalism, Emma switched to fitness full time, certifying in Practical Pilates, TRX and Jillian Micheals BodyShred program. She is also qualified as an AFAA Group Fitness professional and holds several personal trainer certificates, as well as Precision Nutrition’s Level 1 certification. She is currently certifying as an International Sports Sciences Association master trainer and spends her days coaching clients online as a Personal Health Advisor at Austin’s Wellthy Soul.

PET OF THE MONTH

FEATURED MEET RAYRAY

Pet

A dog so nice we named him twice!!

RayRay is a goofy and affectionate couch potato looking for his furever home.

He has been described as liking a variety of activities that take him out and about like car rides, fetch and walks as well as indoor activities like snoozing and cuddling. In his previous home, he was able to be left in a room for two to six hours at a time and is house trained.

Come and meet RayRay today!

Want to know more about RayRay?

Visit austinpetsalive.org today!

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

FITNESS AUTHOR

Monica Brant

KICK MO’S BUTT APRIL 2022

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Austin Gymnastics Club

n Check out this month’s edition of Kick Mo’s Butt with Monica Brant at Austin Gymnastics Club.

T

his one for me could have gone south for me… allow me to explain.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, I grew up in the country on 20 acres outside of the small town with a 2,500 population at the time. We lived in the county. To help entertain us on those warm summer nights, my dad purchased a round trampoline (no pads to cover springs or net to catch us if we flew off ) for my older brother and me.

Quickly, we learned to jump high, bounce one another, and started flipping backward and forward.

That trampoline became my way of doing “gymnastics,” as there were no training facilities nearby; plus, I had horses as my hobby, creating a full schedule for me after school.

My brother and I spent hours on that trampoline and became quite

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skilled, strong and coordinated.

Of course, we enjoyed sleeping overnight on it too!

During 8th grade, I decided to try out for cheerleading as I had watched the cheerleaders flipping around and jumping. I figured I would need to know how to duplicate their moves and tricks if I was going to try out.

This led me to move the tricks I could do on the trampoline to the lawn we “sprigged.” After all, how much more different could it really be? I had never been on a spring floor so we didn’t consider it would be that much different.

I wish I could remember the first day I tried a front flip, which, in my mind, seemed less scary, and I made it around! Next was the standing back tuck and soon after, back handsprings too!

So, this became my new thing to practice after school, horses

AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

n FITNESS

IT WAS A SUPER FUN SESSION FOR ME, AND I WAS PLEASANTLY SURPRISED TO FIND OUT I COULD STILL GET MYSELF AROUND IN SOME STANDING BACK TUCKS AND PASSES OF ROUNDOFF BACKFLIPS.”

and homework were finished.

I remember deciding I would do the same amount of back handsprings in a row as my age.

After track practice, my friends even encouraged me to show off my skills, and this became a thing for me still intending to try out for cheer.

During 9th grade, I joined the POM Squad, which is a prerequisite for cheer. As the year ended and the opportunity drew closer, my mom sat me down and told me I needed to decide to either do cheer or show horses — I couldn’t do both.

I chose horses and never tried cheerleading.

However, I still had those tricks, and fast forward after graduating high school, I discovered fitness competitions and started my journey in this sport. At 27, I started working with a real gymnastics coach outside of Los Angeles, and by 1998, I won the

APRIL 2022

exclusive title “IFBB Ms. Fitness Olympia.”

I spent a lot of time on a trampoline and had to relearn the correct method of movement plus things such as a cartwheel and roundoff. My coach thought it was funny that I could flip and do aerials but could not do a cartwheel correctly. But that’s what happens when a country girl just muscles the movement and makes it happen.

My last Fitness Olympia was

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1999 and though I competed in other events through 2016, I never was required the gymnastics skill set.

So maybe now you can see why this KMB session could have gone south… it’s been 23 years since I stepped into a gymnastics facility.

When I collaborated with AFM about this feature, I was anxious to see how it would feel again to flip around. Of course, there is so much more to do to train for this sport and Coach Juan certainly put together a killer workout

consisting of 11 exercises that would incorporate the entire body — without any flipping around stuff!

Thankfully, Coach was willing to allow a few minutes at the end of the session for me to get back on the runway trampoline and see if I

could still do any of my flips.

The workout itself had a variety of exercises such as whale tails, handstand pushups, parallel bar sequences/holds, box jumps, candlestick lower downs, pushup hops, single-leg hops to box, leg lifts… just to name a few!

Since time was ticking and, yes, I was fading from the rigorous workout, we ended before the muscle-ups and opted to try out the trampoline.

Coach Juan was high energy and trained alongside me, so I had plenty of encouragement and visual aid if I needed to see what was expected in the training.

It was a super fun session for me, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out I could still get myself around in some standing back tucks and passes of roundoff backflips — with some coaching and a few small “spots” to let me know he was there if I needed him.

As the clients started coming in, we rounded up my KMB session, and the workout started to set in on my body. Again, it had been 23 years!

The facility was easy to find with plenty of parking, and they have a huge room with lots of different areas to train. They offer all types of classes and events for all ages and, yes, even adults. They even have Parent Night Out sessions and PJ Parties too! This would have been the perfect place for me as a kid to enjoy.

I highly recommend Austin Gymnastics, and let them know Mo sent ya! afm

Monica Brant | IFBB Fitness Olympia & International Fitness Cover Model To contact Monica Brant, find her on the following social media platforms: FB: @MonicaBrantFanPage | IG: @OfficialMonicaBrant Official site: www.monicabrant.com (currently under construction)/www.themonicabrantshow.com

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

AMBASSADOR’S CORNER AUTHOR

Billy Bosco

AMBASSADOR’S Corner SQUATCH FRONTIER FITNESS n Check out this month’s edition of

Ambassador’s Corner with Billy Bosco at Squatch Frontier Fitness.

H

ello there, AFM readers! My name is Billy Bosco, and I’m obsessed with fitness. I do happen to be a personal trainer and boot camp instructor, so it is my job to love this stuff. That also means I know a great place when I see one.

One of my greatest pleasures in life is experiencing a new gym for the first time, so I was honored to get the chance to review a local gym on the east side of ATX called Squatch Frontier Fitness!

This city is changing, and so is the culture, but this place still holds true to the heart of Austin. It’s a 24/7 gym with a community that will draw you in and treats you like family! Much like a local watering hole, people come to this gym to workout, work, record podcasts and just hang out! You will find plenty of space here, all of your traditional strength equipment, a basketball court, a huge turf section and the ice bath for the truly adventurous!

APRIL 2022

This month’s Ambassador’s Corner is supporting the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation, which has been advancing conservation in Texas for 30 years and counting. Thank you for your generosity and support in transforming Texas for current and future residents.

Every donation goes toward caring for our state’s wildlife, habitat and natural resources.

The Process

When I arrived at the compound, I was like a kid in a candy shop. The place is like a maze in that each room has a different purpose. The main action happens in the big room with all the equipment. It has two giant doors that open up to the basketball court and turf section. You walk through a series of rooms that take you past the community work lounge, podcasting room, sauna, ice bath and eventually, you find the boot camp section. It was here that I met my instructor Wladi.

This is where the fun begins!

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The Workout

Wladi is incredibly personable and knowledgeable.

He made time to talk to everyone in the class and made them feel comfortable. The workout started with light dynamic stretching to loosen any tight muscles and wake up the ones we’d be using. This is incredibly important as most boot camps rush the warm-up and skip to the workout. During this time, Wladi talked us through what we were going to do and why. He also cracked some jokes, got us all talking and made sure we were comfortable around each other. As an instructor, I know the importance of making your class feel comfortable as it creates community!

The format of the class started with dynamic stretching, then heavy compound lift and finished with a BILLY’S CHOSEN circuit burnout that hit the same NONPROFIT: muscles! After a quick warm-up, we started strength training! Wladi kept it simple for this leg day. The first move was barbell squats — four Click here to donate! sets, three reps, with a minute rest in between. The goal was pure strength My Review followed by plenty of rest.

Squatch is a breath of fresh air in the The next move included lunges with the fitness community. It’s not just a gym, but a same format. Both of these moves targeted the place to hang out and connect with like-minded people. major muscles of the legs and used a great deal of core The workout was safe, effective and most importantly… to hold the weight. Once we completed the compound hard! Wladi was a great instructor who made everyone lifts, we performed four sets of circuit training. The feel comfortable and knew why we did each lift. When circuits involved a slam ball, 40-second sets and you search for a boot camp, you should make sure there 20-second rests. After the workout was completed, we is a proper warm-up that loosens tight muscles and did deep, long stretches and had friendly banter about activates the ones you’ll be using. You should make what our plans were. sure the class focuses on compound heavy lifts that Then, the best part… the ice bath! This is will build muscle. Finally, you should make sure the complementary and available 24/7 to all members. instructor is attentive and personable.

Usually, people spend two to three minutes in the Squatch Frontier Fitness nails all of these things and water, although beginners sometimes just spend is a must-do! It’s places like these that make this city 30 seconds to one minute. The ice bath is great for so special. Fitness is more than just lifting weights. It’s improving circulation and reducing inflammation. the entire mindset that comes with it! Squatch does a Once you step in, a chill runs through your entire body. great job at incorporating mindset work and keeping The goal is to control your breathing and calm yourself you in tune with your total well-being. You will feel down. I, personally, lasted two minutes before my toes strong and happy with yourself after taking one of went numb and I decided to get out. The feeling after these classes, especially when you start meeting the the bath was pure bliss! I felt alert, warm and alive! community! afm

Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

CALENDAR APRIL 2022

Submit your event online at austinfitmagazine.com

Events OLD SETTLER’S MUSIC FESTIVAL Tilmon, TX

BROOKS BURRIS

A P R IL 21 -24

APRIL 3

ABC Kite Fest

This year’s 93rd annual ABC Kite Fest will take place at Zilker Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. As one of Austin’s most popular and family-friendly events, the festival will have tons of activities for all ages. Come ready to make, fly and gaze at the kites of Austin. More information is available on their website.

APRIL 8-9

Austin International Poetry Festival

Do you have some sick poems you want to share with others? This year’s Austin International Poetry Festival is hosted

by Austin Poets International to gather poets and storytellers alike from across the globe. There will be workshops as well as panels on all things publishing, success and poetry innovations. Check out their website to learn more.

APRIL 8-10

MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of The Americas

Join some motorcycle enthusiasts for one of the most thrilling and exciting

APRIL 2022

race experiences of the year! The MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix will be held at the Circuit of The Americas for a jampacked weekend full of activations and races. Tickets can be purchased online.

APR I L 8 - 10

Handbuilt Motorcycle Show

This three-day event in Austin will be hosted by Revival Cycles and will showcase some of the most inspiring and innovative hand-built motorcycles.

Motorcycle enthusiasts, aspiring riders, moto-nerds, builders, designers and even just curious visitors are all welcome. Tickets can be purchased online.

APR I L 10

Statesman Cap10K

Ready for another year of the Statesman Cap10K? This year’s Cap10K will be the 45th annual one, to be exact! Held since 1978, the Cap10K has brought together runners and racers alike to break a sweat. This year, the race has grown to become both the largest 10K in Texas and the

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sixth-largest in the country! You can register for the race online.

A P R I L 13 - 17

Fusebox Festival

Looking for some fascinating art? The Fusebox Festival will be held over the course of five days with artists and audiences from across the world. There will be live performances showcasing all creative forms of art including film, theater, dance, visual art, literature and music. More information can be found on their website.

A P R I L 13 - 2 4

Moontower Just For Laughs

Need a good laugh? The Moontower Just For Laughs comedy festival will be coming to downtown Austin this month with headliners such as Dan Soder, Deon Cole, Marc Maron, Nicole Byer and more! This new festival iteration will include stand-up, podcasts, parties and foosball. Tickets are purchasable online.

AP RIL 14-17

Indie Meme Film Festival

This year’s Indie Meme Film Festival will take place both in-person from April 14th to 17th and online from April 22nd to 24th. There will be tons of film premiers, red carpet events, filmmaker meet-and-greets, mixers, discussions and networking opportunities. More information can be found on their website.

SPECIALS

6 Months for $399

AP RIL 21-24

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Old Settler’s Music Festival

This year marks the 35th annual Old Settler’s Musical Festival, which will be held on the Old Settler’s Music Festival Homestead campground. Get ready for four days of music, camping, community and connection — much like any overnight music festival. The festival will span over 145 acres of the rolling hills of Texas and will feature genres such as Americana, bluegrass, blues and folk. You can purchase tickets online.

• • • • •

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12 Months for $599

Intro-to-Rowing Program (6 classes) Unlimited Rowing, Kayaking, Canoeing Unlimited Stand Up Paddling Gift Certificates Available Experienced Coxswains row FREE!

NORTH SHORE OF TOWN LAKE ON HIKE & BIKE TRAIL BEHIND AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL

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www.texasrowingcenter.com info@texasrowingcenter.com

AP RIL 22-24

Austin Reggae Festival

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It’s that time of the year again! The Austin Reggae Festival will be held at Auditorium Shores and will include groups such as The Expendables, Kabaka Pyramid, Third World and more.

This three-day event will have some great music as well as food and crafts.

Benefits go toward the Central Texas Food Bank. Tickets can be purchased online.

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AP RIL 30

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Eeyore’s Birthday

It’s our favorite animal’s birthday again! This year will mark the 57th annual Eeyore’s Birthday celebration, a fundraiser sponsored by the Friends of the Forest Foundation to benefit local nonprofits. Expect the unexpected at this celebration, and come ready to have some fun! More information can be found on their website.

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*Dates and times are subject to changes or cancellation. Check event websites for more information.

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AU S T I N F I T MGOOD AG A Z I N E CATE 512-771-2220 EXPERIENCE TASTES 512-771-2220

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CALENDAR A P R I L 2022

Submit your event online at austinfitmagazine.com

Rides & Races

LONGHORN RUN

Austin, TX AP R IL 23

APRIL

APRIL 2

APRIL 2

2022 Blue Bell Fun Run Brenham, TX

Miles for Meals

APRIL 1-2

APRIL 2

APRIL 2

Bubble Run

Muddy Dash

APRIL 2

APRIL 3

Fort Worth Zoo Run

Ironman 70.3 Texas

Hells Hills Trail Race Smithville, TX APRIL 2

March 4 Marrow 5K & Walk The Woodlands, TX APRIL 2

Austin, TX

Fort Worth, TX

Fort Worth, TX

Big Climb Houston Houston, TX

APRIL 2022

Conroe, TX

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Galveston, TX

APRIL 9

APRIL 22-24

Austin Falls Ultra

Silo District Marathon

APRIL 9

APRIL 23

Mercy Run

Girls on the Run DFW 5K

APRIL 9

APRIL 23

Depot District-Buddy Holly Run

Green Door Races

APRIL 9

APRIL 23

Terrain Race

Ironman Texas

APRIL 9

APRIL 23

The Game

Longhorn Run

APRIL 9

APRIL 23

Victory Over Violence Walk/Run

Mighty Mujer Triathlon

APRIL 10

APRIL 23

Caveman Triathlon

Skyline Half Marathon

APRIL 10

APRIL 23-24

Statesman Cap10K

XTERRA ATX

APRIL 16

APRIL 24

green6.2

Mayor’s Marathon

APRIL 16

APRIL 30

Happy Trails Camp Moody

Strut Your Mutt

APRIL 16

APRIL 30

Yuri’s Fun Run Houston

THOR

San Antonio, TX

Austin, TX

Fort Worth, TX

Flower Mound, TX

Austin, TX

Houston, TX

Buda, TX

Houston, TX

The Woodlands, TX

Austin, TX

El Paso, TX

Dallas, TX

Austin, TX

Lubbock, TX

Dallas, TX

ROW I N G K AYA K S PA D D L E B OA R D S G U I D E D TO U R S austinrowing.org info@austinrowing.org 74 Trinity Street, Austin, TX 78701

Wichita Falls, TX

IN

*Dates and times are subject to changes or cancellation. Check event websites for more information.

RO W

Due to COVID-19, some of these rides and races have limited space.

Rockwall, TX

KS

Lubbock, TX

Grand Prairie, TX

YA

Carrollton, TX

Waco, TX

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KA

Austin, TX

FIND YOUR ESCAPE

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DDLEB OARD

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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E

INTRODUCING

The Fit Wire AFM’s daily coverage of health and fitness in the Austin community

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