FN Magazine - Swimsuit Issue

SOUTHWEST / FLORIDA

FIT NATION / SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

FIT NATION MAGAZINE

SWIMSUIT ISSUE

HITTING THE BIG TIME A NAPLES RESIDENT MAY BE THE NEXT UFC KING

TAKE BETTER SELFIES, RECOVER FASTER, RUN EFFORTLESSLY & TONS MORE TIPS!

RAW? LOW CARB? VEGAN? THE BEST FOODS FOR FUELING YOUR WORKOUT

4 EASY MOVES

FOR BIKINI-READY ABS

CONTENTS

FIT NATION / SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

SOUTHWEST / FLORIDA

FIT NATION MAGAZINE

24 WELL SUITED

SPORT A swimsuit

JULY-AUGUST 2014

is only as good

8 GEAR What’s in his Gym Bag?

to stay put when

as its ability

Beach volleyball player Jeff Kaulbars shows us his must-have gear.

you get walloped by a rogue wave.

11 GEAR Fit Tech

Here are this

The most innovative new gadgets and gizmos, all in one place.

season’s best.. sports-centric suits.

12 HEALTH Get Well Sooner New treatments are making it easier than ever to recover from injuries. Here are four new options you should be asking your doctor about.

14 TRAINING Monthly Columns New columnist Matt Reedy explores why you should run without a watch.

15 FUEL Try This Anemic no more—salad gets a meaty makeover in this Laotian-inspired recipe.

16 FUEL Dine Smart The Cider Press Café is a health food lover’s dream come true.

22 HEALTH Uncommon Core It’s bikini season! Get washboard abs with this four-move paddleboard yoga routine, specially designed by local hard body and fitness competitor Leslie Lewis.

30 WHAT’S IN THE WATER? Scared of sharks? You probably shouldn’t be—but there could be worse things lurking down below. Here’s what you need to know.

32 TRAIN Trending Now Don’t deny it: Some days you only make it to the gym because you’re having a great hair day and you want the sexy gym selfie as proof. Here’s how to take a great one.

33 EVENT Calendar Races, rides and more upcoming events.

34 FITBOOK Photos from Southwest Florida’s best races and events.

47 FN INVICTUS

FITNATIONMAG.COM

18 FIT TO BE KING

Southwest Florida-based MMA fighter Mike King is trying to hit it big. But can he make it to the top?

ON THE COVERS: Kyle Herbers FRONT COVER, and Jenna Voelkert: BACK COVER MODEL, (story, p. 24).

Photography by Sammy Duffy

LETTER EDITOR’S

SOUTHWEST / FLORIDA

FIT NATION / SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

FIT NATION MAGAZINE

JULY/AUGUST

PUBLISHER/CEO Stan Dougé

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years as an athlete, it’s this: “Fit” comes in no particular size or shape. Fit is a state of being, a lifestyle, an ever-evolving goal.

It is not, however, a dress size. Your fit is different than my fit, which is different from that guy grunting-noisily-on-the-squat-rack’s fit. That’s why I was nervous about putting together a swimsuit issue. On a personal level, I worried about my own mental health. I mean, it’s one thing to supervise rail-thin models in evening gowns, but spend a day watching them flounce around in bikinis and you inevitably get home and say: “I’ll just have carrot sticks for dinner, thanks.”

PRODUCTION FN Media Group

THE ISSUE WITH THE SWIMSUIT ISSUE

Furthermore, I thought, this is a fitness magazine; shouldn’t we have models that, you know, actually do sports? Shouldn’t this be less about itty-bitty bodies and more about showing off which tops and bottoms cover your business while you get down to business? Turns out all my fretting was for naught. When I brought my concerns up to our staff, everyone unanimously agreed that we would only do this issue if it promoted strong—not skinny—as the new sexy. The result is a swimsuit issue that I’m extremely proud of. We’ve got women (and men) who rock leaping off of every page. All of them are athletes and no one had their thighs airbrushed to oblivion in postproduction.

What has gotten a little touch up job, though, is our layout. FitNation Magazine finally has an art director—and a fantastic one at that. Lisa Absher, who has more than two decades of experience in layout and design, joined our team in early May. Her excellent design eye and attention to detail is exactly what this magazine needed; we’re so excited to have her on board. I hope you enjoy this issue’s new look and our new take on what a swimsuit issue can be: Inspiring.

See you out on the beach this summer!

A.C. Shilton 6

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CONNNECT fitnationmag.com twitter.com/fitnationmag facebook.com/fitnationmag

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Alfredo Escobar MANAGING EDITOR A.C. Shilton ASSOCIATE EDITOR Victoria Wiseman ART DIRECTOR Lisa Absher ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER Dana Leigh Smith EVENTS Chelsea Garlock ADVERTISING SALES Brett Richards, Laura DalSanto (239) 330-3922 ads@fitnationmag.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Leslie Lewis, Anne Reed, Matt Reedy, Dana Leigh Smith, Rebecca Youngblood CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Sammy Duffy, Gabriel Lance, Paul Buceta, Kelli Krebs, Lisa Absher MARKETING Zannon Garza INTERNS Katie Westbrook, Misa Cooper

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GEAR

JEFF KAULBARS

From pickup games to tournaments, here’s the gear Jeff Kaulbars never hits the court without.

PHOTOS/SAMMY DUFFY

by Rebecca Youngblood

WHAT’S IN THE GYM BAG?

GYM BAG ITEMS Jeff Kaulbars would never have guessed that a spontaneous game of beach volleyball would lead him to pursue the sport at a competitive level. Now, he plays twoman beach volleyball in the AAA division, training up to five days a week.

Kaulbars rose to the elite level in only four years.

In 2013 he took third place in the AAA division at the Dig The Beach Volleyball Tournament, one of the nation’s largest beach volleyball events.

He credits his ascension in the sport to coach Josh Vogelbach, who urged him to up his agility game with cross training and plyometrics.

While Kaulbars loves competing, he says part of the fun of beach volleyball is the camaraderie with other players. “The community is great!

One of the benefits of the tournaments is that you get to meet different kinds of people, and I have close friends from the sport.”

Although Kaulbars will be 40 in September, he doesn’t anticipate giving up the sport anytime soon. “Because you are playing on sand it’s much easier on the back and knees than playing sports on hard courts,” he says. “I know of a few guys that are over 40 to mid 40s and still compete and play in the ‘Open’ division and they are in great shape and do well.”

1. Spalding Beach Volleyball (Duh!) 2. Voodoo Floss Band This rubberized band is used to apply compression to athletes’ trouble spots. Unlike compression clothing, the Voodoo Floss Band can be wrapped over specific muscles, and the user can control the tightness.

3. Coppertone 30 SPF Sunscreen “I use either Coppertone or Banana Boat. Typically I apply lotion first thing [before playing] then use spray-on sunscreen [the] rest of [the] day. I found Neutrogena Sport Face gives the best protection for face, ears, and neck.”

4. Pump and Needle “The change in temperature

affects the air pressure in [a] ball. Having a pump handy makes it easy to adjust air in hot and cold temps.”

5. Water “I drink about two gallons of spring water on a typical tournament day.” (Kaulbars is old school and chugs it out of a milk-gallon type container.)

6. iPhone and speakers “I use these for access to volleyball specific drills and training ideas. I also use Spotify for jams.”

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VOLLEYBALL

fitnationmag.com

Our go-to list for the best new fitness gadgets.

GEAR

GEEKOUT!

by Dana Leigh Smith

1. NEPTUNE UNDERWATER MP3 PLAYER

This MP3 player blasts beats into your cheekbone, so you’re hearing music piped into the inner ear. (The company swears it’s painless, unless you’re listening to Nickelback, which hurts no matter HOW you listen to it.) Designed for the pool, it’s cordless and totally waterproof. The best part? Neptune works with iTunes so you don’t have to download any new playlists.

FIT TECH

[$159] www.finisinc.com/neptune

2. JUNE

[$99] www.netatmo.com/en-US/product/june

3. ORU KAYAK

Live in an apartment? This kayak takes just a few minutes to fold and is compact enough to stash away under a bed. Oru’s manufacturer swears it’s just as sturdy as its non-folding peers, but early reviews seem to be mixed. But for city-dwellers who would otherwise be up two flights of stairs without a kayak, the Oru is certainly one solution. [$1,195] www.orukayak.com

4. ZEPP GOLF SENSOR

This square sensor attaches to your golf glove and analyzes your swing. The info sent to your mobile device includes a replay of your swing, the speed of your club, your hip rotation and lots of other space-age-y type stuff. There’s also ZEPP sensors for the base of your tennis racket and baseball bat—so pretty much any sport you can shake a stick at, Zepp will help you analyze.

TECH

1.

GEAR

This UV-sensitive bracelet tracks sun exposure in real-time. When it’s time to seek shade or apply another round of SPF, the app will send you an alert. June has been styled to look like a piece of jewelry, which makes it great for a Sunday Funday day-drinking session on the beach, but it’s probably not built to withstand your toughest outdoor adventures.

2.

3.

[$150] www.zepp.com

5.

5. ATLAS

This waterproof workout tracker differentiates between exercises, counts reps and sets, calculate calories burned, and evaluates your form—then it balances your checkbook (just kidding). The on-wrist display provides live exercise feedback, and once downloaded, the data is compatible with numerous fitness apps. [$179.] www.atlaswearables.com 4.

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GET WELL SOONER

by Victoria Wiseman

HEALTH

New technology promises to heal old injuries.

Every athlete collects a panoply of problems— the old knee that flares up a couple of times a year, the shoulder that just doesn’t like straightening out any more, the plantar fasciitis that tells you that your warm up wasn’t warm enough.

Too often, we resign ourselves to dealing with the discomfort, because the only true, longterm fix is either surgery or quitting our sport— neither of which seems like a good option.

So our chronic aches and pains linger.

But today there are new, less invasive treatments for the kinds of chronic conditions that plague athletes. Here we look at the present and future of injury therapy to give you a starting point for a conversation with your doctor.

Patient, Heal Thy Mindset According to data compiled by MedScape, the majority of physicians spend between 13-16 minutes with each patient—a number that’s dropped significantly in the last 50 years. Clearly we are now responsible for taking charge of our medical decisions. Long gone are the days where the guy in the white coat did all the deciding for you.

Now, thanks to the Internet, all the information and feedback in the world is available to us, and this democratization of medicine is actually a very good thing.

“Especially in sports medicine, everything isn’t black and white,” says Dr. Brian Wallace of the Joint Replacement Institute in Naples.

“Presenting the patient with several options and letting them decide is better medicine.

Some of them already know what they want done. That probably wasn’t the case 20 years ago.”

If the idea of taking the lead in your own care is foreign, Dr. Wallace suggests looking for good studies done about any procedure.

“There’s a lot of websites online that are 12

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reputable and made available to the public, especially the AOSSM [American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine] and the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery. I would try to find good studies done about [any procedures you’re considering]— evidence-based only—offering treatments that have been proven to have a benefit. And don’t be afraid to ask [your doctor] questions.”

Tenex Health TX If you have a tendon that’s been bugging you forever—like tennis elbow, knee pain, plantar fasciitis and illotibial band syndrome (which has plagued many a runner)—this new procedure might just resolve it for good.

“Damaged tendons are basically frayed,” says Dr. Keith Spain, who does the procedure in Naples at Collier Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center. “It used to be dealt with by cutting it open, cleaning it out, then sewing it closed.”

Instead, Tenex makes a small incision and uses a tiny, oscillating needle that emits ultrasonic waves. These waves shave off the damaged part of the tendon. It’s precise, too, because the doctor uses ultrasound to find the injury and to guide the needle during the procedure.

“This is mostly for people who have had pain a long time and had cortisone shots and it hasn’t gotten better,” says Dr. Spain.

He explains that the Tenex surgery is basically taking a chronic pain and re-injuring it so that the body pays attention to it again, letting the body essentially heal itself with a little help from modern medicine.

The resulting scar is so small that it only needs a steri-strip to close it—“it’s like a Band-Aid, literally,” says Dr. Spain. “It’s much less painful [than open surgery] because I’m not cutting through skin, subcutaneous tissue and muscle to get to the source of the pain. I’m not having to do near the damage that then I’d have to repair.”

What that means is you’ll have something that’s bothered you forever out of your life in way less time. “If you compare the elbow— golfer’s elbow—at six weeks I’m letting you go back on the golf course. [With] the traditional surgery, you’re immobilized for three months.”

The cost for the procedure is a lot cheaper than the open surgery of yesteryear and can be covered by insurance.

Microcurrent Point Stimulation (MPS) If acupuncture and neurology had a lovechild, it would be MPS, says Jennifer Woodson, a massage therapist and licensed MPS technician. Adding to the flower-child vibe, the procedure is sometimes called “dolphin therapy” after the sonorous “ping” the device makes while being used. “I joke around [with clients] and ask them if they want to be dolphinized!” says Woodson.

This can be used to treat a lot of conditions, from back and neck pain to scarred tissues to migraines. The device looks like a fat pen and emits an electrical impulse at low frequency. It’s similar to TENS units used by chiropractors—but the chiros use a higher frequency and Woodson says a low frequency is better at addressing the neurological level of the body, which is the source of pain.

Woodson places the MPS device on the same meridian lines as acupuncture, tracing certain points that stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. “If there’s issues from the waist down, I start with the back first before doing anything else. If you have [issues above the waist], like tennis elbow, I start with the neck.

I’m starting at the source” not necessarily the physical location of the pain, says Woodson.

Her clients say treatments, especially on the back, can induce a euphoric feeling like a runner’s high. “It increases endorphins, the body’s natural pain killer,” Woodson says.

There’s also sometimes stiffness, but Woodson says that’s a sign of the body realigning itself and is a good thing.

“Chronic issues can take longer, but most people can see results from one to two treatments and a majority of people will notice a reduction in pain somewhere around 85 percent,” she says.

But be aware: This is not for use on pregnant women or those with epilepsy or pacemakers.

Costs are out-of-pocket, but are equivalent to what you’d pay for a good massage.

FIT HEALTH

Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) This is one straight from the science fiction books. Administered by a physician, this procedure takes your blood from your arm and puts it through a centrifuge to separate the plasma from the red blood cells.

The process also concentrates the platelets contained within the plasma.

Plasma cells are chock full of something called growth factors, the protein that stimulates cell growth and healing.

“What we do is we concentrate the platelets, thereby concentrating growth factors, and inject them into the source [of pain]—tears in the muscle, tendonitis and boney problems. It works well with arthritis wear and tear” like the knee problems runners often have, Dr. Spain says.

The whole process takes five minutes. “It’s almost the same process as a cortisone shot—but cortisone can break down tendon, muscles and bones—it’s not a safe thing to do repeatedly. [This is] extremely safe because it’s your own blood product. The risk of infection is next to nothing. It’s an uncomfortable shot and then there’s a little flare-up.

There’s really no downside,” he says.

I know what you’re thinking: This sounds kind of like blood doping.

Rest assured that in 2011, the World Anti-Doping Agency removed PRP from its list of prohibitions, saying: “Despite the presence of some growth factors… current studies on PRP do not demonstrate any potential for performance enhancement beyond a potential therapeutic effect.”

The Future of Healing Dr. Wallace says there are two fields that are emerging in sports medicine: Stem cell therapy and orthobiologics. Stem cells are similar concept to PRP. “It’s injecting cells that have the opportunity to become different cells,” he explains. Orthobiologics is the use of our own cells to heal problem areas. “[It’s] growth of new tissues that we can insert into the body—[trying] to mimic portions of the body that might be damaged. It could involve engineering of tissues or using your own cells to grow tissues,” he says.

With every new injury, we athletes can feel like our ability to enjoy sports is slipping away. But these new therapies mean we may enjoy unprecedented ability to stay active longer than ever before.

Though not covered by insurance yet (it’s still considered experimental, despite being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration), treatment takes anywhere from one to three shots over the course of about a week and at Dr. Spain’s office costs about $500 per treatment.

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COACHING

RUNNING WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS No Data? No Problem.

It’s 6 p.m. on a Monday night, there’s not a cloud in the Florida sky.

The temperature is a blazing 93 degrees and I’m hitting the road for a run. I leave my house with no watch and no course in mind. I know it’s going to be brutal but that’s ok—I had a rough day, I need this.

As I turn left out the drive I just relax. The trees are still, I am alone and all that’s left to do now is embrace the sweat as it begins to pour from my temples. This is my run. I have nothing to compare this run to, no watch telling me I’m slower or faster than my last run, no benchmark for being better or worse.

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by Matt Reedy, a USAT certified running coach and CEO of Naples-based Leapfrog Athletics.

It is just my after-work run on a Monday night.

When was the last time you went for a run like this? As a running and triathlon coach, I’m always trying to get the very best out of my athletes. Often that requires gathering and tracking data. But there’s value in ditching your data too.

Most runners are goal oriented, and our weekly runs offer an opportunity to check off little incremental goals. And so we instinctively check our watches, and think, “I did two miles at a 10 minute mile pace, not bad,” or, “uh-oh, my mile split was off, gotta pick it up.” It’s not a bad thing to know the metrics or to have goals. However when I ask: How did you feel during your run? Many of my athletes don’t have a clear answer.

It’s important for runners to pay attention to how they feel—and that’s something you can’t get from your Garmin display. I coach all of my runners to take stock of their form, breathing, stride and posture during every run. Learning to perceive how you are running is what brings balance to training.

Additionally, on our bad days the clock can be downright discouraging. And on the best

days, we may see that quick mile split and worry that we’re running at an unsustainable pace. Instead of continuing to push you may be tempted to back off.

Furthermore, the person who has the most data doesn’t always win; remember Rocky?

When Rocky fought the Russian in “Rocky III” we saw how, on paper, the Russian was the superior athlete. Drago had more power, more strength, and every gadget measured him to be the best. Rocky meanwhile trained without technology. He trained not by computer but by pure drive and effort.

Ultimately, Rocky just knew he had it in him!

So next time you lace up, take off your tracking device. Go ahead, I dare you. Try a new route and just run to run. Fast or slow, long or short, the details don’t always matter.

Running to free your mind, better your health and experience joy: That’s why I run.

To learn more about Reedy’s training philosophy, visit www.leapfrogathletics.com.

THIS IS YOUR SALAD

by Victoria Wiseman

FUEL

ON STEROIDS.

PHOTO/ABSHERDESIGN.COM

TRY THIS

MEAT SALAD just sounds right, doesn’t it?

While salad stands for everything that is lean, austere and nutritious, meat is all about indulgence, flavor and (dare we say) delicious fatty drippings.

Putting the two together gives you the Laotian/ Thai dish called larb. Made of ground meat spiked with citrus, garlic and chilies, I think it should be a staple recipe in every house in America—especially those containing

• • • • • • •

1 ½ pounds ground pork 1 pound ground turkey 1 teaspoon coconut oil 1 red onion, sliced thinly ½ cup vegetable broth 2 tablespoons fish sauce ¼ cup lemongrass paste If using fresh, remove the outer leaves and top few inches and mince finely. Even easier, give it a few whirls in a small food processor.

• • • • •

Juice of 4 limes A big handful of chopped cilantro Shredded red cabbage and/or shredded carrots Red pepper flakes or Asian hot sauce, to taste Iceberg lettuce Plate in leaves for a rollup, or chopped for salad.

busy athletes. It’s healthy, delicious and tastes complicated while being only-one-pan easy.

what I mean. But don’t go crazy with it—it’s a potent little number.

The only tricky thing is finding lemongrass—I nabbed it in the produce section in a squeeze tube. (If you really can’t find it at all, you can try subbing some lemon juice and lemon zest, but add incrementally and taste often.) And if you don’t have the deliciously umami fish sauce in your house, go get some immediately.

It’s what gives that je ne sais quoi to Asian dishes. The next time you cook Asian food, put a few dabs of fish sauce in and you’ll see

While most of the time I think garnishes are silly flourishes reminiscent of the fussy 1985 food scene—do NOT neglect them in this dish.

The shredded cabbage, carrots and crisp iceberg lettuce are absolutely necessary (plus, you know, veggies!). This is a perfect cold dish for a hot summer evening that still is proteinrich. Best of all, you can make all the parts ahead of time—so it’s waiting when you get home from the gym.

Low Carb Larb Recipe Makes six generous portions. Leftovers freeze great and thaw easily.

DIRECTIONS

Warm the coconut oil in the bottom of a high-sided skillet and crumble in the ground turkey and pork. (If you’re using a non-stick skillet you can skip the oil.) Brown until the juices start to flow, then add onion and sauté until the meat is fully cooked and the onions have started to soften. Add the broth, fish sauce, lemongrass paste and lime juice, cooking until the mixture is fragrant and the meat is cooked through. Remove from the heat and stir in the chopped cilantro, shredded cabbage and/or carrots, and red pepper/hot sauce, if desired.

This is a versatile dish, which you can serve cold over chopped iceberg lettuce or in lettuce cups as a rollup. Keep it warm and serve it over rice for a dinner feel. You can also sub ground chicken for the pork or do the whole thing with beef. Do what you want—but whatever you choose, we guarantee you’ll never look at salad quite the same way again.

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FUEL

THE RAW DEAL

The Cider Press Café offers perfect-for-summer raw dining.

TRY THIS

by Anne Reed

It’s hot. It’s humid.

It’s officially summer in Southwest Florida.

Which means the thought of eating something hot makes me feel like I’ll melt.

Unfortunately, a girl can’t live on salads and popsicles alone.

The solution?

A little slice of heaven: A creamy cool slice of a chocolate ganache tart, a sip of hard hibiscus lemonade, or a soothing banana chai smoothie from The Cider Press Café. This new Naples hot spot cool spot serves gourmet raw, vegan and gluten-free food and drinks, often with a Florida twist.

Co-owners Roland Strobel and Johan Everstijn have penned their vision for the restaurant right on the menu, where they say: “[we] choose to bring you uncooked foods to awaken your palate to the true tastes, colors, and vitality that our foods naturally have.”

The kitchen—with no hot stove in sight—is slightly screened off from the dining area and features a host of unusual culinary equipment, like a dehydrator and a sous vide machine. In raw dining there’s no butter or melted cheese to hide behind, so every detail in the preparation process matters, as does using super high quality ingredients.

Take, for example, the tortillas. “We use non-GMO corn,” explained Everstijn. “We make a huge effort in what we buy, and want it to be good quality. We know that normal corn, for example, tends to be genetically modified, which is something we don’t want here. For 40 tortillas, it takes about an hour of labor, another half hour to actually make the little tortillas by hand, and then an additional 24 hours of dehydration. These aren’t your everyday enchiladas.”

PHOTOS/ SAMATHA DUFFY

Strobel and Everstijn clearly have a passion for healthful food, and during both of my visits to the restaurant, I observed them circling the dining room, chatting with patrons and happily explaining different menu items. When Executive Chef Everstijn stopped by our table to chat he explained the process of making a dish I’d had on a previous visit, the cheesy kale chips. It’s a multi-step recipe, which includes dehydrated kale, cashew cheese and nutritional yeast. “Preparation time is about an hour, because we have to make the cashew cheese,” explained Everstijn, adding, “[The cashews] are soaked for

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The Cider Press Café 1201 Piper Blvd., Suite 26, Naples, FL [239] 631-2500 www.CiderPressCafe.com Open 11 AM to 11 PM Daily PRICE $$: moderate, with entrees ranging $15-$22 SUMMER SPECIALS: Sparkling wines 30 percent off & 9-11 PM all sangria & wine from open bottles is half priced.

a few hours, then we add nutritional yeast, salt, and spices, red or yellow pepper for coloring, blend it, and massage the whole thing into the kale, which has also been prepped.

Then it goes into the dehydrator for two days, sometimes more. We like to leave it in there a little longer for good measure.”

My lunch date, Samantha Duffy, took the gorgeous photos accompanying this review.

We started our meal with cold drinks—I opted for a selection from their juice menu, the Emerald Green. Featuring D’Anjou pear, parsley, cucumber, celery, and lime, the juice tasted refreshingly crisp and clean, and had a fun bit of froth at the top. Pear, which has anti-inflammatory properties, was the strongest flavor, with the celery and parsley offering herbal notes. Samantha enjoyed a banana chai smoothie, which was a fantastic alternative to a milkshake for the dairy-free set.

Both would be good substitutes for the sugarlaced fast food milkshakes and slushies that tempt us on muggy afternoons.

As an appetizer, we ordered the coconut spring rolls, which are filled with sea tangle kelp noodles (which are high in calcium and iron, two things vegans can have trouble

getting enough of), cabbage, carrots, and cucumbers.

Everything is rolled up in a coconut wrap and served with an almond Caribbean jerk sauce.

The wrap was thin, like parchment, and slightly chewy with a definite coconut taste.

The filling made the rolls crunchy, and the sauce had only a hint of jerk spice, which balanced nicely with the clean flavor of the filling. This appetizer is a perfect starter for summer date nights, or a lunchtime treat in place of a traditional salad.

For lunch, I tried a new menu item, the King Trumpet Louis Salad. I demanded that Samantha try the Buckingham Farms tomato ‘lasagna’—I’d had it before and knew it was a not-to-be-missed menu item. The ‘lasagna’ truly is wonderful. I actually watched her eat it in envy, wishing I’d ordered it. The salad was not what I had expected (but fans of a traditional Crab Louis salad may have more luck than I did). The King Trumpet mushrooms were mixed in with a dressing, which had a sun-dried tomato base. The beautiful and delicate trumpet mushrooms just seemed to be drowning in the heavy dressing.

But let’s focus on the good stuff. The Buckingham Farms tomato ‘lasagna’ features hearty slices of locally grown tomatoes and thin ribbons of zucchini layered with sun dried

tomato marinara, herbed cashew ricotta and a basil walnut pesto. It’s a deceptively simple dish that delivers an explosion of flavor with each bite. It all reminds me of summer: a delicious ripe tomato, fresh basil, the slight crunch of zucchini, perfection! My favorite part, though, is the onion bread that is served alongside it. A flat triangle of what looks like smashed and tangled onion slices, the bread is actually dehydrated onion, and is crispy enough to give even the hardcore Paleo/ gluten-free folks the illusion that they are crunching on a piece of fresh crusty bread.

By far, the lasagna is my favorite dish to the menu, and Samantha loved it so much she ordered a couple more to-go and took them to her parents, who eat gluten-free and have not had lasagna in years.

We could have (and probably should have) stopped there. But Samantha pointed out the desserts, and being in the throes of Ironman training, I thought, why not? We have not reviewed many desserts for FitNation, but The Cider Press Café features healthy(ish) desserts with quality ingredients. And in truth, eating healthy shouldn’t mean foregoing all sweets all the time. We ordered and shared the chocolate ganache tart and the salted caramel cheesecake. The tart featured coconut oil (high in medium chain triglycerides and lauric acid for energy boosts), agave, and cacao powder. It reminded me of a very good dark chocolate bar—just a little bit sweet, with the slight bitterness of the chocolate coming through. The salted caramel cheesecake is cashew-based, with a walnut/date crust. It had the same texture you would anticipate from a dairy cheesecake, which was impressive, considering it’s made with soaked cashews.

Pink Himalayan sea salt dotted the top and provided a salty contrast to the sweet dessert.

Both the tart and the cheesecake were such treats that I’ve added a trip back to my summer to-do list—and you should too.

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FIT TO BE KING Naples MMA athlete Mike King is fighting his way to the top. By A.C. Shilton

“For me, fighting It’s like

There’s no shortage of drama in the video trailer for the 2014 season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” Fists meet faces in glorious slow motion as a choir sings something with gothic overtones in the background. Meanwhile the occasional, well-placed splatter of blood reminds people that this is the UFC, not the pussyfooting WWE. In the melee of this promo video—between the strobe lights and the yip, yip, yipping of the hyped-up announcers—you can catch a glimpse of Naples-based Mike King.

The Ohio native came to Naples to train a few years ago and the move has proven a fruitful one; he’s had nothing but success since. But that’s emblematic of King’s career as a whole: King hasn’t lost a fight since 2008. His rise to the top of the sport has been swift, deliberate and memorable—like a well-aimed right hook.

And though he may not have suffered for years at the lower levels, slowly winding his way through the School of Hard Knocks like many grizzled and chiseled MMA vets, he can still dish out the hard knocks when he needs to. Which is why King just may be on track to become Southwest Florida’s next great sports star.

A Lover & A Fighter Muscular, but with a bronzy beard and free-flowing hair, Mike King looks more like your low-key, bass-playing neighbor (except that he’s super-ripped) than a trained assailant clawing his way to the top of the world’s most brutal sport.

Maybe that’s because King doesn’t consider himself a brute. “I actually don’t really like to define myself as a fighter. I’m actually kind of a pacifist,” he says in complete honesty. There’s not even a hint of irony in his voice as he adds, “It’s just a sport, there are rules; it’s structured. I’m not confrontational at all, I’m kind of a hippie person.”

King grew up in a combat sports household. His father coached wrestling for 35 years and got King involved early. In high school King regularly made it to the state championships.

But he played football too, and when he entered college at Otterbein University he knew he had to choose one sport to focus on. So he picked football, thinking he’d have more fun. It turned out to be a good decision. It was King’s football coach that eventually talked him into going to his first “bout.” He won it in four seconds.

“My coach knew about my wrestling background,” says King. “After that fight, at first I was just doing it for fun. I got into a gym called Buckeye MMA in Columbus, and then I scheduled another fight. We were just sort of testing to see where I was.”

King spent the next year training and fighting at the recreational level. He had a fulltime corporate job, which he hated, but needed to pay the rent. He snuck in workouts where he could, but was usually limited to training only three hours a day. To take his career to the next level, he knew he’d need more.

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PHOTOS/GABRIEL LANCE

is like a chess game. physical chess...�

“I actually don’t really like to define myself as a fighter. I’m actually kind of a pacifist.”

Big Hits, Bigger Goals When Mike King steps into the octagon, he seems calm, even contemplative. Adrenaline must be streaking through his veins.

It must be. But if it is, King doesn’t show it.

“For me, fighting is like a chess game. It’s like physical chess,” he says. “There’s a level of intelligence you need to compete at this level. Sure, there are brawlers, but they’re typically not going to make it to this level.”

which King says is crucial for getting noticed. In MMA whom you know and whom you train with is almost as important as how you fight.

In Florida there were options on both coasts, but King chose to work with Marcelo Pereira, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion in Naples. The then 26-year-old King and his longtime girlfriend, Elizabeth Bland, packed their things and headed south.

House Hunters

For King, fighting is observing, reacting, adapting, calculating, plotting. In between, he strikes.

Right after King’s 30th birthday—(a number considered “old” by almost all fighters)—his phone rang. It was his agent.

His mental approach to fighting is likely one of the things that helped him climb quickly through the ranks. In 2010 he blew through a major amateur tournament, cruising to victory in fight after fight. A supplement company took notice.

“Hey man, get in shape,” he said.

“At first I had to wheel and deal with people, but once MaxForce [the supplement company] came on board, things got a lot easier.

I got a credit card and they basically paid for my training for the next three years. After that, each fight I’d win another sponsor would come forward.”

“It’s the best avenue to build a fan base quickly,” he says. Like any sport, the more fans you have, the more lucrative you are to sponsors. The more lucrative you are to sponsors, the easier it is to make a decent living. “The money in the sport is at the top of the UFC. If you do well and you’re smart, you can set yourself up for life.”

King signed off from his corporate job and started looking for a home base from which to launch his professional career. South Florida has several of the best MMA fighting gyms in the country, 20

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His agent had secured King an audition for this year’s season of “The Ultimate Fighter.” King was stoked.

Before the audition, King had been worried about “making it” before he got too old. As a 30-year-old, he’d noticed he wasn’t

recovering as quickly. He knew he had an expiration date in this sport and each day seemed to take him closer and closer to it.

“I do want to have kids and be able to throw the ball with them and not be so beat up I can’t do things,” he says. “It’s fun while it lasts but you have to know when to stop.”

This audition was his ticket onto the fast track.

“It’s a three-part try out. First you grapple, if you can’t grapple, you’re out immediately,” he says. Of course King could grapple.

He made it through that round, then the next and the last.

He was in.

If you’ve never seen it, “The Ultimate Fighter” is like the worst college frat living situation you could ever imagine. First, you’re living with a bunch of young men (some of which really do seem to enjoy fighting over, well, everything). And according to King, the cleanliness standards are what you might expect from a bunch of 20-something professional fighters. So that’s hard—especially for a 30-year-old who has long outgrown the frat-living stage.

But here’s what’s probably the worst part: You actually have to fight your roommates for the chance to stay—even the ones you inevitably end up liking.

We’re not allowed to say much about how King does on the show—as of the publishing of this magazine the final episodes were still in production. But we can tell you that King had to make another trip out to Vegas for late-stage filming, so take from that what you want.

What King can tell us is that, as promised, the show has helped him gain a big following. In the first few weeks of the show his Twitter account (@MikeTheManKing) went from 200 to 2,000 followers. Recently someone stopped him at a restaurant in Naples to ask for a photograph. King has to admit he likes the feeling of it.

If he wins, he’ll walk away with a $250,000 UFC contract and the promise that the UFC will promote him like crazy. If he doesn’t win, it’s hard to know what will happen.

Anthony DiSarro, who oversees King’s functional strength and cardio conditioning at CrossFit Redline, has no doubt that King will continue to succeed, even if he’s not this year’s Ultimate Fighter. “All professional athletes have an innate ability acquire new skills very rapidly and Mike is no exception,” he says, adding that King seems to have a drive and a desire that outpaces most.

But will he reach the level of success he’s hoping for before he meets his rapidly approaching retirement date? Will his body give way before his goals can be realized?

King doesn’t think so.

“I use the word ‘journey’ a lot. So far, everything I’ve done in my life has been preparation for this. I’ve put in the work, and it’s accelerated me this far,” he says. He adds that the sport is, “As pure as it gets. You get out of it what you put into it.”

Which means ideally he should get everything he’s invested back.

Unfortunately though, many of his sacrifices aren’t the kinds of things you can get back: Years of his life, friendships, relationships, the symmetry of his face from a fractured orbital—the list is long.

Still, King will keep fighting, keep maneuvering, keep plotting.

Like the chess game he compares his sport to, King plans to keep marching forward until he has no moves left. And while losing “The Ultimate Fighter” would certainly put him in check, any chess player will tell you that the King only becomes more and more powerful in the endgame.

TRAIN

FNWORKOUT: UNCOMMONCORE Forget washboard abs—paddleboard abs are what you really want.

PHOTOS/PAUL BUCETA shot in Roatan Honduras, hair and make up by Lori Fabrizio and Valeria Nova.

WORKOUT

train step by step

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by Leslie Lewis

Both yoga and paddleboarding improve your core strength; combine the two, and you get one killer ab workout.

supporting your weight on your forearms.

Hold there for five breaths, keeping the core tight, then shift your weight forward into the mack-daddy of all abdominal exercises, the forearm plank. Hold the plank for five breaths or 30 seconds. To feel like a paddle-yoga god, alternate between dolphin pose and forearm plank 10 times.

Plus, instead of staring at the gym ceiling while you crunch, you’ll be watching white puffy clouds roll by while you work out on a beautiful beach.

Fish Pose

If you’re new to paddleboarding, get a lesson on the basics when you rent your board. You also might want to get an anchor to hold your board in place; it will make things a lot easier. (Many local rental shops carry them, or you can buy a small anchor at a local boating store.) And if you’re more of a landlubber, all of these moves can be done on a yoga mat as well, so you can still rock a killer ab pose without getting your suit wet.

Boat Pose

Lie on your back. Raise your legs and torso at the same time, creating the shape of a V while keeping your arms straight out in front of you, palms facing your knees.

Hold here for five breaths, then lower your legs and your torso to half-boat pose, where your feet and head are only about a foot off the ground. Hold that pose for five breaths before releasing. To intensify the move, alternate between full boat and half boat 10 times, then rest.

Dolphin Pushups

Lie on the board on your stomach, with your arms bent, and your forearms on the board alongside your torso. Curl your toes under and lift your hips into the air,

Start lying flat on your back. Lift your torso and rest your forearms on the board, supporting yourself with your bent arms.

Drop your head back and reach the crown of your head toward the paddleboard.

Next, inch your elbows away from your upper back until your head touches the board. When you find your balance, release your arms and raise them into the air, straightening them and bringing your palms together. Lastly—and this is the hard part—raise your legs into the air, keeping them straight and pointing your toes. Hold for five breaths, or to intensify the exercise, raise and lower your legs 10 times, then rest.

Wheel Pose

Boat Pose

Dolphin Pose

Forearm Plank

Lie on your back on the board. Bend your knees and bring your feet about a foot’s distance from your seat. Plant your hands next to your ears, palms down. They should be about shoulder distance apart.

Inhale, and push onto your hands and feet, lifting the rest of your body up and off the board. This provides a great stretch for the abdominals. Hold for five breaths, then lower yourself gently back down to the board and rest.

Leslie Lewis is a certified yoga instructor, a bikini fitness competitor, an established writer and a mom.

She lives in Naples, Florida with her family.

Fish Pose

Paddle Board Tips 1) Go big. A big board is going to be more stable, allowing you to really work on your yoga poses.

2) Get an anchor. Dropping a small boat anchor will keep you from drifting downstream as you workout.

3) Choose a calm day. Wind and waves make paddleboarding tough, if you’re a beginner, start on a windless day.

4) Don’t forget your sunscreen!

Wheel Pose

Hair and makeup by Jenny Caceres from Aveda, Naples FL PHOTOS/ SAMMY DUFFY

Jenna Jenna Voelkert, 25. Personal trainer.

Swim coach. Lululemon goddess.

Triathlete. Happiest when near water.

Cat lover.

WELL SUITED FOR SPORT

Sanchesca Sanchesca Brown, 30. Runner, CrossFitter and RN super hero at Lee Memorial Hospital. Horror film buff. Stays fit to keep up with her eight-year-old son.

The two recently did a Spartan Race together.

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Swimwaer available at following retailers [ LEFT Page] www. JolynClothing.com,[ RIGHT ] www. Olde Naples Surf.com and wwww. JolynClothing.com

Sure, lying on the beach is fun, but we know most FitNation readers aren't really the lounging type. For us, beach time means catching a game of volleyball, or surfing a tasty barrel or swimming 3,000 meters. Unfortunately, that's not always what swimwear manufacturers have in mind when they design those two-bit numbers. We put a handful of active suits to the test on the beautiful beach at the Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort.

Here are our favorite functional suits for summer.

TECHNO PRINTS Old school rules with these awesome retro prints & fits - but that's the only retro thing about them.

These suits have all the modern comforts you've come to expect.

Matt Matt Torres, 26. Former Naples High wide receiver ( go Eagles! ). Owner of North Naples CrossFit. Can do 55 pull-ups in a row. Secretly loves Breyer's Cookies & Cream ice cream.

[ LEFT & RIGHT Page] www.OldNaplesSurfShop.com [ RIGHT COLUMN top to bottom] www. lululemon.com, www. JolynClothing.com, www. JolynClothing.com, www.OldNaplesSurfShop.com

S

[ LEFT Page] rashguard : www.CalaveraSwimwear.com Swimpant and top : www.OldNaplesSurfShop.com [ RIGHT ] www.OldNaplesSurfShop.com

Madison Madison Absher, 20. Equestrian. Former dive team member. Savannah College of Art & Design student.

Loves riding her horse Spyder bareback. Can often be found jamming out to Owl City's -“Fireflies.”

COVER STYLE Stylish rash guards & swim pants provide sun protection without giving up good looks.

RETRO STYLE SUNBLEACHED RETRO PRINTS AND LENGHTS TEAM WITH TECHNO FABRICS.

Kyle Kyle Herbers, 27. Southern gentleman.

Total mama's boy. Personal trainer.

Dog lover stuck in a dog-forbidding apartment.

Occasional sneaker of a Big Mac.

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Two years ago, the Park-to-Pier swim was over almost as soon as it started.

The day began innocently enough. Athletes lined the water’s edge as they made last minute goggle adjustments and the warm sun rose over the Gulf of Mexico. The air horn sounded and 200 or so toned bodies sprinted for the surf. What no one knew was that a jellyfish bloom had happened in the days leading up to the event. Moments after hitting the water, athletes came streaming back out—this time sporting a confetti-like smattering of brand new, bright red jellyfish stings. “I always remember that I’m a guest in the ocean,” says Matt Reedy, founder and coach at Leapfrog Athletics. He leads group swims every Friday night during the summer, but he never forgets that we’re truly landlubbers.

WHATS IN THE WATER

But what is “it?” Well, we’ve got good news and bad news.

It really could be a shark, but it could also be any number of other critters. Read on for everything you need to know about staying safe in the water this summer.

SHARK!

We would be lying if we told you that dark mass that swam past you probably isn’t a shark.

Water?

“It’s actually a misnomer,” says Laakkonen. “Sea lice affect fish, not humans.” Instead, what people are feeling are the stings from tiny larval stage jellyfish. “They’re hard to see in the water, but the larva can get into your swimsuit, get trapped and fire their toxin into your skin,” Laakkonen adds.

JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE… By A.C. Shilton

It’s entirely possible that it was a shark.

Indeed, there are seven types of shark that call Southwest Florida waters home. And a 2009 study found that sharks—especially great whites—hang out much closer to shore than researchers had originally thought. (Also, while great whites are rare here, a tagged great white named “Betsey” and one named “Elizabeth” were both tracked in the waters off of Boca Grande this May.) Sounds terrifying, right? It shouldn’t be. Florida does have more shark attacks (and really, experts say the term “attack” is misleading, as most attacks are simply cases of mistaken identity) than any other state in the U.S. Still, since 2001 there have only been 295 total shark attacks in the state, only three of which were fatal. To put that in perspective, in 2009 alone there were 2,558 fatalities from motor vehicle accidents in Florida. You’re way more likely to die on the way to the beach than to die from a shark bite. Even more reassuring, according to the International Shark Attack File, Lee and Collier Counties have had only seven shark attacks a piece since 1882. None have been fatal.

If you do spot a shark, Katie Laakkonen, an environmental specialist for the City of Naples suggests swimming to shore as calmly as possible. Try not to panic or splash like an injured animal.

Other Tall, Dark and Mysterious Characters

During the late spring and late fall it’s possible the large creature swimming nearby is a cownose ray.

Twice a year rays pass by our shores as they migrate to and from warmer Mexican waters. If you’re lucky, you could see a school of hundreds or even thousands go by. “Rays do have a barb, they can sting, but it’s uncommon,” says Laakkonen. “If you just leave them alone they’ll generally just swim on by you,” she adds.

Also occasionally found on or near beaches are American crocodiles and American alligators. “Every now and then an alligator will make its way onto the beach, they can handle saltwater,” says Laakkonen.

And while she’s unaware of any established crocodile populations on this coast, sightings—especially near the Marco Island Airport—are not unheard of.

Both alligators and crocodiles pose little-to-no risk to humans. “There isn’t a lake in this state without a gator in it,” says Moreland, adding that a few gators never stopped her from swimming. She’s smart not to let them scare her: There hasn’t been a fatal gator attack in Florida since 2007, and almost all alligator attacks are the result of an alligator becoming accustomed to being fed by humans. Like sharks and rays, if you see a gator in the water, swim calmly towards land.

And what you saw could have also been a dolphin. Locally you’re most likely see bottlenose dolphins, which are generally known as being harmless to humans. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re approachable. Touching and feeding dolphins is prohibited, so if you see one, just keep swimming.

Small but Mightily Annoying

Similarly, you’ll often hear about people getting something called “sea lice.”

Okay, so your chance of being crunched mid-stroke by something with dagger-like teeth is actually kind of slim. That should make you feel better. So now the bad news: There are things you legitimately need to worry about in the water—unfortunately, most of them you can’t see.

According to the University of Arkansas, which publishes an entire website devoted to medical myths, both urine and vinegar will not help soothe a jellyfish sting. Instead, wash the area with salt water (fresh water can makes things worse, as it can react with the neurotoxins that jellyfish release) and try to scrape off any remaining tentacles from the skin, using either a glove or a plastic credit card. Allergies to jellyfish stings do happen, so if someone appears to be having a violent response to a sting, seek medical help immediately.

While jellyfish are annoying, it may be the tiniest creatures of all that really do the most damage when swimming.

Last year Vibrio vulnificus, a “flesh-eating” bacteria, infected five people in Lee County—two died.

The bacteria thrive in warm, salty water; so most U.S. cases come from the Gulf Coast states. Most often it is contracted by swimmers who enter the water with open wounds, so it’s important to never swim with any kind of skin laceration. The Lee County Department of Health says it sees about five cases a year, but that last year’s two fatalities were unusual.

Freshwater has its own dangers too, including the nasty Naegleria fowleri, aka Primary Amebic Meningoencepalitis aka PAM aka brain-eating amoebas. According to state health records, of the 123 confirmed cases from 1962 to 2011 only one person has ever survived an encounter with PAM, so this is serious stuff. Essentially, Primary Amebic Meningoencepalitis enters the body through the nose; you can’t get it from swallowing infected water. It travels up your nose and into your brain, where it destroys your brain tissue. Horror movie stuff, right?

Symptoms start 11-14 days after infection, and include a fever, nausea, headache and a stiff neck.

Usually within three to seven days of showing symptoms the patient dies. However, early intervention may be the ticket to saving patients—if you suspect you may have gotten infected water in your nose and you start to show symptoms, contact your doctor immediately. Doctor’s aren’t entirely clear on the best way to treat PAM, but they’ll likely give you several different drugs in hopes one will stave off the infection.

This all sounds bad, right? Here’s a bit of news to put your mind at ease: local waters really are very, very safe—and there’s data to prove it! Every other week a Collier County Department of Health employee stops by 10 different Collier County beaches to test for fecal coliform—or, well, poop bacteria. “It would be an indication of either a sewage leak or a gastrointestinal accident,” says Rachel Van Blaricom, the environmental health manager for Collier County. If a test came back positive, a second sample would be tested. If that too came back positive, notices would be posted on local beaches, but Van Blaricom says that the beaches would, in fact, remain open.

Luckily, a test hasn’t come back positive since 2007—so that’s surely something to cheer about.

“The beach really is one of this area’s selling points, so I think it’s really been a group effort to keep them clean,” says Van Blaricom, adding, “there are just so many people looking out for our resources.”

So go ahead, jump right in; the water is (mostly) fine!

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MODEL/ JENNA ART DIRECTOR/LISA ABSHER ILLUSTRATOR/DAVID BOYETTE

Jill Castle Moreland, who coaches the Gulf Coast Swim Team and has been training in open water regularly for the past five years, says that she feels completely safe in our local waters—both fresh and salt. “I’ve really never had an issue, if you see something in the water, most of the time it wants to get away from you more than you want to get away from it.”

What’s In the

While the types of jellyfish we have locally aren’t likely to cause long-term damage with their stings, they’re still annoying. Laakkonen says that the best way to protect yourself is to know the conditions that often trigger blooms, like warm weather and lots of runoff from rain. The runoff provides food for the jellyfish—but also hurts local fish species that would have preyed on the jellies. The warm temperatures encourage them to breed. If the tides are right, we can get a bloom that lingers right offshore for days.

PHOTOS/ SAMATHA DUFFY

And that’s wise advice. While our waterways are generally safe for swimming, what’s lurking within them may surprise you. Of course, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t swim. Far from it. Open water swimming is terrific, impact-free exercise.

Better yet, besides the nominal investment in a pair of goggles, a swim cap and a bathing suit, it’s completely free.

TRAIN

BODY SHOTS

Snap better workout pics with these quick tips.

by Victoria Wiseman and A.C. Shilton

TRENDING NOW

When it comes to gym selfies, there’s a lot that can go wrong.

One false move and suddenly you’re *that* guy on the Internet: An overnight sensation— and not in a good way.

Laugh if you will, but taking the perfect gym selfie is actually kind of an art. It’s all too easy to look gross and sweaty or washed out by bad fluorescent lighting. And seriously, that quasi-creepy into-the-gym-mirror selfie pic?

Just don’t.

We put our lives on the Internet these days, and although you might feel cheesy clicking a pic, why should you be ashamed to show your tribe your athletic side? Besides, in the age of social media, workouts only really count if you post something about them online.

The good news is this: Anyone can be a selfie master. Following a few simple rules can improve your solo snapshots in a major way. We asked Fort Myers-based photographer Brian Tietz (whose photos have graced this mag’s pages many times) for his selfie taking tips.

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“Always make sure the camera is up a bit, that you’re not shooting from below you looking up,” he warned. By shooting from above (but not drastically so), you’ll eliminate the threat of a double chin and a view straight up your nose. “Tilt your head up a bit too, that makes your neck look longer and will help avoid that double chin thing,” he adds.

Gyms are notorious for having terrible lighting—fluorescent overhead lights make everyone look bad. Teitz suggests seeking out natural light if at all possible. “If your gym has a window, take the photo as close to it as you can.” Or if you’re in a CrossFit box with a rollup door, stand by that. But don’t stand right in front of the light source; that will make the photo backlit. “If you are stuck with fluorescent lighting, position yourself so the light is slightly in front of you, not right over you,” says Tietz.

Oh and the duck face? It’s not doing anything good for you. “The only time the duck face works is if it’s intentionally ironic,” he says.

In fact, for most of us, doing the duck face just makes us squinch our eyes—making our crow’s feet really stand out.

If you don’t want to end up as an Internet meme, avoid trying to get an action shot the first time you try a new move. Instead, try snapping a shot post-lift next to that impressive stack you put on the bar. With a snappy caption, you’ll get a ton of likes.

For the ladies, consider wearing just a touch of makeup. Waterproof mascara and a tinted lip balm will make you appear polished and put together without that “I wear makeup to work out” clown face. Also, shoot early in your session; no one looks sleek after 100 burpees (unless you want to show how badass you are, then go for it ).

“Have fun with it,” Tietz adds. Really, that’s the cornerstone of his advice—if you’re having an awesome time, it will shine through in the photo. “With any photography it’s okay to break the rules every once in a while. A cool shot is a cool shot,” he adds.

2014

EVENT CALENDAR

04 19

Moe’s Firecracker 5K Naples, FL // gcrunner.org Freedom 5K Cape Coral // ftmyerstrackclub.com Rotary’s Firecracker 5K Bonita Springs // runningintheusa.com

2014 5K Hemingway Sunset Run Key West, FL// keywesthalfmarathon.com

09 13

Beat the Heat 5K Naples American Duathlon Coral// 3dracinginc.com and Cape Triathlon

Naples // eliteevents.org

Cape 5K Cape Coral , FL //3dracinginc.com

Captiva Kids Triathlon Captiva, FL // trifind.com

Fit Nation Box Battles - Day 1 Fort Myers Beach, FL // fnboxbattles.com

11

Busey Bank Run for Prevention 5K Fort Myers, FL // active.com

06 26 16 14

Naples American Duathlon and Triathlon Naples , FL // eliteevents.org

Eagles Lakes 5K Naples , FL // eliteevents.org

Naples Cyclery Junior Triathlon Series Naples , FL // naplestriathletes.com

12 27

Oleta 5k-10k Trail Run North Miami Beach, FL // http://worksmartplayharder.com

AUGUST

Naples Fitness Challenge Naples, FL // gcrunner.org 9th Annual Fast Cat 5K XC Race Estero // 3dracinginc.com

North Collier Regional Rampage 5K Naples , FL // eliteevents.org

23

SEPTEMBER

Paradise Coast International Triathlon Duathlon and 10K Run Naples, FL // eliteevents.org Captiva Triathlon Captiva // trifind.com

Fit Nation Box Battles - Day 2 Fort Myers Beach, FL // fnboxbattles.com

12

JULY

20

ZERO Prostate Cancer Run/Walk Fort Myers, FL // kintera.org

OCTOBER

19

Rocktoberfest 10 miler & 2x5 Relay Naples, FL // eliteevents.org

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Tag yourself while you’re there!

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FITBOOK

PHOTOS BY SAMMY DUFFY

MAY 30, 2014; NAPLES, FLORIDA

P: PHOTO CREDIT (XX)

THE FITNESS CHALLENGE TRIATHLON

EVP ISLAND HOLIDAY PRO AM

PHOTOS BY SAMMY DUFFY

MAY 24, 2014; NAPLES, FLORIDA

FITBOOK

See more photos from this and other fitness events around Southwest Florida at facebook.com/fitnationmag.

Tag yourself while you’re there!

| 35

THUNDERDOME

PHOTOS BY SAMMY DUFFY

JUNE 21-22, 2014; NAPLES, FLORIDA

See more photos from this and other fitness events around Southwest Florida at facebook.com/fitnationmag.

Tag yourself while you’re there!

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FITBOOK

| 37

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INVICTUS FN THUNDERDOME ATHLETES TANNER MILLER HUGS JEREMY ECK AFTER WINNING A HEAD-TO-HEAD TIE BREAKER TO SECURE THEIR TEAMS PODIUM FINISH. PHOTOGRAPH BY KELLI KREBS

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SOUTHWEST / FLORIDA

/ SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FIT NATION FIT NATION MAGAZINE