2015
CONTENTS | January-February
18 22 28 Coach Upgrade Ever thought about hiring a coach? Read this before you make any big decisions.
Big Love
Plus-sized athletes are setting records and delivering results. Here’s why they deserve your respect.
Our Weird Year
Florida’s weird news isn’t just the stuff you find on the police blotter. Here are the best of 2014’s weird sports stories.
10 GEAR - What’s In His Gym Bag? Local mud runner Lance Sanson shows us how he gets dirty. 12 GEAR - Fit Tech A good water bottle is a must have for athletes. Here are our favorites. 14 FUEL - Try This Suffering through dried-out and tasteless boneless skinless chicken breasts? Try one of these healthy (and tastier) alternatives.
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40 TRAIN - Monthly Workout Skip the crowded gym with this bodyweight workout. 42 TRAIN - Trending Now By now we all know the Paleo diet, but what would Paleo workouts look like? 44 FITBOOK Photos from Southwest Florida’s best races and events.
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48 CALENDAR Races, rides and more upcoming events.
ON THE COVER
Illustration: Howard Kelley
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EDITOR'S LETTER
FIT NATION / southwest florida
Publisher/CEO Stan Dougé
For the past year and a half, I’ve also had one other goal that I worked on daily: to make this magazine the best it could be.
PRODUCTION FN Media Group
Chief Operating Officer Alfredo Escobar
CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER Robert Carlson
A Hello And A Goodbye
Managing Editor
I love that New Year smell. Everything just seems better in January. The holiday gorgefest is over, the gym is packed with your 200 sweatiest friends, and there are 12 months of awesome ahead of you.
Victoria Wiseman
Every January, I sit down and write out a lengthy list of resolutions. Some of them I keep, most of them (no more chocolate!) I end up dumping a few weeks down the road. But I never feel too badly about those I don’t keep, because the fact is, as athletes, we’re constantly trying to improve ourselves. We know that what we write down on January 1 isn’t as important as what we do day after day after day. Even if I forget to floss every now and then (hey, let’s be real, no one is perfect), I know that I’ll get up tomorrow and run as hard as I can, lift as much as I can, and maybe (but probably not) even stretch afterwards. And then I’ll do it the next day. And the day after that. For the past year and a half, I’ve also had one other goal that I worked on daily: to make this magazine the best it could be. I haven't always gotten it right. In fact, in last month’s issue we left off some really important credit info. Erik Kellar took the stellar shots in our 2014 Holiday Guide and stylist Barbara King made sure all the models looked amazing. Also, we failed to mention that Elvia Franco-Stepan makes her living as a personal trainer, alongside all of the other wonderful things she does. I sincerely regret that I didn’t catch those mistakes in the editing process. In the past year and a half, there have been some hard moments too. We’ve had to make tough editorial decisions. For example, deciding which athletes would make it into our High School Rising Stars issue and which wouldn’t was particularly tough. Earlier this month, FitNation’s friend Chelsea Santucci, whom we featured in the May story “Tougher Than Cancer” lost her fight. Though Victoria Wiseman wrote this great story, all of us were rooting for Chelsea, and all of us were affected by her loss. We feel eternally grateful that she shared her story with us.
A.C. Shilton
Associate Editor CREATIVE DIRECTOR Melody Tarver
Events
Chelsea Garlock
Advertising Sales Brett Richard (239) 330-3922 ads@fitnationmag.com
Contributing writers Erika Gilbrech, Joel Morris, Matthew Reedy, Colleen Kelly and Andrew Wiseman
Contributing photographers
Brian Tietz, Kelli Krebs, Erik Kellar and Samantha Duffy
INTERNS
Jacob Barish
That’s the best thing about this business, getting to hear incredible stories from those that are stronger, braver and tougher than you. It has always been my favorite part of being a journalist. This will be my last issue at the helm of FitNation. It’s time to move on to other adventures, and I think a fresh voice and new ideas will bring the magazine to even greater heights. I am so looking forward to seeing this local magazine grow in the next few years, though I will miss getting to personally record your stories. Still, I’ll be reading—so keep on amazing me. Happy New Year,
Connnect
fitnationmag.com AC Shilton
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New Year. New You. New Colors. Three great styles to celebrate 2015!
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GEAR
WHAT'S IN HIS GYM BAG?
GEAR THAT PLAYS AS TOUGH
AS A MUD RACER By Colleen Kelly
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Lance Sanson shows us his essential mud running gear. A lifelong runner and age group athlete, Lance Sanson stepped up his athletic pursuits in 2007 when he decided to take on his first marathon. Once he conquered the marathon, road racing evolved into trail racing. When he learned he could race while battling mud and obstacles, trail racing quickly evolved into mud running. The challenges presented by mud runs, combined with the opportunity to have fun with his friends, got him hooked on the sport. “I think there’s a natural tendency for grown-ups to want to be a kid again and go play in the mud,” he says. Since 2012, Sanson has competed in 14 mud or adventure races, including Spartan races, Tough Mudders, the Superhero Scramble, and two Death Races (which are 48-hour long races that organizers claim up to 90 percent of racers don’t complete). As a top finisher in either his age group or heat, Sanson’s strategy is to “go out fast, run everyone into the ground to clear a path, and then just keep going.” Part Terminator and part Energizer Bunny, Sanson has a go-big-or-go-bigger philosophy.
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“I’m looking for more obstacles, more mud. If you’re going to get dirty, you should get monumentally dirty.” So here’s what Sanson packs in his bag to help him outlast his competitors: 1. Inov-8 Trailroc running shoes: “Trailroc’s have great cushioning, plus these big knobs on the bottom that help grip the trail.” 2. Swiftwick and Darn Tough socks: “For longer races, like the Death Race, I wear thicker socks by Darn Tough. For mud runs, like the Spartan Races or a Tough Mudder, I wear Swiftwick socks because they are lightweight and durable.” 3. Motorola Motoactv sports watch: “In training, I think it’s important to learn to pace yourself, and I like how this watch tells me both my current pace and my average pace.” 4. SuperStarch by Generation UCAN: “For shorter mud runs, I don’t refuel and mostly hit the water stops to get the mud out
of my teeth. For longer mud runs, like 24-hour World’s Toughest Mudder, I’ll mainly refuel with water and protein power mixed with complex carbohydrate replacement SuperStarch by UCAN Generation. 5. 2XU apparel: “I always wear 2XU compression gear. The compression helps with circulation, plus the fact that it is tight means I don’t worry about it getting caught on obstacles or drug (sic) down with mud.” 6. Banana Boat Sport Performance Sunscreen, SPF 50: “Sunscreen is important, not just for the obvious reasons, but also because if you get burned during a long race you are going to be much colder at night when the sun goes down. I like Banana Boat Sport Performance Sunscreen because it stays put and doesn’t run into my eyes.” 7. Beer: “The thought of a pint of Guinness after the race helps keep me motivated. Plus, Alberto Salazar once told me that a beer or two after a hard race is a good recovery tool, and I figured if it worked for him…”
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FIT TECH
Hitting The Bottle You need a good water bottle. here are four road-tested options.
By Andrew Wiseman
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ou’re not still using single-serving water bottles, are you? Besides being full of BPAs (a chemical that, among other things, leeches harmful estrogen-like chemicals into your body and can mess with your nervous system), single-use bottles are a nightmare for the environment. In the United States, 17 million barrels of oil are consumed annually just from the production and shipping of single use bottles. Worse, only 15 percent of single use bottles are recycled. But you need water while you workout, especially here in Florida. Water makes up 50-70 percent of the average human’s bodyweight, and a loss of just 1 percent may affect athletic performance. Clearly you need a re-usable water bottle. Not all water bottles are created equal, though. Let’s look at what is currently available on the market to contain this essential element. ◗ 1. Cycling: Camelbak Podium Insulated Bottle camelbak.com Pros: This bottle works great for keeping your water cold in the summer heat—a necessity here in Florida (unless you enjoy drinking warm water on a hot day). Also, the adjustable valve allows you to dial in the perfect amount of flow—from a trickle to garden hose. These bottles stand up to years of abuse and don’t give water the off-putting chemical taste that some water bottles can be known for. Cons: The bite valve can be tricky to clean, since you have to remove it from the bottle to really clean the inside.
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Pros: This hydration bag is known for its toughness—after all, military special operations teams
use them in the desert. Multiple lash points (spots where you can tie the bag down to a kayak or canoe) and sizes ranging from two liters to 10 liters allow you to carry as much water as you could possibly need. Several accessories are available for this system, from different caps to hydration hoses. Some users even use them as improvised showers when public facilities are not available at the beach. Cons: Some users report a chemical taste until the bag has been used several times. Also, the cost of additional accessories can add up. ◗ 3. Yoga: Hydro Flask Insulated Water Bottle hydroflask.com Pros: When you are in a room that is at 104 degrees, cold water is a heaven-sent blessing. This bottle is renowned for its ability to keep beverages cool. Stainless steel means it is BPA free and it does not retain flavors like some plastic bottles can. Cons: The outer steel surface can get hot to the touch when left in your car, although users report that the liquids inside are always cool. ◗ 4. Everywhere and Anytime: Hydrapak Stash hydrapak.com Pros: This bottle collapses to almost nothing and lends itself to fitting in your pocket, purse, carry on, or whatever you happen to be carrying. The top and bottom are harder plastic, helping the bottle maintain its form, which can be a problem with other collapsible bottles. Stash one permanently in your gym bag and you’ll never be stuck without a bottle for the day’s WOD. Cons: The collapsible nature of the bottle means it can be a little awkward to drink one handed and filling the bottle to the brim can be a problem.
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FUEL: TRY THIS Another way to save dinner is to stop it with the breasts and move on to the thighs. (This is all sounding pretty luscious, eh? Breasts and thighs—oh my!) In that case, go ahead with the boneless, skinless variety, which are juicy, moist and practically foolproof as a protein. And despite its bad rep as having more fat than white meat (which is true), dark meat has more iron, zinc and vitamins. Oh and a 2012 New York University study found that dark meat contains a nutrient called taurene—absent in the breast—that reduced heart disease risk in people with high cholesterol.
“
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... if you start cooking breasts with the bone in and the skin on, you can cut out the butter/olive oil/sauce middle men and have juicy chicken. Here are two recipes to get you back to winning at dinner.
INGREDIENTS By Victoria Wiseman
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breast (sometimes called split chicken breast) 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
The World’s Easiest Chicken Breasts Serves 2 to 4
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Set aside and stir together all other ingredients until well combined (I did mine in a small food processor). Gently rub the garlic and oil mixture underneath the skin and then on top of the skin (you may need to tug a bit or use your hand to get that membrane that attaches the skin to the meat to let go). Sprinkle with a little extra salt and pepper. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. To remove the bone, turn the chicken on its side, with the rib bone protrusion facing up. Using that as a guide, slice down between the bone and the breast.
Winner Winner ➥
Chicken I
don’t like boneless skinless chicken breasts (let’s call them BSCBs for short, okay?). I know they’re are supposed to be a staple of all athletes’ kitchens, but mine always end up dry or tasteless (or both).
Admit it: Yours do too, but you rescue it with a sauce or by shaking one of your fancy-pants gourmet rubs all over it. Deep inside, your soul cries out to join me in saying: GOD SAVE US ALL FROM THESE AWFUL CHICKEN BREASTS. Do not abandon hope, ye chicken faithful. The reason why BSCBs are the world’s most temperamental proteins is precisely because we’ve taken out all the things that help keep the juiciness in. Take a little mental inventory here—if you do have a BSCB recipe that you can actually stand, does it include searing in a bunch of olive oil? Does it include a sauce made with (gasp!) fat in it? Here’s a newsflash: if you start cooking breasts with the bone in and the skin on, you can cut out the butter/olive oil/sauce middle men and have juicy chicken.
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INGREDIENTS
Reviving your boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Rotisserie-Rub Chicken Thighs Serves 6 3 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (Lawry’s is my favorite) 1 teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning ½ teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper Juice from ½ a lemon
INSTRUCTIONS
Dinner
PRO TIP: I’ve used about a million different ingredients to jazz this up. A couple tablespoons of pesto under the breast; some blended up olives and lemon for a Greek feel. But it always works better to keep the moist stuff under the skin and just put oil and dry spices on top.
Combine all the dry ingredients into a rub, mixing well to combine. Squeeze half of a lemon over the thighs, then toss with the dry rub, reserving a little to sprinkle on top. Arrange in the slow cooker with the smooth side up, sprinkle them with the remaining rub and cook on low for about 2-4 hours (crockpot temperatures can vary) or until the meat registers 165 with a meat thermometer.
➥
Oven directions: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare thighs as above, making sure rub gets on all sides of the meat. In a high-sided baking dish, arrange thighs, smooth side up. Bake for 20 minutes or until chicken comes to temperature. NOTE: To get that not-too-wet, not-too-dry rotisserie consistency, you’ll have to remove some of the drippings. Thighs release a lot of juice—perfect for gravy if that’s your style—but it can make the thighs super soupy and I want my thighs firm (is that so wrong?). I use my baster to remove all the drippings when the cook time is done, then let the thighs sit on warm or low for another half hour or so.
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HEALTH
Fat Lot of Good Why the standard BMI test should be a thing of the past. By Erika Gilbrech
D
id you know that one of the most universal health measurements is also one of the most antiquated—as in, Industrial Revolution antiquated?
It’s true—the good ole’ BMI (body mass index) was actually created in the 1830s by a Belgian mathematician, statistician and sociologist named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. It was created without the use of calculators, computers, or modern technology. And while its simplicity made it functional in its pre-computer time, this very same simplicity is what makes it a supremely unreliable method of determining how healthy you are. Here’s a refresher, in case it’s been a while since you’ve calculated your BMI: An estimate of body fat, BMI assigns people into “underweight” (a reading under 18.5), “normal” (18.5 – 24.9), “overweight” (25 – 29.9), and “obese” (30 or higher). The measurements are based on a relative height and weight chart, which seems pretty straightforward, right? Except for the glaring issue of lean muscle, which is not taken into account at all. This means that an athlete weighing more than a nonathlete because of his or her heavier muscle bulk might get an “overweight” read-out. Meanwhile a non-athlete, or an older person with muscle loss, both of whom could potentially have underlying health issues due to higher fat levels (especially visceral fat around the stomach area), might get a “normal” indicator. We call bull on that one. So why do we keep this assessment around? Well, it’s been suggested that it could be because “nobody wants to rock the boat.” That’s what Nick Trefethen, a Professor of Numerical Analysis at Oxford University's Mathematical Institute, wrote in a letter to The Economist, saying that since institutions on both sides of the Atlantic widely agreed upon the BMI as a universally acceptable formula years ago, no one has dared to change it. And while
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it worked at the time, these days, it seems a bit like using an abacus when you could just grab a calculator. Bottom line—if you want to know whether your percentage of body fat puts you in a healthy range, there are better options than measuring your BMI. Here are a few examples of more accurate methods: Calipers A skin fold assessment test, widely available at most gyms, is one of the most accessible and affordable ways to assess your body fat. Performed on three, four, or seven designated sites on the body (including arm, abdominals, thigh and chest), a technician pinches the skin and then uses the caliper device to measure the thickness of the skin fold. After taking the measurements, the technician will then plug them into a formula to come up with a total body fat percentage. Though this test can be very accurate when done correctly, the main downside is human error—the technician you use needs to really have knowledge and heavy experience using the calipers so you get a consistent reading. Hydrostatic Weighing Are you like a fish to water? Then you might not mind a hydrostatic (or underwater) weighing, a highly accurate technique where your normal body weight (outside water) is compared to your weight while completely submerged. By comparing these two numbers, then factoring in the density of water, technicians assess total density, from which
a total body fat composition can be estimated. The drawback? Convenience. You’ll have to find a specialized lab, university, or research facility with a tank, and it’ll cost you anywhere from $40 to $100. DEXA Scan Even though Duel-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry might sound like an intimidating mouthful, it’s also the most accurate body fat composition test out there. That’s because it’s also the most high-tech; as the preferred technique for measuring bone mineral density (BMD) and diagnosing osteoporosis, the machine scans your entire body using one high energy and one low energy x-ray beam. Technicians then measure the amount of absorption of each x-ray as it passes through the body, thus getting a very precise reading of bone mineral density, lean body mass and fat mass. The good news? It only takes 10-20 minutes of lying on a table, is non-invasive and pain-free. The not-sogood news? Because of the cutting edge equipment and technology used, it can be a pretty penny: though cost varies depending on your insurance policy, if paying out of pocket, look to fork over $130-150.
“Bottom line—if you want to know whether your percentage of body fat puts you in a healthy range, there are better options than measuring your BMI.”
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I rolled up on my brand new bike, my tags-justremoved spandex shorts giving off the distinct smell of newb. “Hi, I’m here to join the cycling team,” I said. Six of my fellow university classmates blinked blankly back at me. I tried a different approach: “Can I ride with you guys?” Less than three miles from campus, I was struggling. The collegiate cycling team rode together with the precision of a European timepiece. When one pulled off from the front of the pack, another pulled up. Tick-tock, tick-tock.
“Ultimately, the best coach-client relationships often come down to one very unscientific thing: chemistry.” I, meanwhile, rode three yards behind the group— too nervous to enter their slipstream. But without the aerodynamic boost of their draft I was being left in the dust. The most experienced rider of the bunch dropped back to ride next to me. If he minded, he didn’t say it. Over the next hour he walked me through the basics of pace lines and how to safely navigate a pack. His name was Aidan, and he’d just become my first-ever coach. Previously, our collegiate cycling team hadn’t had much structure. It was just a couple of guys riding and occasionally racing together. But when I arrived, it was clear someone needed to be in charge. Aidan, with his years of racing experience, took that role. Today, Aidan is a successful, professional cycling coach. He works with riders from all over the country—from kids to elite adults. He’s also the standard by which I have judged all other coaches since. On that particular day, if you’d asked me, I don’t think I would have said I needed a coach. I’ve always been a mid pack athlete, not the best, but not the worst. I assumed coaches were for the elite, or at least the people who had a shot at winning hardware. Why would anyone want to coach me? But most coaches really love working with weekend warriors. One reason for this is because our results tend to be so drastic. Elites are thrilled to take 10 seconds off their 10-k time. With a beginning runner, adding in a few coached techniques can take minutes off a P.R. And a recreational runner is going to be just as thrilled—if not more
so—with that success, even if it doesn’t land them in the medals. What coaches want more than anything else is to see their clients’ reach their goals. What those actual goals are is less important than you might think. Right about now you’re thinking: But why would I need a coach? I know how to run (or insert your sport here). And isn’t that expensive? I get it. I’ve spent almost an equal amount of time in my athletic life being coached and flying solo. Clearly you don’t need a coach. At the same time, if you wanted to get better at pottery or learning a language or ballroom dancing you’d likely take some lessons. And thousands of Americans enlist the help of personal trainers each year. Put into this context, hiring a coach doesn’t seem so indulgent. Amateur athletes actually stand to gain a lot from coaches, the most important of which is injury prevention. A coach can help you spot important form issues, or help you assess aches before they become pains. (For me, a few sessions with a local coach totally changed the way I held my arms when I was running—alleviating years of shoulder pain in just a few weeks!) Beyond that, coaches organize your training so you hit your athletic peak before your biggest events. They can also give tips on what to expect on competition day—and how to deal with the unexpected. But what makes a good coach a good coach? And how do you go about finding one? Despite the cliché football movies, a coach isn’t necessarily a torturer-in-chief, barking orders and being our accountability police. In fact, with the rise of virtual coaching, some athletes never even meet their coaches face-to-face. What you get from your coach depends on your specific agreement. If your coach is local, that may mean one-on-one training sessions. If he or she is not, it may mean video chats to discuss your workouts. Coaching fees can range from $30 a month to more than $150 a month, depending on the coach’s qualifications and the amount of contact he or she provides. Like anything, the more you pay the more you should get—at least theoretically. That’s not always true, some of the bargain basement coaches I’ve worked with have been supremely available. How much you want to be tortured is up to you too. Sure, you can’t go after a really aggressive goal without hard work. But some coaches are going to prescribe more hellish workouts than others. Training philosophies differ—some think you need to suffer more than you’ll suffer on race day, just to make sure you’re prepared. Others think you should do the least amount possible to avoid injury. There’s a great amount of variation with how much reporting your coach will expect you to do. Some want to know every detail—down to what you eat. Others just want a general rundown of your week. I’ve bristled at coaches who expect too much reporting (it feels tedious to me), but also felt ignored by coaches with a more laissez-faire approach.
A good coach, though, doesn’t just give you workouts and track your progress. He or she gives you confidence. They’re another set of eyes and ears helping you spot problems before they get too big to handle. They’re an unbiased observer, with less emotional attachment to your day-to-day dramas. Their voice is the voice you hear saying yes you can on race day when your body is clearly shouting, no! No I can’t! Ultimately, the best coach-client relationships often come down to one very unscientific thing: chemistry. Aidan and I had it. I trusted him and liked him (though, not all the time). He understood my motivation and my goals and knew how to tell when I was really tired and just being lazy. We gave each other equal amounts of grief. A few years after college, when I was thinking of perusing an elite cycling career, I hired a coach with an Olympian bedazzled résumé. He was, by far, the most prestigious coach I’ve ever worked with. But the chemistry wasn’t there. Three months later I called it off. I wasn’t motivated by him and he was frustrated by my lack of progress. A string of bad races showed that we were both wasting our time. There were no hard feelings though. These are business relationships. A coach worth her salt should want you to be better, to do better—even if that means passing you off to someone else. You’re a client. But with a good coach it never really feels like that. Sure, those mile repeats on your schedule may look like directions to hell and back, but, well, you’ll go through hell and back for a friend. Should You Go Virtual? Online coaching has made coaching more affordable than ever, and you’re no longer relegated to just hiring someone in your local area. Like anything, though, there are some pros and cons to consider. Pros ▼ • You don’t have to worry about your schedules meshing up, or making group workouts. • There’s almost an infinite number of online coaches offering their services. • You’ll never have to worry about your coach spotting you buying that jumbo bag of candy at your local supermarket. • It’s generally much more affordable. Cons ▼ • Form is important to most sports, and poor form can lead to injuries. It’s hard for a virtual coach to tweak your firm the way a local coach can. • Local coaches support the local economy. • Usually local coaches have a group of athletes that end up doing workouts together. Those coached virtually miss out on this feeling of community.
January/February 2015
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Broker participation welcomed. Prices, plans and specifications subject to change without notice. ORAL REPRESENTATION CANNOT BE RELIED UPON AS CORRECTLY STATING THE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE DEVELOPER. FOR CORRECT REPRESENTATIONS REFERENCE SHOULD BE MADE TO THE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY SECTION 718.503, FLORIDA STATUTES, TO BE FURNISHED BY A DEVELOPER TO A BUYER OR LESSEE. NOT AN OFFERING WHERE PROHIBITED BY STATE LAW. PHOTOGRAPHY IN THIS AD MAY BE STOCK PHOTOGRAPHY USED TO DEPICT THE LIFESTYLE TO BE ACHIEVED RATHER ANY THAT MAY EXIST.
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LO VE Big
Why plus-sized athletes have it better than you.
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By Victoria Wiseman photography by brian tietz
January/February 2015
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SA ND Y
Sandy Sowder
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“I love that powerful feeling—that I’m strong.” Sumo wrestlers. Linebackers. Olympic power lifters. Men can be large in stature but still considered athletes. But can you think of a sport where a woman is large and legitimized as an athlete? An athlete, says society, should look a certain way. And if you look (heaven forbid) different than that, you are up for some serious scrutiny. What should matter is that as an athlete you behave a certain way. You set goals. You work on your skills. You constantly seek to better yourself. You go back day after day and never quit (at least not for very long). In your heart, the word athlete should speak to who you are at your core. Nowhere in there is the caveat: And your muscles must ripple from beneath your spandex. Sure, that can be a side effect of participating in sports—but then so are sprained ankles and obsessively worrying about port-a-johns. Those shouldn’t define us as athletes so why should our body size? Plus-sized women (and men) do not have to be less successful than their skinny counterparts in sport. And, more than ever before, athletes of all sizes, ages and persuasions are signing up for races and joining teams and hitting the streets. They’re not only changing the way we define an athlete, we believe they are some of the best athletes out there, authentically experiencing the joy of competition, more than even the most sinewy runner, cyclist or CrossFitter. Here’s why, as told by three local multisport competitors—who also happen to be plus-sized.
She does it for the right reasons (and it’s not to lose weight). It’s not a secret that fitness and athletics can be superficial. Maybe we don’t talk about it, but part
of fitting in as an athlete involves a complicated and sometimes unsaid awareness of whether or not you “look the part.” “It can be really intimidating to walk into a gym or sign up for a triathlon when you have, like, 100 pounds on everybody. You kind of second guess yourself and then you say—no, I can do this,” says Sandy Sowder, a 36-year-old who’s a paralegal by day, a yoga instructor by night, and has competed in triathlons. When your body size isn’t the status quo, you have to actively counter the feeling that you don’t belong because, well, you don’t look the same. That casual perfection bias is stripped away when you’re big and all that is left is—by necessity—other, better motivations. And despite all the marketing we see about all exercise magically leading to weight loss, you can run a triathlon, clean and jerk an incredible amount of weight or destroy your swim competition while not losing a single pound. “I’ve accepted the fact that I’m not going to be skinny, I don’t have the ability to be a size 4, it’s not in my cards. It’s important to be healthy and you can still be overweight and healthy,” says Sowder. Successful plus-sized athletes, rather than relying on looking like they belong, instead focus on doing the actual sport—and loving it. “You have to really like what you’re doing and that’s what makes you want to do it,” Sowder says. So while average size girls are suffering boring exercises over and over, hoping those abs will soon appear, the thick girls are discovering their passions and really paying attention to their bodies. “I love that powerful feeling—that I’m strong. I know how miserable it feels when I’m not exercis-
ing and I’m not trying, I feel lousy, I feel unhealthy. [For me] it’s about honoring what you want—listening to your body, and shutting out the external chatter and listening to yourself,” says Sowder. So the wonderful advantage plus-sized athletes have is help in the realization that the journey of an athlete is internal and measured by those things, versus an external journey where success is marked by a number or a size. Take for example, Jodi Walborn a married mother of five who describes herself as “non-athletic. My least favorite class in high school was PE.” Although she’d never been an athlete before, after her car was totaled in 2010, she decided to buy a bike instead of replacing it. “I needed to lose weight and I no longer had a mode of transportation—so I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone.” A funny thing happened, though—what started off as a way to shed pounds turned into something else. “The more I rode the more I fell in love with it. When I’m on my bike, there’s that freedom of being a kid. I feel 12 again. I am not a married mother of five; I don’t have to worry about what I’m cooking dinner. When I’m on my bike, I’m free just for a little while.” Notice that there’s nothing in there about how much weight she lost, how her pant size went down (which it did). What is in there is fun, and love and a newfound appreciation for what her body can do. “For me, being an athlete is pushing my perception of my own boundaries,” says Katy Esquivel, a corporate attorney, new mom, and plus-sized runner and triathlete. “Every time I push past one of them or have a faster time than I did at a race the year before, I feel good about myself. We’re all out
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“ It doesn’t make me any less of an athlete because I have different genes than other people.” there for different reasons. One guy might be out there to set records. Or you see somebody in military gear with a backpack on and they’re doing [it] for another reason. And they’re all personal and important.”
It’s like a family. From the minute I walked in that studio I felt welcomed. Even though everyone else in the room is significantly skinnier than me, I never felt too uncomfortable there.” But that warmth isn’t the only yoga experience she’s had.
She’s changing the world of sport.
Esquivel did her first triathlon in 2010 after her husband was diagnosed with cancer. “It was extraordinarily stressful; he’d been misdiagnosed for two years, he’d been on all sorts of drugs, we finally got an answer and it was a scary one.
“I’ve gone to other studios where I’ve … paid for a month and then never ever showed my face again.” Too often we think our athletic lives exist in a vacuum, but we all need community to meet personal goals—we want to feel encouraged, helped, supported or just simply comfortable. Though it doesn’t happen on day one, plus-sized athletes— almost without an exception—find great people to experience their sport with.
These women, all plus-sized, by simply being out there and doing it are becoming role models and boundary breakers, challenging the notion that in some way fat equals weak.
“I didn’t have a constructive way to deal with the stress and anxiety and terror of the future. That’s when my friend said ‘let’s do the triathlon—it will be a good diversion.’ I didn’t realize it at the time, but that’s when the turn came of not [exercising] for the purpose of keeping my weight under control. That was a shift.”
She has better workout buddies. Eqsuivel had a great friend who believed in her abilities and encouraged her to do a triathlon. That’s not uncommon experience for plus-sized athletes. Big women in athletics usually have particularly awesome friends. Because, listen, sometimes people are jerks. And sometimes people seem nice at first, then turn out to be jerks. For fat athletes, you find out who’s awesome and who’s not—very quickly. “When you’re a bigger athlete, people are dismissive of you,” says Esquivel. When she joined her first running group in 2011, she said he felt “like a seventh grader in PE.” “I got lapped on the track during a warm up,” she says. “But the people I met were so supportive and kind and welcoming. The super fast skinny guys who do a six- and seven-minute mile were cheering me on.” Esquivel saw the flip side, too, that same day. “We shared the track with another group that was elitist and not nice. Those runners, when they were done with their lap, would stay in my lane and they didn’t care that this big girl was trying to finish her workout.” Yoga teacher Sowder says being in the yoga community can be particularly uncomfortable, as it is a sport evocative of the lean, long archetype. “I’m lucky, the studio I practice at is very warm, friendly.
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She’s tough as nails, inside and out.
That plus sized girl at the gym? The workout she’s doing is harder for her than for you. And she doesn’t complain. There is a whole host of ways that working out is difficult when you’re bigger, some of those are physical, and some are mental. “I think what [people] don’t realize is having been over 300 pounds for so many years, I have to contend with extra weight and arthritis—and I’m still going to beat you on the bike!” says Walborn, laughing. “I’m fast and I’m strong on the bike.” Besides it being physically harder for her, there are other obstacles average-sized racers never encounter—a not-so-subtle size bias. “One time, I went into the bike store for a very specific seat and the gentleman looked me up and down and said: “But that’s for triathlons.” So I said: “Yes, it’s for my Scott S20 and for my race next month.” Humbled, the man apologized. “It was okay once I demonstrated what I knew—but his first impression of me was “why is this fat chick asking for a race saddle?” And on the topic of gear—that is a word that strikes fear into the hearts of plus-sized athletes everywhere. Things just aren’t made for big bodies racing, running and asana-ing. “Try finding a pair of tri shorts in a 2X!” Walborn says. “I don’t understand why they can’t make work out clothes [for] bigger people—they’re starting to, but you have to look really hard for it,” says yoga teacher Sowder. “You can’t just walk in to Lululemon and buy something. I’m a good looking per-
son, there’s no reason why I should feel like I have to hide behind big t-shirts and baggy sweatshirts!”
“When I’m on my bike, I pass a lot of people,” says Walborn. “I’ve heard some people say derogatory comments, and some will say ‘Woah, she’s fast!’ It’s the shock behind their voices—like ‘she’s really big and she’s really fast.’”
“I did a triathlon in Orlando—I used to be a competitive swimmer—so I’m a really good swimmer,” says Sowder. “I was the first one out of the water by a minute. As I’m running past, I heard someone say: ‘Wow, that big girl can swim!’ I thought that was so funny. I was thinking: ‘Yeah, of course I can swim. Just because I’m a big girl doesn’t mean I can’t swim! It doesn’t make me any less of an athlete because I have different genes than other people.” But change is hard. Big athletes participating in races can bring out both the best and worst in humanity. “Either you love seeing a fat girl racing or you hate it. There’s not a lot of in-between,” says Esquivel, noting the extreme negative and positive posts about a very large triathlete finisher on the popular body-size-neutral sports blog “Swim Bike Mom.” But the times are changing for plus-sized athletes, as more and more abandon the confines of weightloss workouts for the fun and challenge of sports. “[At] a lot of the races in Fort Myers or Naples, I don’t see a lot of women my size. I see a lot of men in Clydesdale division,” says Esquivel. “When I went to Tri-Rock in Clearwater, I saw women my size. It was shocking and reinforcing.” The starting line is the domain of anyone who pins a number to their shirt and dares to line up. The size of that shirt doesn’t make one person more or less worthy of being there. So the next time you get passed by a larger-than-average athlete, don’t be surprised, As she passes you, you can be sure she’s not going anywhere but forward. And fast.
JO DI Jodi Walborn
January/February 2015
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Our
Weird year
in Sports While the news networks argue over who is the “worldwide leader in news,” Florida has its own news title locked up. The sunshine state is the undisputed King of the Weirdest News—a title that no other state even comes close to contesting (sorry, West Virginia). For whatever reason, we Floridians just like to release our crazy—a lot. Our sports news isn’t immune from the wild world of Florida weird—and last year seemed to be a particularly good year for the offbeat beat. We at FitNation thought we’d ring in 2015 by recounting the best of the strangest in Florida sports from 2014. And who knows? After reading these you may just be inspired to take up naked yoga, or bubble running. Just know that if you do, you may well end up in next year’s January issue!
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Sorry To Burst His Bubble
Reza Baluchi has run around the perimeter of the United States and traversed much of the world via bike, but for his next trick, the peace activist and ultra runner wanted to run on water. Because that totally makes sense. So he created a “hydro pod” and rolled off from Florida’s east coast, bound for the Bahamas. Unfortunately, he didn’t make it terribly far. About 70 miles off the coast of St. Augustine, Coast Guard officials intercepted Baluchi. They reported that he was disoriented and confused, but he refused to quit. Three days later, though, he activated his locator beacon and was rescued. (Quick question: does anyone wonder where he, um, relieved himself? No—too vivid!)
Quite A Ride
In our May/June issue we waxed poetic about how Southwest Florida is the best spot for fishing and kayaking. Of course, what we failed to mention is that, you know, we also have sharks. In March, Florida Atlantic University student Adam Fisk found that out firsthand after he was towed for eight miles by an 11-foot hammerhead shark. He shot much of the journey on his GoPro, as the shark pulled his kayak from Boynton Beach to Lake Worth. The shark apparently takes after many of our state’s endurance athletes, as it would have towed Fisk farther if he hadn’t eventually cut the line.
Bad Downward Dog, Bad!
Look, we get that it’s hot here in June. But, sadly, that doesn’t mean you can go “clothing optional.” Fifty-one-year-old Michele Rene Cernak was arrested this June in Ocala for stripping off her clothes as she did yoga—in the middle of a busy street. When police were called to the scene, her pants were around her ankles. Eventually, police found drug paraphernalia in her car, and Cernak was arrested—we imagine screaming “NAMASTE Bitches!” the whole time.
Gator Bait
There’s a fair amount of debate in the athletic community about whether or not golfing is a sport of just a hobby. However, there is one thing we can agree on: If you have to run for your life from gators, that probably puts golf firmly in the “sport” category. Stephen Martinez, of Pompano Beach, was fishing golf balls from a lake when he felt something “chomp” down on his hand. He was wearing a wetsuit, which he says helped to keep the injuries minimal. But still, ouch! The state later trapped an 8-10 foot
gator in the lake, giving a whole new meaning to the term “water hazard.” Amazingly, this is Martinez’s second gator bite.
Modern Pentathlon
The world’s oddest sport, the modern pentathlon had its first ever world cup, in, you guessed it, Florida! The sport consists of swimming, running, fencing, shooting and horseback riding—making it somehow even MORE gear intensive than triathlon. Impressive! (Also, next time your spouse complains about the price of your bike, threaten to take up pentathlon and buy a HORSE.) The World Cup brought 36 men and 36 women from 23 nations to shoot, swim, and swordfight their way to glory. And, if you missed last year’s action, this year competitors are back, with the 2016 Olympic pentathlon trials being held in March.
No Swim For You
Participants at this year’s Ironman Florida event woke up to gusty winds and very cool temps. When the pros jumped into the Gulf to do a warmup lap, officials quickly realized there was an issue. Not only were monster waves overturning the rescue kayaks, but the swimmers were being pulled drastically down shore by a riptide. The verdict: there would be no swim this year. Now, really, this really isn’t funny at all, especially to those who spent months preparing for the race. We included it though, because of the awesome bumper stickers that got passed around via social media after the race. Instead of boasting the usual 140.6 number, the stickers read: Ironman Florida, 138.2: Wait, Bike Run, mocking the hours-long wait many racers endured while organizers started the racers two-at-a-time by bike.
January/February 2015
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THE
ULTIMATE PRIMAL HEIST
The Ultimate Primal Heist
Law enforcement hasn’t actually caught up with the Southwest Florida ne’er-do-wells that broke into Doc’s Beach House last July. But we are venturing to guess they’re from the primal lifestyle camp. Why? Because they stole nothing but raw meat and peppers and did it wearing the ultimate primal attire: nothing. The men entered the restaurant in their undies, then stripped down to the nude to complete the Paleo raid. Apparently they ran wind sprints down the beach, as police later recovered a trail of peppers in the sand. Too bad backpacks are clearly too modern to count as being Paleo.
(Peak-a) Boo Run Gets Creepy
Finally, Lake Resort in North Florida put the scary into its Halloween 5-k Boo Run by making the event clothing optional. Only seven runners showed for the event, and only four of those choose to run au natural. (But it was only about 40 degrees at race time.) The event raised about $150 for a local veterans organization (who invariably thought, oh this is disgusting! As they thumbed the sweaty bills.) As you can see, nudity seems to be a common theme in Florida’s weird news in sports. Want to for sure make next year’s round up? Well, now you know what you need to do.
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FitSpecialNation Feature Best Trainers in Southwest Florida
Ready to get serious about your health and fitness regime in 2015? As part of our commitment to giving you the tools you need to make this year a personal best, Fit Nation brings you this handy reference of some of Southwest Florida’s top trainers. This diverse group includes talented men and women committed to helping athletes of all levels succeed not just in their workout routines, but in nutrition, wellness, sports and life. Let our eight featured profiles serve as a guide to help you determine how to take the first—or next—step in your personal health & wellness program.
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Mike Defurio
Director & Manager of Naples Fit One of today’s most popular fitness programs is CrossFit, with gyms springing up in nearly every city in the country, and Naples is certainly one of them. But one thing that separates Naples from the rest of the pack is Naples Fit, a hybrid CrossFit gym that focuses on range of motion and mobility in order to reduce the risk of injury through heavy weightlifting. As the Personal Training Director and Manager at Naples Fit, the new sister club to Naples Family Fitness, Mike Defurio, along with his team of seasoned fitness professionals, takes members through a program of highly functional exercises at an intense pace, with WODs that include Olympic Lifts (Squat Cleans, Snatches, Back Squats), (Over Head Squats, Squat Snatches, Push Press), box jumps and 400m runs. Each day focuses on a specific challenge, from speed and conditioning to squats, pulls and pushes. And though the exercises are similar to CrossFit, they differ greatly in their focus on form and efficiency over maximizing weight load, which can lead to injury and poor joint mobility.
As a former high school football player, certified firefighter and skilled personal trainer (with NASM and IFPA certifications), Defurio’s dedication to fitness and athletic performance is a way of life. His ultimate goal for his clients is to reduce the aging process “and help [them] live a better life through exercise.” And between Naples Fit’s unique brand of fitness programming and his versatile stable of trainers (including a bodybuilder and a yogi), it’s safe to say he’s succeeding at just that. For more information, or to sign up for a duel membership at Naples Fit and Naples Family Fitness, contact Mike at: 239.594.5050 Michaeldefurio@gmail.com Naples Fit 2346 Vanderbilt Beach Road Naples FL, 34109
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Derek Newborn
Director/Head Coach of Crossfit ATC “The spirit of the leader is the spirit of the team.” That’s the philosophy Derek Newborn goes by when it comes to leading his team of highly skilled, certified trainers that make up the Crossfit ATC family. And that team-oriented attitude is one of the many reasons that Crossfit ATC is one of the most premier, top-of-the-line Crossfit gyms in Fort Myers. Diversity and cross-training are also key, and Newborn’s well-respected trainers lead daily sessions that combine everything from kettlebell and medicine-ball exercises to yoga, rowing, gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting and jumping rope.
“being a trainer isn’t just what I do [as a job], it’s what I am—a fitness specialist. [And I] never stop learning.” As an experienced, CrossFit Olympic Lifting and CrossFit Mobility Certified trainer, as well
as a Master Trainer at Around the Clock Fitness, Newborn believes in having a laid-back attitude even as he pushes clients out of their comfort zones, teaches them new skills and helps them gain a higher level of confidence. And while he is passionate about Crossfit, his diverse training and skill set allows him to develop fitness programs for those who prefer more traditional personal training sessions. Newborn believes the key to success is a relentless work ethic, because “being a trainer isn’t just what I do [as a job], it’s what I am—a fitness specialist. [And I] never stop learning.” For more information, contact Newborn at: 239.229.9415 Facebook / Instagram: @DNewborn Crossfit ATC (located at Around the Clock Fitness) 1755 Boy Scout Drive Fort Myers, FL 33907 crossfitatc.com
Peter Farhedian
Personal Trainer / Owner of Anytime Fitness As a lifelong athlete, Peter Farhedian knows exactly what it takes to get his personal training clients in top form. And while his client roster is diverse, his specialty is fat and weight loss, and several of his clients are national-level figure competitors. For this latter type of client, he draws on his own experience as a competitive bodybuilder, and helps them prepare for shows through a highly disciplined exercise and nutrition regimen. And as the new owner of the Anytime Fitness on Livingston and Pine Ridge, where he has been training clients for the past three years, he has expanded his growing business to more easily facilitate delivering each client a complete nutrition and fitness package. A native Southwest Floridian, Farhedian loves working in the fitness industry because of the health-conscious vibe the region has to offer. “People want to take care of themselves here,”
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he points out, which shows in the large number of gyms, activities and healthy, fitness-oriented restaurant offerings.
“There is no magic pill. It really is a lot of hard work, dedication and consistency.” His fitness advice to those looking to change their bodies (and lives)? “There is no magic pill. It really is a lot of hard work, dedication and consistency. Trust the [fitness] professional and you’ll see results—with time, balance and sticking to the plan.” For more information, contact Peter at: info@fitnessbypete.com 239.261.2610 13040 Livingston Rd. #17 Naples, FL 34105 anytimefitness.com
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Janet Herrberg
Owner of Core360 Wellness With a career in the health and fitness industry that spans three decades, Janet Herrberg knows what it takes to help her clients stay healthy and achieve their fitness goals. And at Core360 Wellness, the boutique studio she owns and operates alongside her husband, Jeffrey Herrberg, M.D., the training philosophy is simple: Balance and strengthen the core, perform purposeful movement in 360˚ and practice wellness for life. Unlike many other gyms, Core360 Wellness focuses equally on personal training and fitness with massage therapy to provide clients with a holistic approach to movement, flexibility and overall performance. This includes the most state-of-theart posture and movement software, scientificallybased exercise and massage equipment, a knowledgeable staff of trainers and massage therapists and functional fitness activities. Each new client is given a comprehensive physical assessment to determine what kind of customized training and
massage therapy program will best fit their health and wellness needs. Herrberg’s unique approach of blending personal training with therapeutic bodywork is the culmination of many years of training, research, dedication and hard work. In fact, she not only holds a degree in Exercise & Sports Science from the University of Florida, is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Certified Neuromuscular Therapist, but she also has completed hundreds of hours of continuing education with an emphasis on Sports Massage, Corrective Exercise, Postural Assessment and Pre- & Post-Rehabilitation in order to serve clients young and old, from all walks of life. For more information on Core360 Wellness, contact Janet at: 239.325.9082 7700 Trail Blvd. Suite #107 Naples, FL 34108 core360wellness.com
Jay Weitzner
Owner of Symmetry Precision Fitness Often when you experience aches and pains, the reason might not be due to an obvious injury. In fact, it could actually be due to muscle weakness, meaning a limitation in motion because one or more muscles on the opposite side of the axis cannot contract efficiently. And this technique, better known as Muscle Activation Technique, is what Jay Weitzner, owner of Symmetry Precision Fitness, employs to find out the underlying cause of the pain symptoms. “Muscles shut down when we’re exposed to forces we can’t tolerate, and so other muscles have to work harder and they get strained and tight. [Through MAT], we get them turned on again.” Weitzner is no stranger to physiology; he has both an BA and an MA (with a focus on exercise physiology) in Exercise Science, and is an NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, a Muscle Activation Technique certified specialist and a Resistance Training Specialist (RTS). “I’ve always been fascinated with how the body works—physics and structure—and how force affects the body.”
When clients come in to Symmetry, they’re first given a free 90-minute evaluation to check for muscle mobility, which entails seeing if there is symmetry when the muscles are moved in specific positions, and checking for a range of motion. From there, a customized program is created and Weitzner helps “turn back on” the muscles that are shut down. And as he is the only MAT-certified trainer in Naples, Symmetry is booming, with a steady roster of clientele from all walks of life, from athletes to professors to office workers. Which is why Symmetry’s slogan—no fads, all fitness—is so appropriate: the work Weitzner and his team do is based on science and physiology, and those never go out of style. For more information on Symmetry Precision Fitness, contact Jay at: 239.940.2121 info@NoFadsAllFitness.com 1750 J and C Boulevard #10 Naples, FL 34119 symmetryprecisionfitness.com
January/February 2015
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SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Cheree Calderone Owner of ChereeCFitness “Exercise is adaptation…if it doesn’t challenge the body, it won’t change it.” That is the fitness philosophy Cheree Calderone espouses to all her clients, and challenge she certainly does. An American Council on Exercise (ACE) Certified Personal Trainer since 2001, she delivers the highest-quality, one-on-one training to clients young and old, amateur and professional. Four years ago, Calderone expanded her business into ChereeCFitness, LLC, which includes personal training as well as gym management. She partners with high-end country clubs like Vasari Country Club and Club at Olde Cyprus to help them build and run successful, state-of-the-art fitness programs, including personal training, class scheduling and instruction, customer service and member satisfaction. She leads a talented team of highly trained and committed trainers who continually undergo education and training to stay updated on the latest innovations in the field. Because many of her country club clients are serious tennis players and golfers, Cheree became a B3
certified FitGolf instructor, and in 2013, she completed the Titleist Performance Institute’s (TPI) Level 1 and Golf Fitness Professional Level 2. As a TPI Certified Golf Fitness Professional, Cheree is able to take her clients through a detailed physical assessment process to help correct swing faults and improve their overall game.
“Exercise is adaptation…if it doesn’t challenge the body, it won’t change it.” Her advice to those seeking to take their fitness to the next level? “Train your body specific to the goals and activities it will be required to perform, and your body will change in structure, and function.” For more information, contact Cheree at: 239.248.6144 chereecfitness@comcast.net.
Jason Anderson
Owner / Head Coach of CrossFit Blaze Jason Anderson’s start in the fitness industry was a unique one—it began right at home. When his father approached him about losing weight, he taught himself about health and fitness and soon had his first client. After coaching his father through his weight loss journey, he expanded his knowledge and skill set by getting various CrossFit certifications as well as learning about wellness and nutrition from Paleo diet experts like Robb Wolf. He’s never looked back: in 2009, he opened the doors to CrossFit Blaze, and from the start, he’s kept it in the family: “It’s been a family business since day one.” In fact, his parents as well as extended gym family play active roles in helping CrossFit Blaze grow. Anderson also attributes the strong sense of community in the Naples area to what makes CrossFit Blaze unique, as well as superior gym equipment and tools to allow for challenging and differentiated workouts, top-notch coaches and modified workouts to get newcomers comfortable with the program.
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Besides the more traditional CrossFit workouts, Anderson’s gym also offers kids’ classes and one-on-one personal training services. Currently, they’re 120-150 members strong, and growing. And at the end of the day, Anderson is most passionate about CrossFit itself. He is a regular competitor himself and has also trained top-placing athletes in the CrossFit Games and weightlifting competitions. His personal favorite WOD? The JT—which consists of 3 challenging exercises done in a succession of 21, then 15, then 9 reps. A tough workout for an even tougher competitor, talented athlete and savvy businessman. For more information, contact Jason at: 239.260.5242 6563 Taylor Rd, Unit 8 Naples, Florida 34109 crossfitblaze.com
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
Marissa Bukstel
Head Trainer & Assistant Studio Manager of Orangetheory Fitness Many workouts were created to get you in “the zone.” But an Orangetheory workout will keep you there even after the workout is over with—up to 36 hours after, in fact. That extra calorie burn, better known as “Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption,” or EPOC, is just one of the many benefits Orangetheory Head Trainer and Assistant Studio Manager Marissa Bukstel espouses about a typical Orangetheory workout. “It’s a heart-rate monitor based class that’s 60 minutes long, with half cardio, half strength. The goal is to keep you in the ‘orange zone,’ for 12 to 20 minutes, which is 84% or higher of your maximum heart rate, which is essentially Zones 4 to 5.” And Bukstel would know—she’s been an Orangetheory trainer now for two and a half years in Fort Lauderdale, and just recently moved to Naples to help start one up locally. She loves Orangetheory because not only is it a total body workout, it’s science: get your heart rate into the orange zone through indoor rowing, weight training blocks and treadmill training, and you’re burning calories even after class is over.
JOIN FOR *
FREE IN JANUARY *Joining fees waived. Regular monthly dues still apply.
Bukstel herself has always been passionate about exercise; she holds a BA in Sports Science, was a spin instructor for eight years and a personal trainer for five before she discovered the Orangetheory method. “Fitness should be in every person’s life,” she believes, “It’s so important to just get up and move and stop obesity.” And with a brand new Orangetheory studio soon opening its doors to Naples residents, she’s well on her way to achieving that goal.
“It’s so important to just get up and move and stop obesity.” For more information about Orangetheory Fitness, contact Marissa at: 239.599.5650 Orangetheory Naples – COMING SOON! 7935 Airport Pulling Road Unit 1 Naples, FL 34109 orangetheoryfitness.com
SAVE UP TO $100
OPEN HOUSE JANUARY 14 at NOON
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GREATER NAPLES YMCA 5450 YMCA ROAD | NAPLES, FL 34109 239.597.3148 www.GreaterNaplesYMCA.org January/February 2015
37
TRAIN
BALA VINYASA YOGA WORLD CLASS YOGA CLASSES + PRIVATE INSTRUCTION + WORKSHOPS + MASSAGE BOUTIQUE + RETREATS + 200 & 300 HOUR YOGA TEACHER TRAININGS
All you need for a workout is your bodyweight.
BODY BY BODYWEIGHT By Fatima Leite Kusch and A.C. Shilton
Naples 6200 Trail Blvd Naples FL 34108 infonaples@bvyoga.com Tel 239 598 1938 The Club at Naples Bay Resort 1800 Tamiami Trail East Naples FL 34112 Tel 239 598 1938 Miami 1430 S Dixie Hwy Suite 116 Coral Gables FL 33146 infocoralgables@bvyoga.com Tel 786 953 7709
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It’s the New Year, which means the gyms are insanely crowded. Add in the fact that it's flu season, and we get why you might want to avoid your regular indoor fitness routines. The good news is that you can keep your resolution to get fit and toned without ever stepping into a gym. Even better, you don’t have to buy any special equipment. All you need is your body, some time and a bit of know how. Fatima Leite Kusch a fitness model and the head fitness coach for Blessed Bodies Fitness Inc. designed this quick and easy workout that’s adaptable for any level of fitness. “This type of workout is meant to be done in whatever reps fits your strength but the ultimate goal is to complete the total reps listed to finish and as fast as you can,” she says, adding, “Basically a short but intense workout to get your sweat on.” She recommends figuring out how many reps you can do in a set, then do as many sets as it takes to get to your goal number—alternating with another activity between sets. Do these moves two to three times a week and you’ll see results, no gym membership required.
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1 2 3 4 Alternating Standard Pushup with Tricep Pushup + 1 Foot Off Ground Start in a traditional pushup position, and do a full rep. Then, bring your hands into a narrow position, and perform a tricep pushup by bending your elbows back towards your body, not out to the sides. Then return to your pushup position. Make sure to keep your core engaged through the entire movement. Beginners may want to start with their knees on the ground, while intermediate exercisers may want to use their feet. Advanced athletes can lift a leg for even more intensity. Try and do 50 total pushups—so 25 standard pushups and 25 tricep pushups.
Reverse Lunge Into Knee Raise (reps are counted 50 per side = 100 total ) Start by stepping back into a lunge with your right foot. As you lower your right knee towards the ground, your left knee should never go past 90 degrees. Push back up to finish out your lunge, and when you reach the top of the movement, bring your right leg out of the lunge and up to your abdomen. Engage your core as you do so. Hold for a second, then switch legs. Aim for 100 total lunges, broken into sets you can handle.
High Plank with Double Side to Side Hop Get into a high plank position, which means you’re on your palms, not your forearms. Hold your entire core tight—making sure your body is straight, no peaks or valleys! In an explosive movement, hop with your feet as far as you can to the right. Then hop back to center. Then hop to the left. Repeat. A rep is a trip to one side and back. Try and do 100 total reps, broken into sets you can handle.
Lateral Bounds Start in a squat position, making sure your knees are not crossing over your toes. Shift your weight to your right foot, then push off that foot and jump as far as you can to the left, landing on your left foot. Then jump from your left foot as far as you can, landing on your right foot. Between jumps, try not to let your non-landing foot touch the ground. Each time you land on a foot, it’s a rep. Aim for 100 total reps, broken into sets you can handle.
PHOTOS BY Rob Trendiak, model is Fatima Leite Kusch
January/February 2015
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TRENDING NOW
W hat P r i m i t i v e W o r ko u t F i ts t h e
lifestyle? ( H i n t: I t ’ s n o t C r o s s F i t )
By Joel Morris
P
aleolithic eating has taken the fitness world by storm, and it's easy to see why. The diet cuts out processed foods, gives a specific plan for clean eating, and has the inherent appeal of looking to "ancient wisdom" for the answer to a modern day problem (plus: unlimited BACON).
It's become especially favored among the CrossFit dedicated, due to the amount of muscle developing they do. The Paleo diet gained popularity in 2010 with the publication of Loren Cordain's book, "The Paleo Diet." The basis of the diet is to replicate the eating habits of pre-agricultural humans who, until about 10,000 years ago, were hunter-gatherers. This means avoiding grains, legumes, and dairy, and consuming more lean meat, fruit, and certain vegetables. But what would primitive workouts look like? Certainly not flipping tires and kipping pull-ups in an industrial park gym. More likely it would be long days spent trailing potential pray—in fact it might align more to what marathoners do. Surprised? Well here’s another surprise for you: Despite how awesome you think you are, we’re not exactly the beefcakes of the animal kingdom. "We're so pathetic," Florida Gulf Coast University professor of anthropology William Locascio says. He adds that when you compare our physical strength and speed to that of other apex preditors—like say the cheetah, we’re pretty unimpressive. Imagine yourself in the Kalahari Desert; when your competitors for food would be lions and hyenas, you’d be more likely become the meal. But don’t worry—humanity possesses a number of unique adaptations that encourage a long, slow trek: our legs are long and cover ground in an efficient, pendulum motion; an upright posture exposes only our heads and shoulders to the sun; and we sweat, using moisture to pull heat away from our bodies. All these advantages allowed us to track animals to exhaustion. It’s called "persistence hunting," and 40 fitnationmag.com
it became our predatory niche. Some adaptations are easily witnessed in comparison to our closest evolutionary relatives. Put Rich Froning—a four-time CrossFit champion—against a chimpanzee in a pull-up contest, and the chimp will wipe the floor with him. But Froning would easily take the ape over a 10 kilometer run. This conforms to the evidence that hunter-gatherers were covering anywhere between four (females) to nine (males) miles daily, distances that today’s isolated tribes continue to hit. "I don't understand where the [primal] population is gaining any sort of support for their ideas in archaeology," said the professor. "What's the basis, what's the evidence for lots of heavy lifting?" If anything, "it was that sort of gradual, continuous physical activity," says Locascio. "If you carried a child on your back, as many people did, that might make it more demanding." One way Crossfit does successfully mimic a primal lifestyle is by encouraging group training. For early humans, going it alone was a death sentence. So any sort of communal exercise is channeling that prehistoric, better-together experience. And the idea of moving regularly throughout the day—that’s another primal habit that all of us should adopt. For most of Homo sapiens’ existence, there was no distinction between working and working out; they were one in the same. Maybe next time you find yourself wandering into the kitchen to scavenge some nuts, consider what your ancestors likely did and maybe walk around a bit as you pop them in your mouth. "[Exercise was] more the routines of day-to-day life, rather than carving out the time for it," says Prof. Locascio. While lifting huge rocks or climbing up ropes might make someone feel more like a cave(wo)man, it may not have too much basis in anthropological science. That being said, there is physiological science showing that heavy weightlifting and wind sprints can produce big health benefits. So whether you’re a highly evolved human or a primal animal, all of us can benefit from regular visits to the pain cave.
Leaping Competition t he
With Matt Reedy
Relationships on the Run Over the years I’ve had the joy of running in various countries, on various continents and over all sorts of terrain. For me, running has provided gateways to beautiful places that many people will never see. I’ve also been tempted into a few runs that were questionable at best (running in a blizzard and through severe storms… not smart, but good stories!). But the best place that running has ever taken me is deep within myself. Life is full of relationships: those with teammates, friends, family, and romances. At this point in my life, I can safely say that I have examined each of these types of relationships through the microscope that running provides. When I logged miles with teammates, all of us would push each other to the brink of exhaustion. It was ego driven—no one wanting to be the one that quit first. But those runs made me tough. Pounding the pavement with friends, meanwhile, can be the best form of therapy, and we’ve all shared some intimate details of our lives while out on the road. Just never forget the Golden Rule of Running: “What’s said on the run, STAYS ON THE RUN.” As for family--who doesn’t have a crazy family? We all have some family struggles. I grew up with three siblings and more than one “crazy uncle,” and I’ve often used running as a way to “escape” from tense family moments. Even better, running affords an ideal time to chew over how to deal with a tough family situation.
“Best Lake Views in Bonita.”
And finally, there’s running through romance. There are few things better than having a loved one waiting at the finish line, or when you watch your loved one cross in their goal time. To see them sweaty, on the brink of exhaustion and yet smiling at you; it’s an amazing feeling!
“Pounding the pavement with friends, meanwhile, can be the best form of therapy, and we’ve all shared some intimate details of our lives while out on the road. ” Running is great for anger management too. I know I’ve had my best runs after a “disagreement” with a romantic partner. I firmly believe in “emotional running” and harnessing that energy, anger or heartbreak to push myself farther and faster. Running has saved me from saying hurtful things more than once and it has given me both an outlet for energy and time to clarify my thoughts and feelings. Running has built, strengthened and saved many of my relationships. Next time you feel like skipping your run, think about all running has done for you. If you’re like me, your relationship with running has helped bolster so many other relationships in your life. Isn’t that a relationship that’s worth nurturing?
“Best Lake Views in Bonita.” • Spectacular Lake View • Casual, Open-Air Environment • Nightly Happy Hour • Full Sandwich and Light Fare Menu • Simple Elegance at Friendly Prices Located at the Trianon Hotel near the Promenade 239.948.4400 lakehousebarandgrill.net
THE NEXT ATHLETIC LEVEL OF HUMAN PERFORMANCE
fitbook EVERYBODY RIDES EVERYBODY RUNS | SUNday DEC. 10-11, 2014 | FT. MYERS Florida
Dr. Amanda Ferguson Now Open in Olde Naples!
• Chiropractic Services • • Progressive Wellness • • Nutrition • • Athletic Taping •
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"The Patient and any other person responsible for payment has a right to refuse any payments for any Service, Examination, or Treatment that is performed as a result of and within 72 hours of responding to the Advertisement for the Free, Discounted Fee, or Reduced Fee Service, Examination, or Treatment."
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See more photos from this and other fitness events around Southwest Florida at fitnessmag/fitbook.
2014 EVERYBODY RIDES EVERYBODY RUNS | SUNday DEC. 10-11, 2014 | FT. MYERS Florida
RELEASE THE ATHLETE WITHIN... See more photos from this and other fitness events around Southwest Florida at fitnessmag/fitbook.
DANCE FITNESS PROGRAMS • Enhances Range Of Motion • •‟Reduces Stress Level • •‟Improves Core Conditioning • •‟Head To Toe Toning •
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January/February 2015
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fitbook For over 75 years Wynn’s has been known for its fresh produce, the best beef, and the finest selection of gourmet items in Naples. Now Wynn’s is focusing on both Organic and Gluten Free products. Prepared healthy meals in our grab & go section, to appeal to all types of lifestyles.
GOBBLE GOBBLE 4 MILER | THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2014 | NAPLES, Florida
See more photos from this and other fitness events around Southwest Florida at fitnessmag/fitbook.
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2014 GOBBLE GOBBLE 4 MILER | THURSDAY NOVEMBER 27, 2014 | NAPLES, Florida
See more photos from this and other fitness events around Southwest Florida at fitnessmag/fitbook.
January/February 2015
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rides&races
FEATURED: NAPLES HALF MARATHON, NAPLES, FL
JANUARY / february
JANUARY
1
Outdoor Cycle Ride with Time Trial Cycle Naples, FL timetrialcycle.com
10
Seahawk Sprint for Music 5K Cape Coral, FL 3dracinginc.com
10-11
HITS Triathlon Series Open, Half, Full, Sprint, Olympic Naples, FL hitstriathlonseries.com fortmyersmarathon.com
11
17 & 18
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14
18
31
15
Tour de Cape Cape Coral, FL tourdecape.net
Naples Daily News Half Marathon Naples, FL gcrunner.org
23
Whole Foods Health & Fitness Expo Naples, FL wholefoodsmarket.com
24
Cypress Sprint for Music 5K Fort Myers, FL 3dracinginc.com
12th Annual River, Roots & Ruts Half Marathon, 2 – Person Relay & 5K Alva, FL rrrtrail.com
25
17
31
Osprey Cove 5K Fort Myers, FL endurancesportstiming.com
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Naples Bike Brunch Naples, FL naplespathways.org
Hands Across the Harbor Port Charlotte, FL handsacrosstheharbor.com
Calusa 5K Kiwanis Bug Chase Naples, FL gcrunner.org
Stoplight Run JetBlue Park Fort Myers, FL stoplight5k.com
Run for the Paws 5K Fort Myers, FL Ftmyerstrackclub.com
Paradise Coast Marathon, Half, & 5k Naples, FL naplesmarathon.com
FEBRUARY
15
7
Strides for Education 5K Fort Myers, FL stayclassy.org/leecounty
8
Publix Run to the Arts 5K Downtown Fort Myers, FL runtothearts.com
14
Rotary Run for the Rose Garden 5K Cape Coral, FL 3dracinginc.com
Edison Junior Run Downtown Fort Myers, FL ftmyerstrackclub.com
21
Swamp Stomp 5K Fort Myers, FL Ftmyerstrackclub.com
21
Edison Festival of Light 5K Fort Myers, FL ftmyerstrackclub.com
22 & 23
5th Annual FGCU Fly by Night 50 Mile Relay Fort Myers, FL active.com
Men’s & Women's Apparel
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