FIT PHYSICIAN
DOCTOR PRESCRIBES IRON TRIBE Staying active and being fit has been a lifelong passion of John Touliatos. Even now, as a physician, father of five, and one of the owners of Iron Tribe Fitness, Touliatos makes maintaining a healthy lifestyle a priority for himself and his family.
by Christin Yates. Photo by Sarah McAlexander.
Anna Kachalova, center
The former high school athlete has been a runner, skier, and weightlifter for many years, throughout medical school and even while raising his children. However, several years ago Touliatos heard about Iron Tribe from his cousins and fell in love with a different kind of sport. Together with his two business partners, David and John Irvine, Touliatos decided to open an Iron Tribe in Memphis in 2014. Similar to popular CrossFit-type workouts, Iron Tribe is a competitive group fitness sport. However, unlike similar workout programs, Iron Tribe has centralized programming throughout the country that delivers balanced workouts. With scalable levels of achievement, the fitness program cultivates a more diverse blend of athletes. Touliatos enjoys the competitive nature of the sport, which has pushed the 47 year old to get in the best shape of his life. Iron Tribe also sponsors frequent events that promote fellowship and unity among all Memphis Tribers in a friendly, competitive environment, such as Tribal Wars, WOD for Water, the Iron Tribe 5K, March Madness, and Workout for Warriors. As for eating healthy, Touliatos relies on Iron Tribe’s nutrition and meal plan, InnerFire Grill, for breakfast and lunch. The diet is Paleo-esque and provides athletes with prepared meals that are ready in three minutes or less, eliminating the stress of finding time to make wholesome food. High-quality, healthy, and convenient meal plans make it easier for Iron Tribe athletes to stay on track with their nutrition in addition to their workouts. When he’s at home, Touliatos and his wife continue to stick to a healthy eating plan to provide a good example for their children, who range in age from 11 to 21.
HEALTH+FITNESS | December 2015
When asked how he fits it all in, Touliatos says that as with anything important in life, you have to carve out time for it. Whether it’s early morning or his lunch break, he attends Iron Tribe classes daily, which get you in and out in 45 minutes. With a warmup, workout, and cool down included in the class, the shorter timeframe allows him and other athletes to get in a quality workout when they otherwise may not be able to. Touliatos’ family is also part of Iron Tribe — his wife and son enjoy the workouts, and his other children have attended Tribe Academy, a summer program for kids. Having the support and accountability from his family as well as enjoying fitness activities with them makes staying in shape and being active easier for this busy dad.
WHAT IS IRON TRIBE? •4 5-MINUTE WORKOUTS FROM START TO FINISH INCLUDING WARMUP, WORKOUT, AND COOL DOWN. •C OMPETITIVE GROUP FITNESS WITH SCALABLE BENCHMARKS FOR ALL LEVELS OF ATHLETES. •C OMBINES BODY MOVEMENTS, PERSONAL COACHING, AND HEALTHY NUTRITION. • FOR MALE AND FEMALES ATHLETES AGES 6-73 (SO FAR).
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“Above all, I credit God for my health, as my faith is my number one priority.”