Astute readers know that this time last year, Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival had one of its stops here in NYC along with LA and Chicago. We had a great time working out beside Gunnar Peterson, Harley Pasternak, Akin's Army and more. We talked with them about a number of fitness tips, focuses and more. This month, the event took place in LA with the same energy with a number of new and old friends. We're sharing a few conversations with Gunnar Peterson, Harley Pasternak, Casey Ho, Simone de la Rue and Angela Manuel-Davis. We kicked off with Gunnar Peterson . ATHLEISURE MAG: What tips do you have for those just beginning their fitness journey? GUNNAR PETERSON: Enjoy the process. Obviously short- and long-term goals are great, but if you can find a way to enjoy what you’re doing in the moment, you’re going to be so much better off throughout the whole thing – not to mention, your goals will be there sooner than you know. AM: What advice would you have for those struggling to find motivation? GP: The motivation comes from inside. I’m not a big believer that the trainer motivates – I don’t know what I can say to you if you’ve decided you’re not doing something. And I also don’t think that’s incumbent upon the trainer. People decide for themselves. They have their own reasons and get after it because they’ve decided to make that change. It can be family, job, tired of feeling low energy – whatever it is, just draw on that from the inside and don’t deny it. AM: What is the Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival all about? GP: To me, the Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival is all about bringing a relatively disjointed fitness community together and on even ground. Even when you’re here, you’ll notice people who are yoga people,
weight people, and people who are way more cardio-intensive – and there’s such a great comradery and feeling here. This is what fitness should be. Propel makes this what fitness should be about – community. Here, people are sharing information and also being receptive to other fitness professionals, which is why it’s such a great event. AM: Tell us about the class you’ll be leading with Luke Milton? GP: I can’t tell you – it’s totally top secret. Actually, Luke and I have a similar philosophy in terms of peripheral action and planes of motion. The environment created in the workout is all because of how the movements are sequenced. So, when we developed this, it was so fun and totally logical. For us, the goal is up-down-updown, switching it up the whole time, upper-body, lower-body, core. And moving people in that way, very specifically and thought out, helps them get the most out of the workout. AM: Why are electrolytes important? GP: We lose electrolytes when we sweat, and with Propel, you replenish them. You can workout harder and longer. Propel is helping everyone here do more – their bodies are ready to go sooner and to keep pushing – and that’s really what it’s all about. One of the exciting things about attending a festival of this nature is that you're able to try out a number of methods that allow you to enhance what you already do. You also have the opportunity to hear about the methods and the reason why these celebrity fitness trainers do them. Last year, we enjoyed connecting with Harley Pasternak and once again, he didn't disappoint. ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about the class you’ll be leading at the Propel Co:Labs fitness festival. HARLEY PASTERNAK: We are doing a really exciting class today that will require no
