THE BEST OF 2022 ISSUE DEC 2022
From the Director giving. This year marks our annual Best Of Issue, which is filled to the brim with winners worth being recognized across the nutrition, wellness and fitness industries in Austin. This gift, this issue, is one that keeps on giving because we’re not just announcing winners, the fitness do-gooders of Austin — we’re giving well-respected recommendations, offering new places to try beyond the boundaries of your comfort zone and supporting the tight-knit community of those trying to stay fit and healthy in Austin. Thanks to your submissions and ongoing support, we’ve been able to put together this issue to give a taste of what our Austin Fit community is all about! In preparing for this Best Of Issue, I was reminded that though this fitness family is tight-knit, it continues to grow to include more folks and activities. As our team reviewed which categories to include, we found so many new ones to add to the list — things that pertained to new trendy sports such as pickleball, disc golf and more! It was a great reminder of how there are always new people, places and things forming in Austin, and AFM gets to be a part of shining a light on them! We love our Austin Fit Family, and we hope that through this issue, you get a broader picture of the community that surrounds you. Especially, for me, I’ve been able to meet people I never would have connected with before being in this role, and I’m forever grateful for all the connections I’ve made. One thing I’ve learned is that this family truly is one that looks out for each other — from our writers to ambassadors to story subjects to sources. This issue is truly one for the reader, and we hope you walk away with even just a hint more inspiration to try something new, encourage your community, and find your groove for health and fitness! So here’s the Best Of Issue — enjoy this gift, from us to you!
THE GREATEST GIFT OF ALL IS THE ONE THAT KEEPS ON GIVING.
T
he holiday season is marked by gifts, both giving and receiving them. We show our love through what we give, and we accept love through what we receive. But out of all the gifts that can be given and received, whether tangible or intangible, the greatest gift is one that keeps on giving, one that you can reflect on over the years to come and continue to see its positive benefits. And AFM wants this issue to be a gift to you, our readers! Of course, with each issue we launch, we hope that it’s a gift to our readers. However, this month’s issue is an extra special gift — one that we truly hope will keep on
DECEMBER 2022
Keep Austin Fit,
Landry Allred
DIRECTOR OF CONTENT
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C R E AT I V I T Y
Exposure
PHOTOGRAPHER CHRISTOPHER KIM WEB : www.ckimcreatives.com IG: @ckimcreatives M O D EL : Ashlee Kristen IG: @ashleekristin
Want to possibly be featured in AFM? Email your work to afmteam @austinfitmagazine.com!
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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E
December 2022
THE GOOD STUFF
2022 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
32 AFM’S BEST OF 2022 DECEMBER 2022
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64 12 DAYS OF FITMAS 6
Contents
HIGHLIGHTS
Letter from the Director 4 | Digital Content 8 | Pet of the Month 69 | Ambassador’s Corner 74 | Events 76 | Rides and Races 78
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THE 6 P’S OF WINTERTIME GARDENING
24
THE NEW GYMS IN TOWN
50
REAL OR FAKE?: HEALTH & HOLIDAY TREES
NUTRITION
LIFESTYLE
WELLNESS
Recipe of the Month: Texas Pecan A Look Inside a Massage Puff Christmas Cookies 12 Therapist’s Toolbox 22 The Antidote to Overeating 14 Journaling For Your Future Feed Your Frosty Figure: Properly Greatness 28 Fueling Your Body in Cold Out of the Gym and Into… Weather 18 Your Computer? 30
Deck the Halls With Holiday Boundaries 48 Treatments, According to Local PTs 52 Getting Well Locally 54
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FITNESS
Time For A Work Out! 60 Athlete Spotlight: Jess Estrada 62 Kick Mo’s Butt: StretchLab 70
COMMUNITY CORNER
Everyone Has a Story To Tell 10 AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E
COMMUNITY CORNER AUTHOR
AFM Team
COMMUNITY Corner EVERYONE HAS A STORY TO TELL n AFM owner and publisher Lou
Earle shares about the publishing of his first book “Apogee,” which was recently released.
O
n Oct. 31, 2022, Austin Fit Magazine publisher and owner Lou Earle published his first novel, “Apogee.” Earle has dabbled in writing over the years — from love poems to a children’s book for his grandchildren to a nonfictional philosophical work to even the monthly publisher’s letters in AFM. However, it wasn’t until August 2020 that he started writing “Apogee.” AFM got the chance to interview Earle on his recent success and how he came to realize his lifelong dream.
making up stories and telling them to my brother. He loved it, and every morning he would say, “Hey Lou, tell me a story.” Eighteen years ago on Nov. 27, I read my horoscope for Gemini. It said: “Do you have certain talents for writing, dear Gemini? You seem to have a very precise and clear way of expressing yourself. And it’s possible you use this gift of yours in your career. Today you might want to use it for another purpose: for expressing your feelings about someone. Whether you write to a family member or compose a wonderful love letter, you will be particularly inspired. Get writing!” A month later, I outlined some ideas for a novel. In 2005, I wrote the first five pages of that novel and never wrote another word until 17 years later in August 2020 when I started writing “Apogee.” I’ve been working to get it published for the last two years.
AFM: What was the genesis of this motivation? Lou Earle: It began a long time ago. I was about 7 or 8 years old. Like many kids of that age, my brother and I slept in the same room and usually woke up early. Our parents told us we had to stay in our room until they got up, so we would lay in bed and chat. I had this habit of
DECEMBER 2022
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AFM: What was it like writing this novel? LE: Because I’ve read so many of these works, I had a sense of how my writing style would work; they provided so many wonderful examples of approaches and techniques. But in the end, you must adopt your own style. For example, how much detail do you want to provide in each scene? Some authors spend pages describing a situation while others may only invest a paragraph or two. For me, it was a journey of discovery. In the end, I found that the story told itself. Some describe this as a gardening approach where you put down the seeds and wait to see what grows. I started writing by imagining a scene and then describing it. When it was working, the images just popped into my mind, and I wrote about what I saw. That’s one reason my original “Apogee” novel got to be so long. The images just kept coming and, eventually, I had to end it. So, you might say that the story wrote itself. When I looked into publishing my novel, I was told by literary agents and publishers that it was too long. It was a real downer at first. I didn’t feel I could edit enough out of the book without ruining the story, and I worried about how to create a good linkage between the first and second books. Fortunately, I was able to split the book in two by creating a cliffhanger ending in the first book and a new beginning in the second. That’s also how I was able to plan to publish the second book, “The Typhon Affair” in less than six months after publishing the first.
“Apogee” is the first book in the Mac Sisco Trilogy. The second book is “The Typhon Affair,” which will be published in March 2023, and the third book, “The Maslow Conspiracy” will publish in the fall of 2023. Below is a blurb from PHiR Publishing Co. of “Apogee”: “An insidious conspiracy threatens the governance of nations worldwide. The evidence is subtle at first. As the layers are peeled back, however, a picture of politico-economic and social manipulation on an unimaginable scale begins to take shape. Ex-Navy Seal and NSA intelligence agent Mac Sisco is given limited resources and a seemingly impossible task: to strike a crippling blow before it’s too late. Can Team Apogee stem a tide of evil set in motion by a shadowy cabal that has been planning and executing its strategy for over half a century?” afm
AFM: What has been the greatest challenge for you in this journey? LE: There are two huge hurdles for new writers. The first is finding a publisher who will take a chance on your work. It’s like being discovered in Hollywood. I was fortunate to find a publisher, John Casey of PHiR Publishing, who gave me that chance. I’m eternally grateful for his support. The second challenge is marketing your book. There are so many elements that go into getting exposure but, as my publisher has said, there are three critical elements that make a book successful: 1. First, tell a great story 2. Second, execute great marketing 3. Third, luck! I sincerely hope my books tell a great story and by reading this, you’re helping get the word out. For the third, I’ll just have to keep my fingers crossed.
“Apogee” is available from many book retailers in stores and online including Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Google Play in Kindle, e-book and paperback.
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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E
T H E M I N D + B O DY I S S U E OCT 2022
PUSHING THEMIND LIMITS: & BODY Loving Your Body, Intentionally
Capturing the Mind & Body
Get Your CBD Fix in Austin
T H E F U R RY F R I E N D S I S S U E SEP 2022
HOOK ’EM HORSES Happy Hens, Healthy Eggs
A Year as a Raw Vegan
Healthcare Heroes: Pet Therapy
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COURTESY OF ELVES ON THE RUN 5K
Rides & Races
ELVES ON THE RUN 5K
Grapevine, TX D EC EM B ER 3
DECEMBER
DECEMBER 3
DECEMBER 3-4
Tinajas Trail Race Bend, TX
Perpetual Motion
DECEMBER 2
DECEMBER 3
DECEMBER 4
Tavola Reindeer Run
Austin Jingle Bell 5K
DECEMBER 3
DECEMBER 9-10
Elves on the Run 5K
Mosiac Trail Race
DECEMBER 3-4
DECEMBER 9-11
Santa Scurry 5K Keller, TX
DECEMBER 3
Real Ale Brewing 5K Beer Run Blanco, TX
DECEMBER 3
Old Town Rudolph Run Leander, TX
New Caney, TX
Grapevine, TX
Grapevine, TX
Austin, TX
Liberty Hill, TX
Rock ‘n’ Roll San Antonio San Antonio, TX
BMW Dallas Marathon Festival
DECEMBER 3
Run Houston! Sugar Land Santa 5K & 10K
DECEMBER 3-4
DECEMBER 10
Brazos Bend 100
Spicewood Vineyards Half Marathon, 10K & 5K
Sugar Land, TX
DECEMBER 2022
Needville, TX
Dallas, TX
Spicewood, TX
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DECEMBER 17
Gingerbread 5K & 1M Fun Run
Irving Frost Half Marathon
DECEMBER 10
DECEMBER 17
Jingle Bell Run
Jingle All the 5K/10K
DECEMBER 11
DECEMBER 18
Decker Challenge
Candy Cane Course
DECEMBER 11
DECEMBER 18
BCS Marathon
Santa Hustle
DECEMBER 17
DECEMBER 31
The Stars at Night Half
New Years Double
Irving, TX
Houston, TX
Austin, TX
College Station, TX
San Antonio, TX
COURTESY OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL RUNNING SERIES
DECEMBER 10
Irving, TX
Dallas, TX
Pflugerville, TX
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SAN ANTONIO
Galveston, TX
Allen, TX
San Antonio, TX D EC EM B ER 3-4
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AU S T I N F I T M AG A Z I N E
INTRODUCING
The Fit Wire AFM’s daily coverage of health and fitness in the Austin community
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