July 2015 - The Business of Fitness

15 Austin BUSINESSES BUILT on a foundation of Fitness AustinFitMagazine.com

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July 2015

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July 2015 Features + Cover Stories

40

S t a r t i n g o n page

The Business of Fitness

20 Lighten Up

Satiate your taste buds with a healthy take on three savory and sweet summer side dishes 6 • au st infI tm agazine. c om • 07.2 015

34 Behind the Voice

A Q&A with the inspirational Ironman race announcer, Mike Reilly

56 The Fit Office of the Future

Find out what healthy perks and incentives are part of the new 9-to-5

74 Gear Test

New and unique products to know about, see in action, and integrate into your workouts

cover and contents photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

Backstories behind 15 Austin-based health and fitness companies that are experiencing all-time success in their industries

July 2015

Departments + In Every Issue

Fuel

26 Grow Your Muscles in

the Garden

Strap on your Crocs and work up a sweat from digging, raking, weeding, and more 28 Stepping Up to the

Chopping Block

At Kids Kitchen and Chefs Club, it’s never too early to start working with your kids in the kitchen

LIVE

30 Better Than A Stairmaster Spots around town well-suited for a stair climbing workout 32 Starting a Fitness Business There are just as many ups as there are downs on the road to building an empire

LOOK

52 New to Austin Stores and studios for fitnessminded folk 58 Kicking Asana An inside look into the not-socutthroat world of competitive yoga

FEEL

62 The Blood Type Diet Increased energy, fewer digestive complaints, and weight loss. Is it all hype?

64 Managing Low Back Pain Solutions that work no matter the severity, exact location, or precipitating event 68 Get Paid to Play Insurance companies are offering health incentives to get you eating healthier and moving more

TRAIN

72 Marco, Bike Polo A crash course on one of the hippest, most out of the ordinary social sporting clubs in Central Texas 79 Anatomy of A Pose Follow this photo tutorial to see how to correctly make your way into Crow and Advanced Crow 82 Find Fun in the Functional These efficiency-enhancing circuit exercises are designed to give your body the workout it wants

In Every Issue 10

From the Publisher

12

From Our Readers

14

Contributors

16

On the Web

18

Fit Focus

38

FAQ

66

Healthy Bits

86

Events Calendar

88

90

Discover!

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photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

Rides & Races

Publisher’s Letter Publisher/CEO Louis M. Earle

admit it: I have railed for years about how the individual choices we make ultimately determine how healthy and fit we are. And I truly believe that our personal commitment to living a healthy lifestyle is the depending factor in achieving this goal. That said, I also recognize the reality that many other variables in life come into play and can serve as significant, often difficult obstacles to overcome.

Living healthy in our current environment can be challenging, and we need all the help we can get. While it may be true of other cities, Austin has a veritable cornucopia of support for those who want to walk the healthy path. We are blessed with every kind of fitness facility serving up menus of classes and programs too numerous to list. Healthy nutrition options abound, and innovative techniques designed to calm the muscles and the mind are everywhere. Retail stores catering to the active lifestyle are changing the way we dress—whether we are sweating in a spin class or sitting in front of a PC. Austin has an encouraging attitude toward opportunity and change that has catalyzed our health and fitness landscape to grow and prosper.

We see it in the many non-profits that focus on the health of our community and the wellness programs that our employers implement. We see it in the quality and commitment of our medical and health service providers and in our government policies and city events. We see it in our food providers working to make healthy nutrition the norm. And most notably, we see it in the many businesses that offer us new ways to engage in healthy living.

Our community embraces challenges as beneficial opportunities that accrue far beyond profits. The products and services that our business community provides are an essential part of realizing our collective goal—as a city and as a country—of establishing a culture of fitness.

Without their innovations and commitment, our path to a healthy lifestyle would be significantly more challenging.

In this month’s issue, we want to thank and recognize some of the enterprises and people who are out there every day building and providing support so that each of us has a real chance at living our best life.

So yes, how healthy and fit you are is up to you, but you are not in this alone. All around you are folks who want to make your voyage easier, more interesting, more fun, and ultimately more achievable. I hope you’ll take the time to get to know them each a bit better and support them as much as they hope to support you.

Together we can help one another build a culture of health and fitness—a culture that is indeed everyone’s business.

Keep Austin Fit,

Lou Earle, Publisher, CEO 10 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

Managing eDITOR April Cumming Creative Director Weston Carls Director of Marketing & Communications Carrie Crowe Senior Advertising Consultant Betty Davis Associate Digital Coordinator Gretchen Goswitz Operations Coorindator Ela Pala Graphic DesignER Emma Canela Writers Carrie Barrett, Joanne Blackerby, Mercedes Cordero, Steve Cuddy, Tony Dreibus, Camille Fisher, Jennifer Fisher, Gretchen Goswitz, Mark Henricks, Lauryn Lax, Erinn Lewis, Leila Noone, Larissa Tater, Kristen Turner, Nate Turner, Diane Vives, Nancy Zambrano Proofreader Adam Deutsch General Inquiries info@austinfitmagazine.com Advertising Inquiries ads@austinfitmagazine.com Submissions editors@austinfitmagazine.com fitfocus@austinfitmagazine.com Event Listings austinfitmagazine.com/events Subscriptions austinfitmagazine.com/subscribe 2201 N. Lamar Blvd., Ste. 220 Austin, TX 78705 p 512.407.8383 f 512.407.8393 Austin Fit Magazine assumes no responsibility for the content of articles or advertisements, in that the views expressed therein may not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or any magazine employee or contributor.

This publication and all of its contents are copyrighted.

Austin Fit Magazine is the assumed name of its publisher, Louis M. Earle, who has no interest in the business of Denis Calabrese who operates an exercise program under the assumed name of Austin Fit, which trains individuals to improve their jogging or running skills to participate in marathons. The views, opinions and other representations published in Austin Fit Magazine are not those of Austin Fit or any of its directors, officers, employees or agents.

Please recycle this magazine

photography by Dennis Burnett

I

Health and Fitness are Everyone’s Business

COO & Associate Publisher Alex Earle

From Our Readers FEEL THE FAST Fresh Foam Zante offers a quick, incredibly smooth heel to toe transition.

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How do you #KeepAustinFit? We want you to show us! Tag AFM in your social media post with @AustinFit or #KeepAustinFit and you could be featured in the magazine. This month, photos by @smolyneux, @coachjesspowers, @davidjbraswell, @clavomg, @lovelindawagner, and @yoga.barbie made the list.

What We’re Looking For Show us how you keep Austin fit by capturing your fitness moments—doing a handstand at an historic Austin landmark, SUPing around Lady Bird Lake, or working out with your children when you find time around the house. However you keep fit, we look forward to seeing what you can do!

AFM wants to hear from you! Letters should be addressed to Letters to the Editor, AFM, 2201 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 220, Austin, TX, 78705. Email address is editors@austinfitmagazine.com. All letters should include the writer’s name, address (email included), and daytime phone number. We are unable to acknowledge or return unpublished letters. Letters may be edited for length and clarity. ©2 ©20 ©201 ©2 20 01 015 New N w Ba Ne Balanc Balanc lan la an anc a n eA Atth hle hlet le etic e c Sh hoe, hoe oe, oe o e, Inc Inc. In c

12 • au st i nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 07.2015

Contributors Thank you to AFM’s contributors who make this magazine a worthy source of health and fitness information in Austin.

Lorin Peters

Peters received her bachelor’s in Nutritional Sciences from the University of Texas–Austin. Now a professional chef in New York City, she is the creator of the cooking blog, amodernmuse.com, which is geared towards teaching everyone the basics of cooking and living a healthy lifestyle.

Kim Eagle

Kim Eagle has won the Best Personal Trainer designation from Austin Fit for the past three years.

Eagle received her masters in Science and Eastern Medicine in San Francisco and has spent many years helping patients adopt healthier nutrition routines and lifestyles. Her passion for fitness and health led to the evolution of her online personal training and nutritional coaching business Earn That Body! In her free time, Eagle enjoys training for triathlons and marathons, practicing yoga, and spending time with her family. She completed her first Ironman in Texas this year. @earnthatbody; earnthatbody.com

Tony Dreibus

Tony C. Dreibus is a freelance reporter based in Austin. The Omaha, Nebraska native spent the past eight years working as a reporter at The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News, based in Chicago and London. Dreibus is an avid runner and triathlete, having completed 13 marathons and two Ironman-distance triathlons along with dozens of shorter-distance endurance events.

Emily Laskowski

Emily Laskowski is a writer, editor, and native Austinite. A longtime athlete, Emily graduated from The University of Texas and rowed for the Longhorn women's NCAA novice rowing team. Since 2008, Laskowski has written and edited for organizations throughout the Austin area. When she’s not writing for AFM, Laskowski is most likely running around Lady Bird Lake or walking her dog, Dobby, with her husband around their Northwest Hills neighborhood.

Lauren Pape

Lauren Pape is a freelance journalist and photographer based in Austin. The Texas Tech graduate holds a degree in electronic media and communications and worked in the student media department as a photojournalist and photo editor. Pape now works as a designer for the digital communications firm Upstream Communications and is the media and marketing manager for the Yahoo! sports radio show Speed City Broadcasting. In her free time, Pape can be found exploring Austin with a camera in hand or at home getting addicted to the newest show on Netflix. @LaurenPapePhoto; laurenpape.com

14 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

Write for AFM Letters should include the writer’s name, address (email included), and daytime phone number as well as a short description (250 word max) of the article premise.

Send to Story Ideas, AFM, 2201 N. Lamar Blvd., Suite 220, Austin, TX, 78705.

Email address is editors@ austinfitmagazine. com . Response

time may vary greatly due to publishing dates. Detailed submission guidelines will be provided by AFM as appropriate.

Submit FitFocus Photos Photos must be original artwork submitted in 300 dpi.

Include credited photographer’s name, title of photo, and location in an email with the photo attachment.

Email photos to fitfocus@ austinfitmagazine. com . Images

published in Austin Fit Magazine become the property of AFM.

On the Web What our readers like

We're more than just a monthly publication. Join us online and on our social networks to see the additional awesomeness we're up to.

Most Popular Tweets @AustinFit

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AFM FITTEST PHOTOS

The wait is over! Photos from the AFM FITTEST competition are available for you to view and purchase at austinfitmagazine.smugmug.com. Immortalize your game face or find your new profile picture and show the world what a fierce athlete you are!

Gear Test: Behind the Scenes

AFM contributor and unofficially-official gear tester, Nate Turner, had a blast trying out new products for this month’s TRAIN section gear review piece. Watch bonus video of the products in-action on our website, austinfitmagazine.com

@AustinFit

Workout Video

C h e c k o u t A F M W e e k ly f o r New Stories

People, Profiles, & News

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Events

Subscribe at austinfitmagazine.com

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photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

Find the fun in functional movements by following along to this video as personal trainer and our TRAIN section writer, Diane Vives, coaches you through a high intensity complex training set at Iron Tribe Fitness.

Fit Focus X Games Veteran Tony Hawk pleases the crowd by taking his annual X Games skate session on the Skate Park course.

by Travis Perkins

Send your active lifestyle photos to FitFocus@ AustinFitMagazine.com for a chance to be published.

Guidelines are provided in our Fit Focus photo album on Facebook.com/ AustinFitMagazine 18 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

X Games at the Capitol The Moto X Step Up competition took over downtown Austin for an afternoon.

by Kurt Bradley

Q B B mer

Sum

Lighten Up Healthy and savory don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

These three dishes bring the delicious duo together.

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photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

By Lorin Peters

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Close your eyes.

What foods come to mind when you think of summer?

Grilled everything, fresh fruits, and sweet tea are just some of my season must-haves.

Banana pudding and creamy potato salad are also part of the equation.

The key to enjoying these indulgences is to find a way for healthy ingredients to represent those memory-lasting flavors.

Recipes should be seen as a guide, not a rulebook. If you feel like substituting your favorite ingredient or adding a bit more flavor, go for it. Experimenting is what keeps you motivated in the kitchen.

22 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

Grilled Corn and Romesco Serves 6 Romesco is one of my favorite sauces because of its versatility. (Romesco is a Spanish sauce made from a combination of nuts, roasted peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil.) It can be used on almost everything.

Some healthy benefits of this dish…

• Peppers are packed full of nutrients like Vitamin C and carotenoids, and have anti-inflammatory properties. The spicier the pepper, the more capsaicin is present. (Capsaicin is known to boost your metabolism and suppress your appetite.)

• Nuts are rich in Omega 3’s, protein, and fiber to leave you feeling full and satisfied.

What You Need: 6 ears of corn, husks on ½ cup almonds, unsalted, dry roasted ½ cup cashews, unsalted, dry roasted 3 medium tomatoes, chopped into quarters ½ medium yellow onion, diced into large pieces 2 large red bell peppers, chopped into medium size pieces 3 dried peppers, such as Ancho or New Mexico chiles, seeds removed

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

r Summe

2 jalapeños, seeds removed and chopped into quarters 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Half a lemon, juiced 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped ¾ cup feta, crumbled

How To Make It 1. Heat oven to broil.

2. In a large cast iron skillet or sauté pan, add in chopped bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, and jalapeños. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Place pan about 6 inches under broiler until a black char starts to form on skins of peppers.

You can also grill the larger ingredients before cutting them instead of using a broiler.

3. Reduce oven heat to 350. Place whole corn ears (husk and all) directly on rack of oven or grill, or place onto sheet tray. Cook for 30 minutes or until kernels are soft.

4. Remove pan from oven and place on burner over medium heat.

5. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top. Add sliced garlic and crumbled, dried peppers into pan. Stir occasionally until dried peppers are soft and all vegetables are cooked through.

6. Place ingredients from pan into a large food processor, adding toasted nuts, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Process until well blended, scraping sides occasionally.

7. Season with kosher salt to taste and pulse.

8. Peel back cornhusk, removing all silk. Spread 2 tablespoons of romesco sauce onto each ear of corn. Top with crumbled feta cheese and chopped cilantro.

Staff te!

Favori

Famous Potato Salad Serves 8 Many people are terrified of potato salad when it comes to maintaining their figure, but you shouldn’t have to be so scared.

Some healthy benefits of this dish…

• Potatoes are rich in Vitamin C and B vitamins and are an excellent source of dietary fiber.

• Add grilled frisee lettuce—a great source of vitamins A and C—for a nice crunch to an otherwise soft salad.

• Charred red onion—an anti-inflammatory chock full of antioxidant properties—adds a smoky flavor and crunchy texture.

What You Need 3 pounds small Yukon potatoes 6 heads frisee lettuce, ends removed, chopped into shorter pieces 2 red onions, thinly sliced and charred (if charring on a grill, slice after) 20 castelvetrano olives, thinly sliced 6 tablespoons champagne vinegar (or substitute with red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar) 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon course black pepper

How To Make It 1. In a large pot, cover potatoes with cold water and season water with kosher salt.

Bring to a boil. Continue to boil until po-

tatoes are cooked through. (You should be able to insert a fork easily.)

2. On a grill or in a cast iron pan, char frisee until most of lettuce is charred, but not burnt. Set aside. Repeat with red onion. (If charring on a grill, char onion before slicing.) Note: Do not add oil. It will just sauté and not char.

3. In a large bowl, add champagne vinegar, olive oil, Dijon, and pepper. Whisk to combine.

4. Once potatoes are cooked through, drain and immediately add to the large bowl.

5. Using a fork or pastry cutter, smash potatoes until bite size pieces or smaller, stirring occasionally to incorporate vinaigrette.

6. Add frisee, red onion, and olives. Stir to combine.

7. Season with kosher salt to taste. Eat warm or chill in refrigerator.

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i n e . c o m • 23

r Summe

BBQ

Banana Pudding Serves 6 Healthy banana pudding, you ask? Why yes, it’s true!

Some healthy benefits of this dish…

• This recipe uses coconut milk and dates in substitute of a typical pudding.

What You Need 3 cups organic, full fat coconut milk 3 large medjool dates, pitted (make sure dates are fresh and soft) 8 medium organic bananas (6 cut into quarters for blending, 2 sliced thin for garnish) 3 teaspoons vanilla extract (or scrape the inside of 1 vanilla bean) 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice (or cinnamon) 1 cup organic heavy cream 4 tablespoons honey 1 box organic vanilla wafers (I use the Back to Nature brand)

How To Make It 1. Blend coconut milk and dates until well combined.

2. Add 6 quartered bananas and blend until smooth.

4. Whip heavy cream and honey together until soft peaks form. Chill until ready to use.

5. In trifle dish or individual ramekins, layer vanilla wafers with pudding, bananas, and whipped cream.

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photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

3. Chill mixture for at least an hour.

In the Garden with Gretchen

Grow Your Muscles While Growing Your Garden We are always trying to keep up with the latest fitness and nutrition trends here at Austin Fit. As much as we love running on the trails around town, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to spice up our workout routine—whether that means taking a TRX training class, testing our balance on a surfboard at City Surf, or hitting Lake Austin for a sunny wake surfing session, the more unique

the activity, the better. Which brings us to our most recent activity, and one of many fun methods of exercise that often go overlooked: gardening.

Countless medical studies have found that gardening serves up a healthy boost for your body and soul (watch out, yoga). It makes sense. There are many similarities between gardening activities and muscle strength-building activities. For one, both

30 Minutes of WEEDING Calories burned: 135 Muscles worked: lower back, arms, shoulders, and abs

30 Minutes of DIGGING Calories burned: 140 Muscles worked: lower back, arms, shoulders, and abs

require adhering to a routine. Think about it: You can’t hit the gym once and expect to see serious gains (or losses), the same way you can’t water your plants once and expect to step outside the next morning and see a flourish of flora.

So strap on your Crocs (I may or may not join you in this endeavor) and work up a sweat from digging, raking, weeding, and more.

30 Minutes of Carrying Soil Calories burned: 150 Muscles worked: legs, glutes, thighs, biceps, and lower back PRO TIP When moving large bags of soil, don’t forget to bend at the knees when picking them up. The same rules of weightlifting apply to gardening; if you don’t lift with correct posture, you'll put yourself at risk for a painful back strain.

30 Minutes of Turning Compost Calories burned: 200 Muscles worked: forearms, biceps, shoulders

Other Gardening Benefits Large, heavy watering can = Improves grip and forearm strength

Stretching when moving transplants improves balance.

Note: To get a fuller workout, switch arms halfway through.

PRO TIP Set your transplants 10 feet away from your garden bed. This way, you’ll be required to squat up and down as you continue moving back and forth. (Your glutes will thank you for it later!) Also, don’t forget to bend at the knees when picking up and moving large bags of soil. The same rule of weightlifting applies to gardening: If you don’t lift with correct posture, you put yourself at risk for a painful back strain.

Pushing a wheelbarrow = Great for building chest muscles and improving upper body strength and balance.

Stretching when moving transplants = Improves balance

Being outside = Healthy dose of Vitamin D and proximity to pure, clean oxygen 26 • au stinfI tm agazine. c o m • 07.2 015

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Fuel

Stepping Up to the Chopping Block At Kids Kitchen and Chefs Club, it’s never too early to start working with your kids in the kitchen. By Jennifer Fisher, TheFitFork.com

M

y 12-year-old son is watching over a pot of boiling spaghetti he’s been tasked with cooking for our Saturday night family dinner. “They taste pretty good, but I still don’t get why these brown noodles are better for me than the white kind,” he remarks. I remind him that whole grain pastas have much more fiber and nutrients in them than their enriched, white noodle counterparts.

“Just like bread, right?” he asks, making the connection. I can’t help but silently chuckle with parental satisfaction. Having him help out in the kitchen over the last few months was my sneaky tactic to curb his picky eating habits and teach him a thing or two about good nutrition in the process.

Cooking has always been “my thing” and—I’ll admit—I’m a bit of a control freak when it comes to people messing with my recipes or, worse yet, making

28 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

messes in my kitchen. For these reasons, I had avoided passing the torch to my three sons. That was, until I learned about Kids Kitchen and Chefs Club, a traditional on-site cooking camp and at-home virtual cooking course, respectively, led by an Austinite, Leah Smith.

Smith is a native Texan, mom of two school-aged children, and a registered dietician and nutritionist. She helped me realize that while it’s far easier, faster, and less messy to take on all the household cooking responsibilities myself, the long-term benefits of teaching cooking skills to my kids—and making meals a family affair—far outweigh any of the plethora of dirty dishes.

From Fussy to Fearless

Engaging kids in the cooking process, from meal planning to preparation, encourages even the pickiest palate to try new healthy foods. After giving my three

kids some basic nutritional advice and the thumbs-up to make dinner as they saw fit, I soon overheard them saying things like “this sauce needs more garlic” and “let’s stir in some edamame beans.”

There was a mealtime miracle happening right in my own house!

Smith was pleased to learn of my kitchen observations and said she’s heard the same type of commentary come from youngsters in her cooking classes. Students invariably moan “ewww, gross” when a vegetable like roasted Brussels sprouts is on the menu.

But, after donning their aprons and taking an active role in the cooking process, nearly all of her students are willing to sample the finished product and “probably 10 out of 12 students say they would eat it again,” Smith said.

Start Right, Stay Right.

This hands-on exposure to new foods

in the early years, coupled with the empowerment that comes from “making a meal yourself,” is key to raising children so they are more likely to make healthy food choices later in life.

Although Kids Kitchen classes begin at age 5, Smith said that it’s never too early to start working with your kids in the kitchen. Every child, from preschool forward, has the capacity to learn something about cooking. Tiny hands can peel the husks off corn or knead dough. Early elementary-age kids can grate cheese, crack eggs, learn cooking measurements, and whip up simple recipes. Older children and teens with more kitchen experience will enjoy the challenge of tackling a new cooking technique (like grilling) or planning and executing a meal from start to finish.

“Teaching kids about what foods are good for them Visit TxKidsKitchen. and why, having them practice cooking skills in a safe com to find out more about cooking lessons environment, and enabling them to create recipes on and camps offered at their own will have a positive impact on their lifeKids Kitchen. Spaces long eating habits,” Smith said. are still available for summer camps, and fall classes are currently enrolling in Austin, Round Rock, Lakeway, and Cedar Park.

Chefs Club, a monthly video-guided virtual program, makes a great alternative for the busy family and includes monthly boxes that are mailed to the child at home.

Each shipment includes three activities (including how-to online videos), kitchen utensil(s) needed that month, newsletters, and prize drawing entries along with culinary and nutrition support from the Chefs Club Culinary Team.

More Family Quality Time

In addition to the health benefits, an added bonus of teaching your child to cook is the extra quality time you get to spend together. Like many families, mine leads a hectic lifestyle. But, through the online videobased Chefs Club, I was able to teach my kids (at any time, place, and pace) how to cook.

For us, I found weekends offered the most convenient opportunities to knock out a few lessons, and I’m pretty sure my boys would agree that we made some good food and great memories together in the process.

On-site cooking lessons or camps taught by professionals (like those at Kids Kitchen), offer opportunities for family bonding. Sitting down and eating the kid-made meals together will help your kids’ selfconfidence (as budding chefs will surely want to show off their newfound culinary skills at home). Study after study has linked reconnecting with your family over regular dinners to reduced rates of substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and depression, in addition to increased grade-point averages, self-esteem, and improved command of vocabulary.

So, what are you waiting for? Get in the kitchen and start cooking with your kids! afm 07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 29

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Live

Better Than A Stairmaster Spots around town well-suited for a stair climbing workout.

By Mark Henricks

For most of my life, climbing stairs was something to do only if the elevator was broken. But after deciding to participate in the American Lung Association’s Fight for Air Climb at Austin’s Frost Bank Tower a couple of years ago, climbing stairs became essential to my training. So I started looking for some to climb.

Unfortunately, stairs suitable for training are not as common or as well advertised as, say, the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake. Most high-rise stairwells are locked up, as are the oncepopular steps at UT’s Darrell K Royal—Texas Memorial Stadium. But if you look hard enough, you’ll find spots around town that are fit for a stair-climbing workout.

30 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

Parking Garages Ideally ones with open-to-thepublic stairways. “You can run up to the top of a four- or five-story parking garage, then run down the stairs on the opposite end for recovery,” Berti said. “To get a little extra training, I have people carry 5 to 12 pound weights.”

One of the best parking garages is at St. David’s South Hospital—it climbs seven floors (or 140 steps) above Ben White Boulevard, and you’re rewarded with unique skyline views at the top.

In North Austin, try the garage at the Triangle. If you’re closer to downtown, try the one at the Long Center.

River Place Nature Trail On the north side of Lake Austin, between the Pennybacker Bridge and Mansfield Dam, lies the River Place neighborhood.

The River Place nature trail (featured in Austin Fit’s March issue) is a 3.5 mile track with more than 1,800 feet of elevation change. The steps are uneven— as they are constructed of railroad ties embedded in the earth—but the trail is shady and the scenery is captivating.

Mount Baldy One of Wimberley’s signature landmarks, this outdoor staircase leading to the top of a “mountain” is composed of 215 stone steps. The park was recently slated to be sold to a developer until local residents rallied last year to raise funds to preserve it. Mount Baldy is one of the Hill Country’s most challenging climbs.

Azfaris Photography

Mount Bonnell Austin’s uber stair climb, Mount Bonnell tops out (after 105 steps) to some of the city’s best vistas of downtown and Lake Austin.

“Mount Bonnell is one of my favorite [stair climbs] because of the view,” said Joe Berti, founder of Austin fitness marketing firm Sweti Services and lead trainer for the 2015 Frost Bank Tower climb boot camp.

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At Berti’s boot camp workouts, held on Saturdays during the two months leading up to the Austin Fight For Air Climb, participants run and walk up the Mount Bonnell steps. Some take six trips up and down the steps; others take 12 or more.

The Frost Bank Tower is 660 steps high, so Berti recommends training at about twice that vertical distance. The typical Frost Bank Tower racer reaches the 31st floor in four to 10 minutes.

Austinite Michael Doherty took home the first place trophy in the “extreme” category in 2013, completing two circuits of the staircase in 8 minutes 2 seconds.

He ran his first “lap” in 3 minutes 45 seconds, riding the elevator down before starting his second loop.

Doherty got into stair climbing when he was training to climb Mount Rainier in 2009. Since then, he’s completed a dozen stair races—huffing up buildings from Houston to Las Vegas. He’s ran up Chicago’s daunting 2,115-step Willis Tower twice and has been ranked in the nation’s top 50 climbers. “I’d like to see [the sport of stair climbing] grow, particularly in Texas,” Doherty said. “It gets so darn hot here. During summer, it’s nice if you can be inside and race.”

Stair climbing is definitely growing in popularity, in large part due to the 65-city-wide Fight for Air Climb fundraising series. The Austin branch of the climb has been held at the Frost Bank Tower each spring for the last six years. Jessye Padilla, spokesperson for the American Lung Association,

said Austin’s event draws about 450 participants and 500 to 600 spectators.

Fight for Air Climbs in other cities draw as many as 2,000 climbers, she said.

“Some cities do two or three different buildings with different heights, which is something I’d love to do as the Austin skyline gets taller and taller,” she said.

Stair racing has active Facebook fan pages as well as national and world associations. The sport’s aficionados are drawn to the activity because it offers them an opportunity to get an intense workout that improves aerobic fitness, strength, and speed better than a lot of other activities. In addition to those training for tower races, triathletes, rowers, cyclists, and runners also prize the simple workout method. Doherty, for instance, worked out on the River Place nature trail this spring in preparation for a rugged rim-to-rim round-trip trek across the Grand Canyon.

With its taxing physical demands and hard-to-find training facilities, the sport of stair racing may seem like an unlikely candidate for mainstream athletic and fitness competition. But then again, there was a time when running marathons was regarded as similarly extreme.

Stair climb training packs a lot of work into a few minutes, making it an appealing option to the time-strapped exerciser. And training facilities are opening up all the time. “In Austin, there seems to be a tall building going up on almost every corner,” Berti said, “so I see more stairs in our future.” afm

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 31

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Live

So You Want to Start a Fitness Business

There are just as many ups as there are downs on the road to building an empire.

A

of Austin, he decided to make this city his home.

A certified personal trainer and triathlon coach, Garule moved to Austin from Hawaii in 2014 and started a business called Hermes Athletics. His goal was to help people reach their fitness goals—whether that meant finishing a full distance triathlon, completing a halfmarathon, or losing unwanted pounds.

But starting a new business wasn't as easy as he had expected.

"The start-up costs were a little rough.

[I had to] create an online presence,

purchase professional and liability insurance, register with the city, and buy workout equipment," Garule said. "It's a big step to take when you're trying to start a family and a new life after the military. There was a lot of uncertainty."

Such is the life of starting a small business in any market. But in the ultracompetitive world that is the fitness industry, the struggle is especially real.

Often, would-be business owners find their dreams dashed before they even get their feet off the ground. Garule found it challenging to balance buildillustration by Freepik.com

fter working eight years as a diver on a special warfare and operations group in the U.S. Navy, Jesse Garule wasn't quite sure where he wanted to go when he left the military.

What he did know, however, was that he wanted to do something that involved fitness. In addition to his regular intense training routine, Garule had managed to find the time to finish two Ironmans, three half-Ironmans, 10 marathons, and numerous other races while in the Navy.

Because of the fitness-focused culture

By Tony Dreibus

32 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

ing a new business while simultaneously managing the workload of his full-time job. The lack of time he found to dedicate to Hermes Athletics was only compounded by the rising cost of insurance and gym equipment.

Michelle Seaman, 27, the owner of Michelle's Paleo in Austin, also discovered that starting a new company in the health industry can be a daunting task.

An Austin native and Texas A&M grad, Seaman had worked in marketing in San Francisco before she decided last year that she wanted to step away from working in the tech industry.

After living in England for a summer with her husband Joseph, a world-class rower, the couple moved to Austin last

fall. Shortly after moving back, Seaman decided it would be the perfect time to start her company—one she'd been planning to start ever since she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, a condition that caused her to experience severe gastrointestinal issues.

After experimenting with several diets to see which one would least upset her stomach, Seaman had finally landed on the Paleo diet, which allows people to consume meat and vegetables, but no grains or dairy.

After learning more about the Paleo diet, she developed several of her own recipes, often using her husband as a culinary guinea pig. She realized there was a growing market for the products she made in her kitchen and soon began producing Paleo granola and Paleo fudge to sell as a side business.

As with Garule, Seaman encountered time constraints and found that a lack of resources was holding her back from fully developing her business.

Although it's not easy to start a company in the fitness and nutrition industry, it can be done. And it can be done successfully. Case in point: Epic Bar. The Paleo protein bar business officially launched in Austin in 2013 and the company’s owners, Taylor Collins and Katie Forrest, a husband-wife duo, seem unstoppable. Both are endurance athletes who do everything from longdistance trail running (for Collins) to the Ironman World Championships (for Forrest). The couple lives, breathes, and—of course—eats endurance sports.

Epic bars are made from bison, turkey, beef, chicken, pork, and lamb. They are Paleo-friendly, gluten free, and low in sugar—the perfect combination for someone who's going to be running, riding, or swimming for hours on end, Collins said.

Epic Bar's bison bar is the sixth top selling energy bar in the country, and the company has seen their revenue triple each year since they started. But it didn't start out that way, Collins said. When the

duo first pitched their idea of a nutrition bar made of meat, retailers and consumers balked.

“It was a struggle for people to understand it," Collins said. "When we first launched, people were weirded out by it.”

After sending out thousands of samples, doing promotions, and educating consumers, now people tell him they “use the bars all the time” and “can't believe nobody thought of this before.”

While Seaman and Garule both strive to be at that Epic Bar-level someday, for now they remain persistent in the hopes that one day their hard work will pay off and their business dreams will become a reality.

Seaman is starting to refocus her efforts. Along with developing products for sale, she wants to work with families and teach them how to eat better and live healthier lives. She knows the road to success will be long and fraught with obstacles, but she acknowledges that moving forward means moving up.

“Because it takes awhile to get going, you have to go at it with all you have,” Seaman said.

For Garule, his next step in building his business is to get a degree in health and fitness management from Texas State University to supplement his experience as a Navy diver and endurance athlete.

Ultimately, he said, his goal is to own a company that covers the entire spectrum of fitness—from running and swimming to nutrition and weight training.

Until that day comes, Garule said, he's happy running organized boot camp classes in city parks as a way to build name recognition for Hermes Athletics (named after the god of travelers, sports, and athletes).

“Hopefully within five years, I will have a solid presence here in Austin with the running and triathlon community. But I know that will take a lot of time. I'm definitely going to take it slow,” he said. afm

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i n e . c o m • 33

Mike Reilly

Behind the MIC

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A Q&A with the inspirational Ironman race announcer

By Kim Eagle

A

lthough he jokes that his life isn’t too exciting, he’s being humble. He lives a life full of generosity and passion and has an enthusiasm for his career that will make you envious. Most notably, he’s the man who says the words all Ironman athletes are dying to hear when they finally reach the finish line: You. Are. An. Ironman.

His name is Mike Reilly.

How did you get the job of being “the voice of Ironman”? Well, first off, I don’t think of it as a job. I used to announce a lot of triathlons and running events in Southern California. Then in 1989, I got a call from Ironman (in Hawaii) to help announce that race and the rest is history.

I’ve been with Ironman for 27 years.

Tell us about your family? I have two kids.

My daughter, Erin, who just gave us a new grandson, and my son, Andy, who also works in the endurance business. My wife Rose is the real Ironman though. She has put up with me and all of my Ironman travel. (The couple’s 40th anniversary is in August.)

photography by Nils Nilsen/IRONMAN

How has your career developed over the years? I’ve been in the endurance business practically my entire life. I used to own running shoe stores in San Diego and was the first Power Bar representative in California. I started announcing races in the late ’70s, was a sports representative for the Saucony Tri Team in the early ’80s, and started announcing for Ironman in Hawaii in 1989. Ten years later, in 1999, I was one of the first of five team members of Race Gate, which turned into Active.com, and was with them for 16 years. I’m currently the Ironman race announcer and am excited to be starting a new career as the executive vice president of Events.com.

Did you create the phrase “You are an Ironman”? I actually didn’t say that phrase in [my first two years at Kona]. But in 1991, I had a friend doing the race. When I saw him on the street before the event, he was really nervous. He told me he didn’t think he could get it done. “Don’t worry,” I told him. “You’re going to be an Ironman.”

When he was crossing the finish line on race day, I said his name. And then it hit me. I had told him he was “going to be an Ironman.” So instead I said, “Jimmy, you are an Ironman!” The crowd went nuts when I said it! The spectators had such a strong reaction to those words. So when the next athlete came in, I said the same thing to her and the crowd went crazy. And so did the athlete. I thought, well what the heck! They are an Ironman and this was a way for me to connect one-on-one with the athletes as they came into the finish. After that, it just became what I said.

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i n e . c o m • 35

“My best memories with Ironman are still about to happen.”

Do you announce every Ironman race? Physically, I can’t do them all. Last year I announced 12 Ironmans. This year I will do 10. It varies because of travel.

What is your favorite Ironman (although I bet I can guess)?

Obviously, Kona. It’s the golden goose.

It’s the Mecca everyone wants to get to, and they have all earned that qualification spot to get there. It’s the best week of the year when it comes to Ironman. My second favorites are Ironman New Zealand and Ironman Lake Placid.

Does your job ever get old? No. I treat every Ironman like it’s my first. I tell athletes that my best memories with Ironman are still about to happen. I announce every finisher as though they are hearing it for the first time. I treat [each Ironman] like a first love.

Are you at the race for the entire 17 hours? It’s actually more than 17 hours.

Race starts are 50 percent of my stress for the day. Getting everyone started on time and keeping them calm in the morning is like talking to all my kids. I relate it to parents saying, “Come on, get up, get ready for school. Let’s get going and have a good day.” But instead, I’m saying it to an audience of 2,500 Type-A personalities.

Is it true that you review all the names of the athletes the night before the race? I actually go through them five or six times the week before 36 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

the race. I look at all the interesting bios and make notes. Then, when their name comes up on race day, I try to remember if there was something unique in their bio that I can mention when I bring them in. It’s not that I memorize them, but I have that familiarity.

(My 12-year-old son and I came up with this question.) When so many racers are coming into the finish line for hours on end, how do you get a bathroom break and not miss an athlete? Ha! Well, I have a second announcer who takes over for me when I’m not there. I try to go for 55 minutes straight. Then I need to stop, catch my breath, possibly use the bathroom, and make sure my voice is okay. I can’t get 100 percent of the athletes though.

(If Reilly learns that an athlete is disappointed he missed their name, he calls them on the phone the day after the race.) I have left thousands of messages for people who didn’t get to hear me call their name. It’s just something I do.

Does it break your heart when the race closes at 17 hours and people are close to the finish, but won’t make it? When someone is really close, I just can’t believe it! People in the crowd are often crying, and I try not to look at them. I will stay an extra 5–10 minutes if someone is near the finish line. And the crowd goes crazy and doesn’t want to leave. It happens at every race. Someone will always miss the swim, bike, or run cut-off times. It’s just the way it is, and you have to deal with it as it happens.

Have you ever done an Ironman as an athlete? I was signed up to do my first Ironman in 1989, and that was the year they asked me to announce.

I figured I could always do the race another time. That was 26 years ago and I don’t want to get off the microphone yet. One day I will do Kona! It will be the last thing I do in the sport.

What is your sport of choice outside of triathlons? Baseball! My son played minor league baseball, and I just love that sport. I wrestled in high school and college, but I was always a closet baseball player in my heart.

What is your favorite movie of all time? Shawshank Redemption.

Favorite food? I love a well-cooked steak!

What is your favorite way to spend a day off? I love working in the yard, gardening, riding my bike, and spending time with my family.

Do you realize that your voice has become the dream of every Ironman participant? How does that make you feel? It’s humbling. People will come up to me and say “Mike, just talk to me. That voice calms me.” To me it’s just my voice. I don’t know if people like what I say or they like how it sounds.

Maybe it’s a combination of the two? afm

photography by Nils Nilsen/IRONMAN

Q+A

FAQ

Your Health and Fitness Questions. Our Answers.

By Carrie Barrett

I’ve been hearing my friends talk a lot about Strava recently. Is it an app? A website?

What’s the hype all about? Simply put, Strava is both a

website and an app that allows you to log and track workout data from your GPS device, record your runs and rides, track your progress, and join challenges at no cost.

There are a lot of websites that already allow you to do this, so what makes Strava unique? In addition to its ease of use, Strava was one of the first to allow members to compete in different realcourse challenges. For instance, let's say you want to take a nice long bike ride and include a Cuernavaca hill repeat session in there. You can log on to Strava and see who else has logged this “segment” and then compete to become either the KOM (King of the Mountain) or QOM (Queen of the Mountain) on that particular stretch of road. Some athletes love this concept because it brings out their competitive nature and forces them to work harder on a particular workout—especially since others will be able to view it online. Others dislike the competitive and voyeuristic nature of the app.

(Believe it or not, there are some people who simply like to ride their bikes for sheer pleasure and not competition.)

Ever since my cross-country days, I’ve had it drilled into me that ice baths are important after intense workouts. Have I been misled? You haven't necessarily been misled, but you know how the Internet works these days. For every article telling you something is good to do, there is another article saying that the same thing is bad to do. Sometimes the research is valid and new, peer-reviewed studies can lead to breakthroughs in what we know to be true. Other times, however, incomplete research and “pseudo-science” challenge our beliefs— simply for the sake of creating confusion or even selling a product.

After strenuous exercise, micro-tears in the muscles can cause pain and inflammation. Ice has long been recommended to decrease the inflammation, swelling, and soreness that accompany hard workouts. There is some new legitimate research though that says while ice may provide temporary relief from pain and inflammation, it may also inhibit future development of vascular and muscular strength. These researchers recommend taking easy cool-downs instead of using intense cold therapy. Adhering to this recommendation, a cyclist might do an easy, low-resistance, 20 to 30 minute cool-down instead of heading right for the bucket of ice. “[Ice baths] shouldn’t be used after every training session,” exercise physiologist Jonathan Peake said. “But if you’re in a playoff phase of the season, icing or cryotherapy isn’t going to be too harmful and might actually have some psychological benefits.” Even if it’s all just a placebo effect.

Are there any advantages (or disadvantages) to sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair while working at my desk? Stability balls have been touted as a way to get strong with relatively little movement, all while combating long hours at a desk or cubicle. Let’s be honest though: if you’re looking to burn extra calories or gain a quick sixpack, you'll be sitting on that ball for a long time. A pubmed.gov article confirmed that, on average, stability ball adopters only burned four extra calories per hour than their chair-sitting co-workers in a traditional workday. (That’s 32 extra calories in eight hours.)

You can certainly burn more calories going for a walk every hour or even hitting the gym on your lunch break.

If stability, balance, and good posture are your goals however, then a stability ball may help as it requires focus and strength to maintain good posture. Like any new form of exercise, start with small increments and work your way up to longer periods. Eight hours on Day One may lead to slouching issues, balance trouble, and potential neck pain as your body adjusts to the change. And make sure you get a ball that is the right size for you and your desk arrangement. You don't want to be in a forced position where you are reaching for your keyboard or sitting too low or too high.

Perhaps most importantly, make sure you are on good terms with your co-workers. They may have a high temptation to give the ball a little nudge. You know, just to see how strong your core is.

Do you have a health-care question that needs addressing? Submit your health or fitness question to editors@austinfitmagazine.com (please include your name, email address, and phone number with your question).

38 • au stinfI tm agazine. c o m • 07.2 015

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Onnit & Aubrey Marcus A Story of

, l a n o i t n e v n o c n U mal i t p O y l l a t o T

s s e c c u S

40 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

B y A p r i l C umm i n g

A

P h o t o g r a p h y b y B r i a n F i t z s i mmo n s

one-two punch of captivation and curiosity hits you when you make eye contact with him. When he speaks, you listen.

When he laughs, you laugh. When he takes a sip from his Swole Banana smoothie—a combination of hemp protein, MCT oil, dolce whey protein, grass-fed butter, and cacao nibs—you start to crave one.

Just like his 3-year-old company, Onnit, Aubrey Marcus has a way of effortlessly replacing whatever thoughts once stood at the forefront of your attention.

Raised in Austin, he attended the University of Richmond, where he majored in civilization and philosophy. After graduation, he worked in the marketing and investment industry. On paper, there seems to be no similarities shared between his chosen study and career fields, but Marcus said they both taught him one very important thing: how to think.

“Everything is just a puzzle and philosophy is about solving the biggest puzzles in the world. Marketing and investing are just more puzzles,” he said. “That’s what life is. Identifying the puzzle and trying to solve it.”

So how, in just three years time, did he get to be the founder and owner of a successful, nationally known supplement company?

The story starts when Marcus was 2 years old. Now 34, Marcus recalls how he would sit on his grandmother’s lap and tell her stories about how he was going to be a night in shining armor when he grew up.

“I’ve always felt that I’m here to inspire people and to lead, so that’s what I wanted to be,” Marcus said. “I didn’t know if that was going to be in sports or nutrition, but somehow I managed to create something that combines everything I love—from MMA to nutrition to athletics. I’m really living the dream.

This is the win, you know?”

That something, that dream, that win is Onnit.

Onnit started in July 2011 with the release of Alpha BRAIN—a natural, plant-based supplement designed to be used as a performance enhancer for athletes as well as a focus enhancer for those clocking long work hours.

Interestingly enough, Marcus had started creating supplements for people looking to recover from hangovers. “I’ve always created Onnit stuff for what I wanted the

most, and at that point in my life I was partying a lot. So that supplement line made a lot of sense to me,” he said.

But Marcus marks the true start of Onnit with Alpha BRAIN. “I think the very first [memorable moment] was when we launched Alpha BRAIN and sold out within 24 hours.

That was kind of like this ‘awesome, but oh crap’ moment. We didn’t have any of the infrastructure set up yet.”

Now, Onnit hears stories of professional athletes like MMA fighter Tim Kennedy taking the supplement and it helping him knock somebody out or it helping Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith play hockey. “In the MMA world, regardless of the supplement brand that’s labeled on their shorts, Onnit is the one putting supplements in their bodies,” Marcus said.

“But really, it’s about everyday individuals making improvements in their own lives. That’s the most important stuff.

This is a product for everybody.”

For a company that—just a few years ago—was operating out of a 300 square foot attic on the eastside of Austin, near Ceaser Chavez and Chicon Street, the move to their current office space in Southeast Austin two years ago was a big step up.

Outfitted with an in-house volleyball court and basketball court (Marcus was an All-Star basketball player in high school), and pool table, in addition to weekly massage therapy visits and meals stocked by a private chef (the company covers 60 percent of the cost, employees cover the other 40 percent), the Onnit headquarters are equipped to keep employees motivated.

“We want people to be happy,” Marcus said about his team. “Happy people are more productive. If they’re passionate and they love Onnit, they’re going to do a better job.”

A lot of that happiness should be credited to Marcus’ unconventional approach to the office place. “I’ve been in a lot of corporate situations where people were not happy and I never wanted to be a part of any of that again. I wanted to create a situation where people could thrive, be proud, and be fired up.”

Marcus’ unconventional approach extends to his other office, the Onnit Academy Gym, where specialized trainers work with amateur and professional athletes alike to incorporate unique pieces of equipment—from kettlebells and maces to clubs, sandbells, and battle ropes—into their training methods.

Onnit Academy Gym stands out from other Austin-area gyms by differentiating between exercise and training, Marcus said. “You can get exercise at any gym, but our gym is focused on training. We have the widest array of tools to help people achieve their goals. Nobody else has as many different options or as much expertise to be able to dial into [giving you] exactly what you need.”

Marcus first became aware of unconventional training methods simply out of curiosity.

“I started to hear things like how George Foreman would train for his fights by taking an axe and going out into the woods and chopping trees, or how MMA fighters like Roger Huerta were training with ropes and kettlebells,” he said. “Ideas of people doing things in a different way stuck in my head, and that’s when the unconventional training method all clicked.”

“I wanted to see what other [unconventional training] methods there were, so I started doing research on what the old warrior traditions would train with. That’s how I found the clubs and the maces.”

Onnit Academy’s unconventional training method is all about harnessing and strengthening one’s functional movements—those primal movement types that are most important to us in the real world.

“If everybody is lifting with dumbells, barbells, and pulleys, they’re missing out,” Marcus said.

One piece of equipment the Onnit Academy Gym is renowned for is their kettlebells.

“It started with the monkeys,” Marcus said. “[The kettlebells are] a celebration of both the animal and the spiritual side of humans, and living the optimized life is a celebration of both.” The gym molds and casts three product lines of the kettlebells—monkeys and zombies (aka the “primal bells”), and legend bells.

The Sasquatch is the biggest of the primal bells, weighing in at 90 pounds.

The Howler is the smallest, weighing in at 18 pounds.

The Onnit Academy Gym currently has 120 members, an impressive client base when you consider the gym just opened last November—the same month they acquired Black Swan Yoga.

For Onnit, ushering in Black Swan further supports and advances their mission to focus on total human optimization.

“Yoga is one of the best ways to get that,” Marcus said. “[The practice] provides lessons in stillness, surrendering, and pushing through adversity,” Marcus said.

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i n e . c o m • 41

Even MMA fighters can understand the importance of incorporating an activity like yoga into their training.

“You talk with some of the best [fighters] and they fight from a place of stillness and a place of peace. That’s what you see from champions—they surrender to the present moment,” he said.

But Black Swan wasn’t the only business to find a new home under Onnit’s ever-expanding roof.

Joe DeFranco, a name heralded in the training world as one of the best to work with WWE fighters and NFL players, moved his training gym from New Jersey to Austin last fall to join the Onnit Academy. The partnership was (and is) a testament to the pedestal Onnit has been placed on by those in the competitive sports world.

“Joe is one of those guys that wants to provide the best for his athletes,” Marcus said of DeFranco. “He found us because he identified us as having the best supplements out there, and we recognized him as having some of the best training methods for preparing high power athletes to perform. Having his expertise in more traditional athletic preparation is invaluable [to us].”

Another established partnership Marcus has cultivated is with his friend and podcast host, Joe Rogan. He first met the comedian-slash-sports commentator at a lunch to discuss the business matter of advertising Rogan’s podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. “What was supposed to be a 30 minute lunch turned into a 3 hour dinner,” Marcus confesses.

“We were talking about aliens and super volcanoes and psychedelics; everything [Rogan] likes to talk about.”

The two hit it off so well that now, about once every quarter, they host a 3-hour podcast—together—in a way, re-creating that dinner—to discuss anything and everything; “normally unplanned talking topics,” Marcus said.

One topic that Marcus gets questioned on quite a bit is fortunately one he is more than happy to discuss.

Ayahuasca.

The medicinal meditation retreats have taken him from the remote mountains of Mexico to the lush, tropical forests of Costa Rica and Peru. “Ayahuasca provides an opportunity to go out and find truth.

Part of that is a spiritual component, and part of the ayahuasca is seeing things from a different perspective,” Marcus said of the shaman-led experience.

Marcus credits the retreats for helping him to see where he was making mistakes— in business, in life—and realign his goals.

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How did the name “Onnit” come about? Onnit is something that Marcus and his friend, and Olympic skier, Bode Miller would say to each other. “If he skied a good race, I would say, ‘Man that was on it.’ If I did something good, he would say, ‘That was on it.’ It could be used in the gym or in competition.”

So that’s what Marcus decided to call

the company. “Throw an extra ‘n’ in there and make it a brand,” he said.

“We choose only once. To be warriors or to be ordinary.” – Carlos Castaneda

As a self-proclaimed “warrior poet,” Marcus has many favorite quotes. His top three? “No man steps in the same river twice, because it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”

– Heraclitus

“Do not wait to strike until the iron is hot. Instead, make the iron hot by striking.” – W.B. Yeats

“Everything that is happening now I envisioned when I was down in Peru,” he said.

“Meditation is a way to stop the momentum of your mind; to get things still for a second; to quiet down and give you a little space for your consciousness to breathe. In one way or another, you have to find a way to get to stillness.

That could be spending time in nature; it could be floatation tanks; it could be yoga. Whatever it is, you have to find a way to get still. It’s the most crucial thing in life,” Marcus said.

The Onnit headquarters aren’t the only place you’ll find Marcus indulging his unconventional, human optimization side this summer. He plans to return to the Amazonian jungle for his third ayahuasca retreat.

When he returns from his travels, his team and gym members know where to find him.

“I come straight back, and my first stop is the Onnit Café,” he said.

Marcus, who jokingly refers to himself as “the shake master,” created all the recipes for the drinks you see at the Onnit Café. All the shakes, he said, were born out of “experiments with the most delicious, healthy things” he could find.

“When I travel,” Marcus said, pivoting the straw in his Swole Banana smoothie, in search of one last sip, “these shakes are what I miss the most.”

Well, the shakes and his staff.

“I love coming into the office. I get to see all of these people who are all happy and enjoying what they do. I also love meeting the people who our products are benefitting. There are a lot of cool moments here.

Every time I walk into the office is another cool moment,” he said.

Out of the 60 employees that work at Onnit, Marcus said they have nobody that’s counting hours.

“If you’re that employee that wants to show up and complain about your job,” Marcus said hesitantly, “We’ve had a couple of those and they quit. They were like, ‘I can’t handle this. Everybody’s too happy.’

Some people aren’t ready for us yet.”

There’s no average day in the life of Aubrey Marcus, but generally it starts with: • A high protein lunch for breakfast.

“I’m not a big eggs guy,” Marcus said.

• In the office, ordering one of his blended coffees. “I try not to have coffee until after breakfast.”

• Getting into the workflow of the day.

• Lunch at Thai Fresh.

• Winding down the workday around

As a leader, is there anyone you follow?

“I follow everybody. The leader is a good follower and the master is a good student,” Marcus said. “I learn from my employees, and from people in the gym. I’m always learning. The minute you stop learning, you’re done.”

Top pet peeve? When people are too busy in their own mind and aren’t listening to what you’re saying. I’d rather sit in silence with them than sit in chatter.

Top 3 books: “Island” by Aldous Huxley

If you could workout with 4 people, living or dead, who would they be? Marcus Aurelius (Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD), Lao Tzu, Jesus, and The Rock (Dwayne Johnson).

“You Are the Placebo” by Joe Dispenza

4:35 p.m. “Then it’s time for me to have some fun in the gym.”

“You know how some people have smoke breaks? I take a walk through the gym and it refreshes me. I get to engage with people and talk with them,” Marcus said. “Things are simple in the gym. I mean, things can get complicated in the office. There’s a lot of planning.”

Marcus strives to live an optimal life, and talks a lot about being truthful and authentic as a person. To him, being the CEO of Onnit means being one with his employees and members.

“People will drive up to Onnit and they’ll see me doing something in the gym, and say ‘Oh, you’re here?’ and I’m like ‘Of course I’m here. This is where I work,’” Marcus said, contorting his face to imitate their look of confusion.

“Why would I [workout anywhere else]?” Marcus asked rhetorically. “This is what I’ve hand created to be the best experience for me. There’s not a single thing I designed knowing I wouldn’t benefit from it personally. Everything we have is something I stand by 100 percent.”

Asked about the future growth he sees for the company, Marcus smiled, squinting his eyes. “There’s always something in the works,” he said.

“Mastery of Love” by Don Miguel Ruiz

Onnit most recently released a personal care line that includes a Zen Spice body wash, cedar and lavender scented organic deodorant, a healing body salve, and a lip balm called Lip Food.

The inspiration behind the product line came from the realization that skin absorption rates can reach as high as 80 percent on different areas of your body—especially your armpits.

“People don’t realize that what you put on your skin gets in your body. They’re putting all these chemicals on [their skin] that they wouldn’t dare eat. Nobody is going to take a bite of their RightGuard or Speed Stick,” Marcus said, uncapping a bar of Onnit deodorant to prove his point.

“Nobody would dare do that with their regular deodorant, but yet they’ll put it on their skin,” he said.

The possibility of a future DogOnnit pet line is one Marcus won’t denounce.

“They need optimization too,” he said with a laugh.

While Onnit supplements are available anywhere in reach of a strong Internet connection, expansion of the Austin-based Onnit Academy Gym is still in the works.

“We just want to make sure we have master trainers that can provide the

You’re stranded on a desert island and can request three things. What would they be?

A beautiful philosopher queen, a satellite phone, and a good spear.

same level of quality training that we have here. I want people who go to an Onnit gym to have the full Onnit experience. As soon as we’re able to do that, we’ll start franchising,” Marcus said.

The chances of him starting another company, one unrelated to Onnit, is as likely as seeing the CEO successfully pull off Side Crow (an advanced-level yoga pose). Which, he would agree to say, is not any time soon.

“It was funny, I had somebody mention something to me the other day about being a serial entrepreneur—which I’m really not,” Marcus said. “I’ve just been trying to figure out how to get to here, until I got to here.”

“But I was curious about that concept.

Like, why would you want to be a serial entrepreneur? For me, [Onnit] is my dream. This is absolutely everything I’ve ever wanted to build and be a part of, so why would I want to do this again? What weird compulsion would that be. To be like, ‘Oh yeah, that was fun. Let’s sell that and move on.’”

“It’s not about the money. That’s not how I’m keeping score here. I’m keeping score by how much I love this.

And [right now], I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

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different styles—including the latest Trey Hardee Limited Edition ball that says, “This is my medicine.”

– Kristen Turner

Camp Gladiator

A MADE IT

Dynamax

S

tep into any local gym, Crossfit box, or outdoor bootcamp, and you’re likely to see the familiar black-andgray Dynamax medicine balls being used in creative ways.

Founded in 1985 by Bruce Evans, an athletic trainer at the University of Texas, and Jim Cawley, the fitness director at the Austin YMCA, the ball was born out of a search for a piece of equipment that could be utilized for high velocity, partner-based training. The two founders wanted a product they could use outside of the gym that was durable enough to withstand the high impact of training, but soft enough not to injure the hands of a training partner.

The University of Texas provided the perfect testing grounds, and the creators were soon able to launch the product out of the collegiate arena and into the professional market.

With such an organic beginning in Austin, Dynamax continues to grow and expand as a thriving international business.

Having outgrown their original warehouse in Buda, the company’s manufacturing center is now housed near the AustinBergstrom International Airport.

With a strong commitment to being an American-made product, the company has witnessed many market trend shifts and imitation products, but has stood by its rich heritage of being the original, American made, soft-shelled medicine ball. Dynamax balls now come in many

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lly Davidson, co-founder of Camp Gladiator, took a big risk—on her wedding day of all days—and little did she know that risk would later evolve into a bootcamp empire.

“The night before our wedding, my sister found out that the TV show American Gladiator was holding tryouts at a nearby gym the next day,” Davidson said. That morning, she snuck out of the house without Jeff [Davidson’s soon-to-be husband] finding out. “I was afraid he would think I was getting cold feet,” she recalled.

Nevertheless, Davidson made it to the tryout only to find 2,000 people in line.

“I knew I couldn't wait and make it to the church on time. So I threw on my veil and garter and ran up to the producer at the door. He loved that I was a real-life runaway bride and let me in,” she said. “I did 14 pull-ups and ran a 40-yard dash, then raced to the church drenched in sweat. I didn't even have time to shower before the ceremony.”

Davidson made the cut—and so did her new husband, Jeff—when the producers called them up after their honeymoon to invite them on a newlywed episode. Their American Gladiator debut inspired a movement.

“After we returned to our day jobs, Ally was restless. She was in ad sales, but she dreamed of gladiators and adventure,” Jeff Davidson said. “In the two months before the show aired, she realized we could leverage the publicity and prize money. We talked and prayed about it, and came up with the idea for gladiator-themed outdoor fitness classes and launched Camp Gladiator in Dallas a month after the show's finale. Within three months, 100 people had signed up.”

Ally hit the front lines, leading campers through workouts in their church parking lot and city park.

The duo moved to Austin when Jeff’s job relocated him. Soon after, the couple founded their indoor headquarters location (or ‘CG Arena’). Now, six years into the business, Camp Gladiator enlists more than 20,000 campers in four states (Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Florida), in addition to 1,500 at their arena. They also host an annual Camp Gladiator Games, as well as two annual seminar weekends for their trainers—of

which, they have a total of about 300.

The couple’s vision for Camp Gladiator’s future?

“We want to continue to grow in every major city throughout the country,” Jeff said. Their mission is simple: Deliver a quality workout—60 minutes of amazing energy and attitude—in a way that is fun and affordable for everyone.

– Lauryn Lax

Yeti

W

hat was once seen as a niche need for only the most serious of outdoor enthusiasts, these super-insulated coolers can now be spotted in the beds of most pick-up trucks around the state.

Started by Roy and Ryan Seiders, brothers who grew up down the road from The Salt Lick in Driftwood, Yeti Coolers has become a household name to anyone in Texas who hunts, fishes, hikes, camps, or enjoys nothing more than relaxing with an ice-cold beer.

As the national leader in the premium cooler marker, Yeti, founded in 2006, has a loyal customer following.

That loyalty is what inspires the Yeti team to develop new, innovative products ideas like the Yeti Ramblers—personal drink coolers made with doublewall vacuum insulation.

The company’s ultimate goal has always been to offer a premium customer experience. At the Yeti office in South Austin, an entire hallway is dedicated to customer feedback.

“We don’t tend to focus a whole lot on if we’ve made it or not. Instead, we focus on improving every day, trying to take care of our customers, innovate, and get great products to the marketplace,” said Yeti COO Andy Hollen.

Being based in Austin is the “cherry on top” of working at Yeti, Hollen said.

Just like Yeti, Austin is growing, but its laid-back vibe continues to help the company and its employees stay cool and focused on what matters.

– Emily Laskowski

Golfsmith

F

ounded in Edison, New Jersey, in 1967, Golfsmith has revolutionized the golf industry. The company began as a typewritten, hand illustrated catalog founded by Carl Paul and his wife, Barbara. A golf aficionado himself, Carl noticed the lack of distribution of the essentials in golf and set out to fulfill a need.

It wasn’t until his brother, Frank Paul, joined the family business that Carl moved the company to Austin. The first Golfsmith storefront was set in 6,000 square feet of unused army barracks space.

In 1992, the company moved its headquarters to its present location in North Austin. In 2012, Golfsmith joined Canada’s largest golf retailer, GolfTown, to form Golfsmith International, the largest golfonly retailer in the world. The Austinbased company now delivers custom golf club components to likeminded aficionados, amateurs, and pros around the world.

Golfsmith currently operates more than 150 retail stores in 30 states and runs an online store that offers merchandise including golf clubs from 18 different brands, shoes, apparel, carts, and putting greens. Stores are even equipped with training stations where you can work on improving your game. But the uniqueness of the company doesn’t stop there.

According to the Golfsmith website, they are the only ones in the golf club industry to employ a swing robot to test club heads and shafts for strength, accuracy, and distance.

The number of new players to the sport of golf may have seen a slump in the past few years, but Golfsmith continues to grow, innovate, and improve the face of their industry.

– Mercedes Cordero

Making It

FloSports

T

here’s no shortage of media coverage for the sport of football in Texas. But there’s a huge gap between what’s available news-wise for sports like football and for other sports like wrestling or track. That was, until now. Brothers Martin and Mark Floreani are the founders of FloSports, a company based in Austin that provides live-streaming services for sporting events across the country.

Martin, who wrestled at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), and Mark, who ran track at the University of Texas at Austin, realized that there was an opportunity to provide live video coverage of niche, or less dominant, sports. “When we were in college, there was no [video coverage] on our sports,” Martin said.

In 2003, Martin started covering wrestling events across the country while Mark finished his senior year at Texas.

Shortly after graduating, Mark joined Martin on the road and began adding his own footage of track events.

The two brothers trekked across the country in a van to capture live sporting events, and FloSports was born. The response to their coverage was enormous. Most of the athletes they filmed had never seen live coverage of their sport before. The athletic communities were so thankful that they often gave the brothers a place to stay, saving them from sleeping in their van.

A turning point for FloSports came when Mark and Martin filmed Ryan Hall

win the Houston Half Marathon in 2007.

Hall set the U.S. half marathon record and became the first American to break the one-hour mark for a half marathon. Mark and Martin’s YouTube video of the event, which included commentary and an interview with Hall’s wife, generated more likes than any FloSports video had before.

Fast-forward to today, and FloSports operates out of an East Austin office with a growing team of more than 100 reporters, video editors, and other operational staff members. The company has expanded to include coverage for specific areas of track and long-distance running, gymnastics, and even CrossFit. In June, the company launched their FloSoftball YouTube channel.

While niche sports are the primary source of content coverage right now, the Floreani brothers are open to covering all sports—as long as they fit the FloSports model. “We’re not going to cover sports the way everyone else covers them,” Mark said, echoing their tagline—“Sports coverage for athletes by athletes.”

Martin and Mark agree that the business climate of Texas matched with the entrepreneurial spirit and centralized location of Austin “makes life easier” for their growing company. The laid-back Austin culture also sits well with the athletes that work at FloSports. Active sports competitors themselves, employees will often wear their workout clothes to the office.

“We are the fittest company in Austin,” Martin said confidently. For a company composed of former collegiate and professional swimmers, runners, wrestlers, gymnasts, and more, he just might be right.

– Emily Laskowski

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Paleo f(x)

B

y now, most have heard of the new (but actually very old) way of eating called Paleo—a diet consisting of foods our ancestors likely ate, such as meat, nuts, and berries, and excluding processed, high-carb foods and dairy products. Austinites may be even more familiar with the term since the largest Paleo conference in the world is held right in our own backyard.

Keith and Michelle Norris decided to create an experience in Austin to help people explore the functional side of Paleo, and in March of 2012, the first Paleo f(x) conference was held. In 2013 and 2014, the conference doubled in size each year, and in 2015 the crowd of attendees more than tripled. The quickly growing conference now has a team of employees, and almost 100 volunteers are needed to run each year’s event. Speakers and visitors have traveled from across the world to teach, learn, sell, buy, and taste all things Paleo.

While the Paleo f(x) conference plans to expand to more cities around the world, Michelle said that Austin was the perfect place to launch the project because of its growing culture of fit-minded people, adding that Austin has one of the largest Paleo meetup groups in the country, with more than 1,700 people attending weekly events.

“We call [Austin] the epicenter of physical culture,” Michelle said, “and it’s also the epicenter of the Paleo-sphere.”

– Lauren Pape

Vital Farms

“

Going local” is a highly touted belief system here in the heart of Texas. Local restaurants, gyms, beers and even local eggs are placed on a pedestal among Austinites who appreciate the heart and soul behind startups.

So when Matt O’Hayer and his wife, Catherine Stewart, thought about starting a company devoted to “going local”—with an emphasis on sustainability—they couldn’t think of a better place to start a business than Austin.

In 2007, O’Hayer proposed the idea to his wife about getting back to their roots and living the farm life. Vital Farms, a hen farm and egg supplier, was born.

O’Hayer had raised chickens in his youth and got his start in the egg business as a teenager in 1968 by selling eggs doorto-door on the Brown University campus.

Thirty-nine years (and much business experience) later, he was ready for a new

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adventure—particularly with the heightened awareness around “buying organic” and “cage-free” eggs.

After conceptualizing their business idea, the couple moved to Austin, purchased a small piece of land, and began raising their first flock of 50 rescued, organic laying hens.

Within months, the pasture-raised, organic eggs were being sold to farmers markets around the metro area, and were soon selected to stock the shelves at the king of healthy grocers: Whole Foods Market in Austin.

Vital Farms only continued to grow from there.

The entrepreneur in O’Hayer saw the opportunity to do something more than just sell eggs to a few stores, and with encouragement from his wife and the help of a Whole Food’s Local Producer Loan, he transformed a backyard pastime into a transformational business.

One by one, Vital Farms started to supply their pastured eggs to hundreds of grocery stores and restaurants coast to coast. The couple worked hard with new farmers around the country to create the highest level of quality and accountability on their own farms.

Today, Vital Farms is in partnership with approximately 90 independent small family farmers in six states and has set the national standard for the hen welfare with their authentic, pasture-raised product (not to mention eye-catching graphics and design on their egg cartons).

In doing so, Vital Farms has sparked a movement of conscious consumerism.

They now spread the endeared Texas belief system of “going local” nationwide—encouraging consumers to migrate from their traditional egg choices while creating opportunities for more family farms to move away from harmful industrial practices.

– Lauryn Lax

Austin Sports & Social Club

W

hat do you get when you combine a city of singles (approximately one-third of Austin’s adult population is single) who have a love for fitness and keeping active with social events practically every night of the week?

You get Austin Sports & Social Club.

Founded in September 2005 by Marc Tucci, the club started out with kickball teams before expanding to include flag football and volleyball. Today, it boasts up to 14 different sports leagues, plus

regular group fitness classes and a jampacked social scene at various locations throughout the city (think happy hours, kickball and softball pick-ups, and restaurant outings).

Even the non-athletic can find a sense of community. All Sunday Funday games are followed by an official, post-game happy hour. The club website states, “Professionals need not apply. This one is for the masters of the 12-ounce curls!”

For the more sports-driven folks, the competition scene is what you make it, and there are plenty of opportunities to be “on top.”

Tucci’s Austin Sports and Social Club is busy making fun happen here in Austin—serving our city of fitness enthusiasts and social butterflies alike.

– Lauryn Lax

Tommy’s Superfoods

E

ver since childhood, Austinite Tommy Williams knew he would be involved in the food business. A professed “foodie,” he grew up walking the aisles of the original Whole Foods Market. His childhood hobbies included slicing, dicing, stirring, and cooking meals with his parents in their kitchen.

After Williams graduated from Concordia University in 2010, he felt a passionate call to enter the food industry with his best friend, and co-founder, Justin Yeager. With support from his father and brother, the family business was launched as Tommy’s Superfoods: all natural products made from recipes created by Williams and derived from fresh and organic ingredients.

Described by Yeager as a “bootstrap business,” the company has continued to expand on a small budget. Striving to “innovate an outdated category,” the duo decided to redirect their products from salsas and seasonings to focus on frozen foods. After making the shift, Tommy’s Superfoods was fortuitously picked up

by Whole Foods and H-E-B and is quickly expanding to the national market.

Their current frozen meals include: Santa Fe Rice Vegetable Medley, Fiesta Quinoa Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Cajun Potatoes, and Super Greens (Spinach and Kale Medley). Vegan, healthy, all-natural, and easily cooked, each side dish boasts a unique blend of Williams’ spice mixes.

This Austin-based family business has become the poster child of a boy having a dream and making it come to fruition.

– Kristen Turner

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Working on It

Mitscoots

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Danielle Sobel

Juice Society

A

fter years of suffering from chronic migraines and skin conditions, Danielle Sobel decided to drop the doctors appointments and endless medications to explore how food can benefit and protect your body from health conditions better than any drug.

She began to research natural cures for her ailments, experimenting with every diet out there. The most across-theboard solution she found was juicing.

Sobel said she became addicted to making nutrient-packed juices and smoothies, and soon saw her health problems completely disappear. She went back to school to receive her Health Coach Certificate and, after she found herself recommending juicing

to all of her clients, decided to devote herself to her passion and start a business that would simplify maintaining a healthy lifestyle through juicing.

Though Sobel was living in Houston at the time, she saw Austin as a better fit for the company and made the move to make her idea, her passion, come to life. In November 2014, JuiceSociety.com opened its virtual doors and began providing Austinites with a beyond-average juice bar experience.

Juice Society juice is cold pressed, extracting up to five times the vitamins, minerals and enzymes of a household juicer. Instead of simply grinding up food, the cold-press method uses hydraulic pressure to slowly extract juice from produce. (It takes three to six pounds of local produce to make one

Azfaris Photography

S

ome people see a homeless person at a stoplight and feel uncomfortable. Tim Scott sees the opportunity to do something.

Similar to the business model made famous by Tom’s Shoes, Tim Scott’s company, Mitscoots, gives away one pair of 100 percent, American-made socks for every pair bought.

The idea for Mitscoots started when Scott realized that, besides food and water, people also needed socks. When he would drive around Austin, he started to “take a pair of socks, stuff a water bottle and a granola bar in it, and hand it out the window,” he said. The process soon became a passion. He and his wife, Agata, launched Mitscoots through a crowd funding campaign in 2012.

While Scott knew that socks could help people with short-term needs, he also knew there was much more to do.

“We’d love to give away thousands and thousands of socks, which we do, but that’s not how we’re going to judge the long-term success [of the company],” Scott said. “Socks are great, but it’s a Band-Aid to a much deeper problem.”

To help address that much deeper problem, Mitscoots employs people in need, often those who are homeless, for generally about six to eight months.

This component of Mitscoots is designed to encourage employees to eventually move on to bigger and better things— even if that means quitting Mitscoots.

Beyond providing employment opportunities, Mitscoots judges their success not by sales, but by how many of its employees it can help get into living situations. Scott has been lucky enough to see this happen, which reminds him of what’s most important. “As long as we are keeping the needs of those we are trying to help at the forefront of every decision we make, it is always going to be a good day,” he said.

Being in a city that he loves only helps matters. “The irony is that I started a company [centered around] socks in a city that rarely wears socks. Go figure,” Scott said. That hasn’t fazed him though. “This is my city. I love the people, and even if they don’t wear socks, they can still comprehend the need for somebody else.”

– Emily Laskowski

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bottle of Juice Society juice.) The freshpressed juice is then delivered to your doorstep or office.

With added staff, a brick-and-mortar storefront coming soon, and plans to expand beyond Austin, the future of Juice Society looks sweet.

Sobel said she credits Austin’s startupfriendly atmosphere, health-conscious citizens, and sense of community to her business’ success and knows she made the right choice in moving here. “The entrepreneurial spirit [in this city] is really second to none. I have never been to or lived in another city that has the same sort of vibrancy and energy that Austin has,” she said.

– Lauren Pape

Petcru.com

W

hen co-workers Allen Stone and Danielle Mizerak found themselves in need of someone to watch their dogs while they left town on vacation, they didn’t know where to start. From researching local kennels, boarding facilities, and dog walkers, to scheduling pick-up and drop-off times, they had a bone to pick with the complex process. Their idea for PetCru.com was born. The duo started the service as a simple and affordable alternative to traditional boarding, where pets could be cared for and exercised in the comfort of their own homes.

With PetCru.com, pet owners can conveniently schedule and pay for dog walking or pet-sitting services right from their computer or smartphone and a trusty “Cru Member” will stop by their home to care for their furry friend, making sure they are fed and let outside. Stone said that beside the obvious benefit of letting your pet relax in a familiar, stress-free environment, at-home boarding also eliminates introductions to unknown animals and the risks of illness and fleas that are often associated with group boarding.

While many of the company’s clients are people who travel often, others are folks who work jobs that prevent them from letting their pets out during the day. Stone said that just like people, dogs (and cats) need exercise and fresh air to stay fit and healthy, and many Austinites recognize the importance of not keeping their pets locked up all day.

When the company started in 2014, the two-person operation required the owners to wear many hats. Stone said they spent the first few months talking with pet owners, asking for feedback,

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Joy Torres

and taking note of frustrations their clients had experienced in the past.

“When you’re in startup mode, you’re very hyper-focused on the customer, and honestly I don’t know if we’ll ever want to change that because the customer is who we’re here for,” he said. “It’s why we exist.”

Today, PetCru.com has hired more employees and continues to see their client base grow in Austin and its surrounding suburbs.

– Lauren Pape

Fit Fit Activewear

O

ne thing all new business owners can agree on is that it takes passion to succeed. And there is certainly no lack of passion when it comes to the

power duo behind Fit Fit, Joy and Gui Torres. Joy, a yoga teacher, and Gui, a martial arts master, both hail from São Paolo, Brazil. With their activewear company, they have brought their passion for fitness, vibrant colors, and culture to Austin.

The idea for Fit Fit came about from Joy’s struggle to find fitness apparel that expressed her personality. When she got tired of wearing black and gray tights, she decided it was time to combine her graphic design skills and passion for yoga to create her own leggings. She and Gui moved to Austin in 2013 to start their activewear line. It’s been less than two years since they made their first sale, and Joy credits Austin and the local yoga community for her company’s success.

“Austin is such a unique city. It’s so welcoming and supportive to small busi-

nesses, and it’s such a healthy town. I thought this was the perfect place to launch Fit Fit,” Joy said.

In the highly competitive clothing and fitness wear industry, it hasn’t always been easy to put Fit Fit on the map. But Joy’s passion for yoga and making women feel great in their own bodies keeps her focused and motivated to move forward.

Austinites aren’t the only ones doing cartwheels over Fit Fit’s high-performing active apparel. The fade-resistant, breathable, and fast drying leggings are now sold in yoga studios nationwide, and most recently, the company made its debut in Sweden.

With an average of 10 new prints released every six to eight weeks, there really is a pair of leggings for everyone.

This fall Fit Fit will launch their new lifestyle line, which will include pants, tanks, and T-shirts.

“It’s about expressing who you really are,” Joy said of her eye-catching active wear line. “I want women to feel good about their bodies and not be afraid to express themselves.”

– Nancy Zambrano

“The two big features are the care plans—where the provider is able to provide reminders and the patient records data that comes back in real time to the provider,” Patient IO co-founder Colin Anawaty said. “The second component is messaging. Through a HIPPAA compliant, we make it really easy and secure to communicate with providers under all the regulations.”

Big health systems are challenging to work with, so Patient IO started off by collaborating with smaller clinics in order to focus on consumer quality. “We started small since [those clinics] are easier to work with. Now, [we’re focused on] improving the experience for both providers and patients, and we’re focused on growing. We want to make Patient IO accessible to as many patients as possible,” Anawaty said.

Patient IO is nationally available on the Apple App Store, and the company is getting ready to launch the app in the Southeast Asia region.

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New to Austin Studios and stores for fitness-minded folks iLoveKickboxing

1700 S. Lamar Blvd; ilovekickboxing.com Looking to add a kick to your workout routine? Austin is now home to I Love Kickboxing, an all-levels kickboxing gym. The studio offers hour-long classes incorporating high intensity, high interval cardio training by using bodyweight resistance, stretching, bag rounds, partner drills, and cooperative conditioning.

There are currently seven I Love Kickboxing locations in Texas, including one in Georgetown and one in Cedar Park. Austin studio manager Maranda Lampe says I Love Kickboxing is a good fit for the city of Austin because our “amazing, healthy, positive, and active lifestyle meshes well with the I Love Kickboxing way.” The gym’s emphasis is on getting fit and, most importantly, having fun.

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DEFINE body & mind

1818 W. 35th Street; definebody.com DEFINE’s three core class concepts—Body, Mind, and Revolution—have made their way into central Austin. DEFINE Body combines Pilates, yoga, ballet, and core strengthening to target major muscle groups while improving strength and flexibility. Feeling stressed after your workday? DEFINE Mind is a soothing class (set to relaxing music) focused on gaining flexibility, rejuvenating the body, and melting away stress. And if a high-energy class is more your style, DEFINE Revolution features choreographed movements on a stationary bike for a full-body workout and a guaranteed sweat. The new central Austin studio also offers a nutritional advice program, DEFINE foods. With classes held seven days a week, you are sure to define what works best for you.

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8204 Brodie Lane, Suite 102; hiitfitgym.com High-intensity interval training or kickboxing? You don’t have to choose at Hiit Fit Gym. At this new South Austin facility, you’ll find a variety of equipment—from heavy bags and kettle bells to sand bells and Primal 7 suspension bands—suited to provide you with an optimal workout. Their signature 25-minute class incorporates strength, cardio, and kickboxing exercises and is led by expert, martial arts-trained instructors. Tip: Schedule your workout to end with one of the gym’s hatha or vinyasa flow yoga classes.

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 53

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Welcome to the Fit Office of the Future Treadmill desks.

Free gym memberships.

Nap pods. Onsite Olympic size swimming pools. They’re all a part of the new 9-to-5.

By Mercedes Cordero

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Turns out you can have it all: a successful career and a healthy lifestyle, all in one place.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle in a 9-to-5 work environment can be a greater challenge than trying to wake up to your first morning alarm. Driving for extended periods through traffic, eating out, and sitting at a desk all day are some of the biggest hurdles those in the corporate world have struggled to overcome.

Combine those factors with accumulated work stress, little to no time to exercise, and poor eating habits, and you can really put a dent in your fitness goals.

Times are always changing though, and companies nationwide are looking to promote healthier work environments, in part by providing wellness initiatives and programs for their employees.

But what exactly does the fit office of the future look like?

Innovation is key to providing employees with an appealing and time-flexible outlet for fitness achievement. Don’t be surprised if you step into a corporate office complex and see treadmill desks, rooms specifically designated for napping, and on-site Olympicsize swimming pools.

Companies like the tech service and management consulting company Accenture have implemented a variety of fitness programs for their employees—from free mental health resources, gym memberships, and fitness discounts to a “10,000 steps a day” program that encourages employees to stay active during the work day. Accenture is also connected with the U.S. Fitness Networking website, a place where employees can network with others in the company who are interested in staying fit and active and want to find workout partners.

Some employers are also opening up onsite gyms with state-of-the-art training equipment. Anadarko Petroleum, based in Houston and Denver, provides their employees in Houston with a basketball court and gym. In Denver, they partner with fitness centers to provide their employees with easily accessible fitness facilities.

Companies like Johnson and Johnson, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Twitter also provide their employees with on-site fitness centers as well as weekly workout classes and cooking classes. Not many employers can compete with Oklahoma-based Chesapeake Energy though. They have an impressive 72,000-square-foot fitness center that includes an on-site Olympic-size swimming pool.

Physical activity has been shown to not only improve one’s overall fitness, but also one’s cardiovascular and muscular health. A recent

NASA studies have found that power napping can improve concentration by up to 34 percent.

Erica Brennes demonstrates RideScout’s Nap Pod.

survey conducted by the American Psychological Association found that 37 percent of adults exercise less than once a week—or not at all. But exercise has time and again been proved to relieve stress, reduce depression, and improve cognitive function.

So it’s no wonder why companies are working to make their offices healthier. Overall employee health is directly correlated to the overall health of the company.

Laws like the Affordable Care Act are helping companies make this transition by assisting them in the implementation and expansion of employer wellness programs.

Under the Affordable Care Act, “participatory wellness programs” mean employee reimbursement for the cost of membership at fitness centers and incentives for participation in seminars held by the employer.

Austin-based startup and transporta-

tion app RideScout doesn’t offer parking for their employees, but they do cover the cost of them using mass transit. With the company’s growth over the past few years, gym memberships for all employees are in the works. The star feature (and fun topic of conversation) in the office is the Nap Pod. “When you hit that mid-afternoon slump where you feel like getting an unhealthy snack or another cup of coffee, we highly recommend and encourage employees to take a 20-minute nap,” said Erica Brennes, Ride Scout’s director of interactive content.

“The power of a 20-minute nap is pretty incredible and does more for your brain and body; it’s like a recharge session.”

Research has shown that naps are essential for body recovery. NASA studies have found that power napping can improve concentration by up to 34 percent.

“Sometimes there is a line and we have to call dibs on who is next in the Nap Pod,” Brennes said.

Baltimore-based Under Armour opened their first Connect Fitness headquarters in Austin in March. Staying true to their brand, the company is revolutionizing the fit office concept with their recreational room, men’s and women’s locker rooms complete with showers, treadmill desks, and a 35,000-square-foot boardroom and meeting space equipped with spin bikes. They also offer workout classes during the lunch hour and after work.

“Austin has a very welcoming culture,” said Allison Glass, the public relations manager for Connect Fitness. “It’s hard to tell people what to do [workout-wise]. I think you have to create an environment that welcomes it.”

Through gym membership refunds, healthy company lunches, or line-forming nap pods, employees are less likely to take sick days. And since exercise releases endorphins and increases energy levels, workers are more likely to have decreased levels of stress and heightened focus on their work.

Personal fitness is a lifestyle employers are beginning to recognize benefits their employees’ work productivity. Having happy and healthy employees ultimately translates to a happier and healthier work environment. afm 07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i n e . c o m • 57

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Kicking Asana

By Leila Noone

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photography by Dennis Burnett

An inside look into the not-socutthroat world of competitive yoga.

p

W

hen one thinks of yoga, the first thoughts that come to mind are usually ones of meditation, stretching, and relaxation. The practice itself is defined as the union of mind, body, and breath.

Competition is the last association one is likely to make with yoga, but competitive yoga has actually been around for hundreds of years. Originating in India, yoga competitions emerged as a way for practitioners to deepen their practice, demonstrate their commitment to training, and inspire others to take up the practice. With the rising popularity of yoga in the United States, it wasn’t long before these competitions began to migrate west.

USA Yoga, an American institution whose mission is to spread yoga throughout the U.S., holds regional and national competitions across the country. At both regional and national competitions, participants perform an on-stage routine, in front of a panel of judges, that consists of six or seven postures demonstrating their mastery of three categories: balance, strength, and flexibility. Postures are ranked according to their difficulty, and each routine is timed.

Participants then receive scores based on how well they complete each posture in the given time. If they rank among the top competitors at the regional level, they are invited to move on to the national level and eventually to the intentional level.

“The Yoga Asana Championships are a celebration of yoga, of beauty in the human form,” said Mardy Chen, owner of Pure Bikram Yoga in Austin. “Competitors demonstrate that, with a consistent yoga practice, the possibilities of what you can accomplish are boundless. [You see] mastery of physical strength, stamina, balance, flexibility, breath, and concentration.”

The reasons why yogis compete are as varied as their performance routines. They compete for themselves, for others, and for the unique opportunities that open up through competition. Most agree though: They don’t compete to win.

Monica Lebanksy had been in and out of rehab for a lifelong drug addiction before she first discovered yoga. She credits the practice for helping guide her life in a better direction and for giving her a new community support system. She never imagined that yoga would have such a huge impact on her life or that, when she decided to compete, she would make it to nationals.

One of the top reasons Lebanksy competes in yoga is to build a sense of community around her. “I compete because it enables me to bond with the people I've come to love so much. Sharing my practice with others is very humbling and unexpectedly rewarding,” she said.

Practice doesn't always make perfect, but it does draw attention to our strengths and weaknesses—to what makes us all human. Practice brings to the surface some of the reasons why we might seek out experiences that challenge us. “Competitive yoga has opened my eyes up to the thoughts that tend to circulate around my head. I think it's natural to have doubtful or negative thoughts. But the beautiful thing [about competition] has been learning to get up on stage regardless of those thoughts and realize that these types of fears are what bond us to others,” Lebanksy said.

Trainings, classes, workshops, and competitions offer a chance for yogis to surround themselves with likeminded individuals. “The yoga community is unbelievably supportive.

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 59

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It’s so cool to take a class with other competitors and feel how much love, respect, and joy we feel for the practice and for each other,” Lebanksy said.

While there is undoubtedly a large amount of female representation in yoga competitions, there is also a significant male presence. Jeff Chen, a USA Yoga board member and co-owner of Pure Bikram Yoga in Austin, represented the male division in the Texas regional and national championships this year. Yoga competitions have been a part of his life for the past 10 years.

A veteran competitor, Chen believes that competition is another way to help you grow and highlight your strengths and weaknesses in a new setting. “During my first competition in 2004, I trembled so much. My heart was pounding and my breath was out of control,” he said.

The setting was unlike his normal practice room. Over time, he has gotten better at demonstrating stillness and breath in his asanas (or poses). “I like to practice like I am doing a demonstration and demonstrate like I am practicing,” he said.

But competing continues to be a constant and evolving improvement process. “That's probably why I will never stop,” Chen said.

Chen is also a competitor in Kendo, a Japanese martial art that combines swordsmanship with physicality. He’s a big supporter of competition being a diagnostic tool by which to self-assess, reflect, and demonstrate your commitment to your practice. “The three or so minutes on stage is simply a reflection of where my yoga practice is at that singular point in time,” he said. “Competition is the culmination of my regular practice.”

Mardy Chen, co-owner of Pure Bikram Yoga in Austin, was this year’s Texas Yoga Asana Champion. Outside of yoga competitions, she trains competitors, runs a yoga studio, hosts workshops and fun, music-themed yoga nights, and even started her own yogathemed fashion line.

While competitions offer a way for yogis to learn more about themselves and share their practice with others, they also pave the way for participants to get creative with yoga. “Participating in the Championships has encouraged me to sharpen my skills through

Monica Lebansky

Mardy Chen

Jeff Chen

K

training, dedication, and devotion to the sport,” Mardy Chen said.

Yoga competitions offer participants a chance to simultaneously reflect on and become better versions of their selves.

They offer competitors a community of people who are pursuing (and questioning) the same things. And they offer yoga enthusiasts a network within which to circulate ideas, training methods, new classes, and ways of engaging more deeply with the practice.

The irony in competition is that it’s as much about you competing against others as it is about you competing with yourself. You come to realize that your competitors are actually your inspiration and that the people you wish to beat are actually the people you most admire.

More often than not, reasons that initially inspired participants to take on the challenge of competition change and transform into other motivations.

“It’s really difficult to understand why we do it,” Jeff Chen said. “Unless you actually do it.” afm

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The Truth Behind the Blood Type Diet Increased energy, fewer digestive complaints, and weight loss. Is it all hype?

By Camille Fisher

E

ver considered that your blood type should influence decisions about your diet and exercise?

Peter D’Adamo, a naturopathic physician, has made his fame by telling people just that. In 1996, D’Adamo published “Eat Right 4 Your Type,” a book outlining the physician’s health guidelines for the four ABO blood groups (O, A, B, and AB). The outlines included everything from claiming that people with blood type O should eat a

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diet high in animal proteins to suggesting that people with blood type A should engage in meditative exercises like yoga and tai chi. The book enjoyed a great deal of success and even spurred a sequel (“Live Right 4 Your Type”) that was published in 2000.

So, what is the foundation for the blood type diet? And is it factual or just a fad?

D’Adamo boasts that within two weeks of adopting the diet, you could see in-

creases in energy level, have fewer digestive complaints, lose weight, and even improve chronic conditions such as asthma and heartburn. The reason behind these transformative theories: lectins.

Lectins are a type of protein found universally in nature. These proteins can be specifically matched to a particular carbohydrate and cause the agglutination—or clumping together—of certain cells. While they are present throughout nature, it is hypothesized that lectins

may have evolved in plants for the purpose of protecting seeds from human digestion. (Seed coats, which have a high lectin concentration, must pass through the digestive system intact if they are to be successfully dispersed.)

This could explain why some lectins are extremely resistant to stomach acid and the other processes of digestion.

After consuming lectins in food, a certain percentage of these proteins (1 to 5 percent) may be absorbed directly into the bloodstream. This is where carbohydrate specificity comes into play. Your blood type is determined by the presence (or absence) of certain carbohydrates on the surface of your red blood cells. Specific lectins may recognize these carbohydrates (imagine a lectin key that only fits with its corresponding carbohydrate lock) and if your red blood cells have the appropriate carbohydrate “lock,” lectins may attach and cause these cells to clump together.

Many lectins don’t discriminate and actually clump cells together no matter the blood type, but there are several lectins that are blood type specific.

D’Adamo claims that to “eat right for your blood type,” you need to avoid foods that have lectins specific to the carbohydrates on your red blood cells.

Furthermore, D’Adamo advises that you should eat a diet consistent with what would have been available during the period that each blood type evolved. For instance, people with blood type O (the oldest, according to D’Adamo) should eat as hunter-gatherers would have— feasting on lean meats and vegetables.

But his guidelines don’t stop there.

D’Adamo also provides suggestions for how people with each blood type should exercise and manage stress. He even proposes a connection between blood type and personality, claiming that type B individuals tend to be “insightful, mystical, idealistic…and good at imagining.”

So, why haven’t you heard of this diet

before? Why aren’t lectin-rich foods (beans, nuts, cereal grains, seeds, etc.) universally shunned?

It turns out that with the appropriate preparation of these foods, you can drastically reduce the amount of available lectins they contain. Soaking

“Your blood type is determined by the presence (or absence) of certain carbohydrates on the surface of your red blood cells.” and boiling beans and other grains can be enough to effectively denature, or neutralize, these proteins and even help to free up available nutrients. Fermentation also reduces lectin content as bacteria can breakdown lectins and convert them to other innocuous substances. Finally, the lectins in seed coats are metabolized during the process of germination—which means, sprouting is another healthy and harm-free way to prepare lectin-rich foods.

Most nutrition experts say that dietary lectins are not a significant health risk, as they are commonly consumed and widely distributed. Furthermore, lectins don’t have any long-reaching detrimental health effects and can easily be avoided by eating a varied diet.

In 2013, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a systematic review asserting that blood type diets lack supporting evidence and that “truly appropriate” experimental studies have yet to be conducted. Of course, this hasn’t stopped D’Adamo from selling a line of supplements and “lectinblockers” on his website, 4yourtype.com, where he also markets specialty foods, a skin care line, and promotes a “Sip Right 4 Your Type” line of teas.

While the blood type diet argument can seem convincing on the surface, look a little deeper and you’ll uncover the truth. It’s just another hypothesis in the eat-this, not-that world that is diet hype. afm

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 63

The 90-90 leg position makes a pelvic tilt using hamstrings and gluteals much easier.

Managing Low Back Pain

While there is no “garden variety” of back pain, there are a couple solutions that work no matter the severity, the exact location, or the precipitating event.

By Steve Cuddy, M.P.T., P.R.C.

W

e’ve all heard the statistics: 80 percent of Americans are bound to experience significant low back pain in their lifetime (and, as an instructor of mine once said, “the other 20 percent are lying”). Hundreds of millions of healthcare dollars are spent on back pain every year.

To make matters worse, we’re not even close to coming up with an agreed upon standard of care for low back pain. Currently, back pain is treated with every modality known to man. Ask twenty different clinicians how they would approach a given low back pain case and I guarantee you get twenty different answers.

How your low back pain is treated is ultimately based on the belief system of the good people you go to for help. Speaking on behalf of physical therapists (like me), what you’ll get treatment-wise is based on that thera-

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pist’s training and body of knowledge, the culture in which they work, the colleagues they collaborate with, and even their geography. Some therapists treat solely based on what has been shown in the research and some treat using what is tried and true and makes perfect scientific and physiological sense.

Low back pain is a broad topic. While there is no “garden variety” of back pain, I am happy to say that there are a couple solutions that work in almost every case no matter the severity, the exact location, or the precipitating event.

Most back pain is associated with a postural position of extension through the lower thoracic and lumbar spine.

This is an arched back with a lower front rib flare. Pain is most likely from back muscles and surrounding soft tissues that become short and tonic. They get overworked and eventually hurt. Pain can also be from the compressive forces on the

joints and discs of this part of the spine.

There are certainly other mechanisms of back pain, but this is the most common picture of a low back pain patient.

(Side note: A more chronic type of back pain needs to be distinguished from a more severe situation. Symptoms such as severe pain down the leg, obvious weakness of leg muscles, or diminished bladder or bowel control need immediate medical intervention.)

When your brain senses pain, it essentially perceives threat. How we perceive the threat that pain is causing differs in everyone and is based on many factors.

Usually the perception of threat can be dampened and the physiological effects on our body (like muscle tension and changes in breathing mechanics) minimized. But in other cases the threat that pain causes can overwhelm us and we start to feel a lack of control over it. “Fight-or-flight” will run rampant, and this same primitive mechanism that ensures our survival when the threat is real continues to churn 24/7 and actually becomes a detriment to our health. This is just more stress and the last thing we need.

In these cases, the Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) needs to be dialed down and some control needs to be regained by the patient. There are many ways to give a locus of control back to the patient. The main methods I use are ones that combine control of breathing rate and mechanics with pain relief positions that target muscle imbalances.

SNS overdrive and a hyperventilatory state (whether purely mechanical or via altered blood oxygen/carbon dioxide levels) go hand in hand. And pain control is significantly improved when low back pain sufferers find that there are actually positions and muscles that can be used to give immediate relief.

The 90-90 Hip Lift with Balloon is one such exercise. This technique is a staple of the Postural Restoration Institute® (PRI) and incorporates a lot of the components I’ve mentioned. By placing the feet on the wall it will be much easier to tilt the pelvis back, thereby reducing the amount of arching of the lumbar spine.

This is flexion, and decompression of the lumbar segments occurs when we flex.

This position also allows us to find and feel the elusive hamstrings and glutes that we are so often unable to contract for correct positioning of the pelvis and hips. These muscles exert a posterior tilt on the pelvis (again flexion) and will

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

Feel

Slow, methodical balloon blowing calms the nervous system and regulates respiratory mechanics.

Reaching the right arm ensures abdominal activation.

have an inhibitory effect on hip flexors that tilt the pelvis forward (extension).

Slow, methodical balloon blowing is one of the best ways to calm the nervous system. When we are in pain our SNS kicks into overdrive. Heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones in the blood increase. Breathing tends to be more shallow and breath holding is common. Front, lower ribs are usually found to be lifted and are unable to drop fully upon exhalation. Lower ribs in back are usually splinted by tight back muscles and held in, accentuating the arching of the lower back. Blowing up a balloon slowly has an inhibitory affect on these processes and emphasis is placed on full exhalation in order to come out of this rigid position.

This technique is performed by doing a full exhalation, emptying the lungs of all residual air that may not be expelled in the type of rigid, shallow breathing seen while in pain. Full exhalation means that the diaphragm will achieve a relaxed position and its influence on pulling the spine and ribs into an extended posture will be minimized. A balloon also serves as resistance to ex-

halation so that abdominal muscles can be more effectively recruited. Toned and coordinated abdominal obliques are vital in making the solid connection between your lower front ribs and your pelvis.

At the end of exhalation there is a pause—a signal to the nervous system to chill out and rest. This is followed by a normal-sized breath in and another full exhalation. This is repeated until the balloon is filled and numerous sets are usually performed, though the beneficial physiological and neuromuscular effects can usually be felt in as little as one set.

This one simple technique brings key postural muscles back online, breathing under control, and a switch from Sympathetic Nervous System overload to a more Parasympathetic state. It is one of many techniques I use and is inspired by the Postural Restoration Institute®.

It’s one that you can easily try at home to help reduce pesky low back pain. afm Steve Cuddy was voted as one of the best physical therapists in Austin in AFM’s Best Of cover story.

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 65

Healthy Bits The science behind health and wellness

The strength of one’s handshake has always been seen as an indicator of confidence. Now, according to a paper recently published in the journal Lancet, the strength of one’s grip can also be a good indicator of one’s life expectancy.

A team of researchers used a handheld device called a dynamometer to test the grips of more than 140,000 people—ages 35 to 70—in 17 countries. They then observed the study participants for four years to note how many died and their cause of death. The average grip strength the team recorded was 300 newtons. Every 50-newton drop below this was associated with a 16 percent rise in the risk of death.

Since muscle strength tends to naturally atrophy with age, it’s hard to say if muscle weakness is the cause of illness or an indicator of a pre-existing illness. Siding with the former, building strength through exercise might help avert early death.

Out of the countries included in the study, those with the strongest and weakest handshakes were Sweden and Pakistan, respectively. econ.st/1AYZDpN

A study published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry found that fasting—or skipping meals—throughout the day can result in abdominal weight gain rather than weight loss.

In the study, mice that ate all of their food as a single meal and fasted the rest of the day developed insulin resistance in their livers—a sign, scientists say, is a signal of prediabetes. When the liver doesn't respond to insulin signals telling it to stop producing glucose, that extra sugar in the blood is stored as fat.

Mice that were put on a restricted diet originally lost weight, but when meals were added back into their diet, the fat around their middles—the equivalent to human belly fat—weighed more than in those mice who were free to nibble on food all day long.

“This supports the notion that small meals throughout the day can be helpful for weight loss,” said Martha Belury, professor of human nutrition at The Ohio State University and senior author of the study.

“But you definitely don't want to skip meals to save calories. It sets your body up for larger fluctuations in insulin and glucose and could be setting you up for more fat gain instead of fat loss.” bit.ly/1LaQO1v 66 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

# K e e pA u s t i n F i t

Austin Ranked 20th Fittest City in U.S. The American College of Sports Medicine recently released their rankings of the top 50 fittest cities in the nation.

Washington, D.C., scored the top-of-the-list spot for the second year in a row, with Minneapolis, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento rounding out the top five. Austin was named the 20th fittest city in the nation, just behind Baltimore and just ahead of Pittsburgh.

The ACSM's American Fitness Index (AFI) takes into account residents’ exercise and eating habits, chronic health problems, as well as how well each city’s environment supports a healthy lifestyle. (For example, how much land is devoted to parks, the number of farmers markets, the availability of recreational facilities, and the percentage of the population who uses public transportation or walks and/ or rides a bike to work.) americanfitnessindex.org

photo by John Maffei

Skipping Meals Means More Fat

photo by Brian Fitzsimmons

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Feel

Eat Better Move More Get Paid For insurance companies, health incentives are worth the medical savings of treating chronic illness

By Joanne Blackerby, A.C.E.-P.T., A.C.E. A.H.F.S.

I

f the staggering, long term effects of obesity and the metabolic conditions associated with excessive weight gain have not persuaded us to eat healthier, we still face another health threat: sitting. A sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and could lead to premature death. Studies show that physical inactivity is responsible for almost 200,000 (or 1 in 10) deaths each year.

When unhealthy eating and sitting for extended periods combine, they result in metabolic syndrome. It’s a syndrome associate with a cluster of conditions, including the following:

• Coronary heart disease • Type 2 diabetes • Cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon) • Hypertension (high blood pressure) 68 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

• Dyslipidemia (for example, high • • • •

total cholesterol or high levels of triglycerides) Stroke Liver and gallbladder disease Sleep apnea and respiratory problems Osteoarthritis

Medical treatment protocols for metabolic syndrome drain our economic resources and drive health care costs higher and higher each year. Diabetes and heart disease are among the biggest drivers of U.S. health care costs.

The World Health Federation reports that a patient who makes a $1 investment in physical activity equates to a medical savings cost of $3.20.

The Facts • According to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, full-time

workers in the U.S. who are overweight or obese (resulting in chronic health conditions) miss an estimated 450 million additional days of work each year compared with their healthy co-worker counterparts. These missed days of work come with a cost to U.S. companies: More than $153 billion is lost in annual productivity.

• Medical expenses for obese employees cost 42 percent more than expenses for people maintaining a healthy weight. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the U.S. and accounts for $245 billion in total U.S. health care costs annually. More than 1 in 5 U.S. health care dollars are spent annually on diabetes, and health care costs for individuals with diagnosed diabetes are approximately 2.3 times higher than costs for those without diabetes.

• More than 80 percent of people with

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Live More Austin

Feel Insurance Incentives:

Blue Cross Blue Shield

Take the 2015 Blue Health Assessment (BHA) to address health risks before they become issues and earn $50 on your MyBlue® Wellness Card. You can take the BHA multiple times a year. Earn $35 on your card for completing up to three Online Health Coach goals related to a healthy lifestyle in the areas of exercise, nutrition, stress, weight management, and emotional health.

United Health Care

Choose a participating fitness center from UHC's national network and get reimbursed $20 per month (to an annual maximum of $240) for every month you visit the fitness center or YMCA at least 12 times.

Aetna

Aetna offers gym membership discounts with most of its plans. They also have a fitness reimbursement program. Plan members can receive reimbursement for gym memberships, purchasing at-home exercise equipment, group classes, and for receiving wellness counseling.

Humana

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diabetes are overweight.

• Obesity is preventable Still not convinced? Still sitting on the fence about whether to take active responsibility for your health? Maybe this news will change your mind: Health insurance companies are starting to sweeten the deal with incentives for those who adopt healthy, active lifestyle changes. In some cases, you can actually get paid for working out.

In the medical realm, getting people moving and eating well is notably less expensive than treating them for chronic disease.

If your insurance provider didn’t make the list, you can still take responsibility for your health.

• Ask your doctor or primary care physician to write you an exercise prescription.

• Get an FSA, or flexible spending account. An FSA allows you to divert up 70 • au st i nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 07.2015

Humana's Vitality Program allows members to earn rewards for investing in their health.

Members earn Vitality Bucks for exercising, wearing fitness devices, or even getting a flu shot. Vitality Bucks are redeemable at the HumanVitality Mall for everything from movie tickets and hotel stays to digital cameras.

to $2,500 per year of pre-tax income to pay for a wide variety of healthrelated services that may not be covered under your health insurance plan. Services include chiropractic, vision, and prescription medications.

• Check out non-profit fitness programs.

Fitness centers and gyms are typically for-profit companies, but some gyms and community-based fitness centers offer sliding scale fees for those in need. It never hurts to ask.

The bottom line.

As the number of health-related incentive programs increase, so do the opportunities for us—as individuals and as a country—to adopt healthy lifestyle changes. We're running out of excuses for bad eating and sitting habits. The health crisis in America is at epidemic proportions, and it’s costing current and future generations. Today, you can find ways to earn back a dollar or two just by moving.

How much is your life worth? afm

Train

Marco, BiKE Polo 72 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

A crash course on one of the hippest, most out of the ordinary social sporting clubs in central texas

By Carrie Barrett

Y

ou've got to love a group with the phrase “social club” in the name. I mean, at that point it doesn't matter if you are competitive skipping, knitting, or dog walking. If you have the moniker of a social club, you're automatically cool. Add “bike polo” and “Austin” to that phrase and you've found yourself one of the hippest, most out of the ordinary sports in all of Central Texas.

Bike polo is a combination of hockey, soccer, and lacrosse. It combines the skills of these team sports with the athleticism of being a great bike handler. Robert Kreuzburg, co-founder of the Bike Polo Social Club in Austin, has been playing the sport with some of his buddies since 2008 and passionately describes what it takes to be good at the game.

“One of the greatest things about this sport is that even if you can't ride a bike very well, you will be a bike god once you get comfortable playing! Balance is extremely important because you don't want to fall off your bike. Also, the coordination of different areas of your body you might not normally use together—like swinging at a ball and pedaling your butt off while also trying to maneuver through obstacles—makes this sport exciting,” he said.

Core strength, he added, is an important factor in maintaining balance. Stamina and strength are also vital since some of the games move quickly, and you need to have the strength to take power shots and shove away attacking players. “The more strong and agile you are,” Kreuzburg stressed, “the more you can move around other players and get in that perfect scoring position.”

The sport sounds equal part extremely intimidating and fast-paced fun. While members of the social club are serious about the sport, they also play because they love the community they've built. The players are athletic, artistic, and—most importantly—passionate. Some have professions, some don't.

Some are young, others are old.

The type of person the club caters to is one eager to play, have fun, and enjoy an evening of socializing, shouting words of encouragement (or not), and drinking a couple of beers.

This fun group of hipsters hangs out at Metz Park (2407 Can-

terbury St.), religiously playing on the park’s basketball courts every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. There is no membership or fee payments required to join. Just show up and don't be shy.

“It really only takes an interest and some determination to get started and be good at it,” Kreuzburg said. All you need is a bike that’s comfortable to ride (no drop bars or bull horns).

Helmets and gloves, as well as knee and elbow pads, are optional, but highly recommended since losing balance and falling off your bike is all a part of the game.

If you don't have all of the equipment, don't worry. These are people who are more than happy to lend you their bikes, equipment, and mallets if you're just starting out.

Bike Polo 101: • The sport is fast-moving.

• There are three players per team.

• An average game lasts for 10 to 12 minutes, or the first team to five points.

• To score, you must hit the ball with the end of your mallet.

• If you fall off the bike, or if your foot touches the ground, it's considered a “dab” and you must ride to the side of the court and tap the wall to get back into play.

“There are just as many ways of playing this sport as there are people playing it, so everyone loves talking about their own strategy,” Kreuzburg said.

“Men or women, adults or children, blonde or brunette... none of it matters. We are all people who like to ride bikes and hang out,” he said. “You don't even have to be good at any of it.

You will never be discriminated against. We're a goofy and fun loving group. Just come with a smile and be ready to have fun because you’ll be heckled, laughed at, encouraged, booed, and cheered all in a timespan of about 10 minutes.” afm For more information on the Austin Texas Bike Polo Social Club, visit their facebook page at: facebook.com/groups/ATXBPSC. Or email them at atxbpsc@gmail.com.

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i n e . c o m • 73

Train

Gear TEST

By Nate Turner

Each quarter, AFM peruses the interwebs, fitness events, and studios all over Austin looking for new and unique products we think you should know about, see in action, and integrate into your workouts. Here are a few of our latest finds.

74 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

n! e tio hit ca W o n L w Be Ne o @ C So

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The Thing photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

(performbetter.com)

It’s been said that recovery is an important part to gaining strength and fitness—almost as much as training itself. One of the most effective ways to address tightness or soreness and facilitate tissue repair is self-myofascial release. Fortunately, there is no shortage of products available for this purpose.

This month, we tried out The Thing foam roller from Perform Better.

We see and use a lot of these foam rollers. With their varying shapes, sizes, and colors, 07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 75

30K-60 30 TUNE-UPS TUNE-UPS ENGINES•BRAKE ENGINES•B TRANSMISSIONS TRANSMISS EXHAUST EXHAUST CUSTOM CUSTOM MODSM COllISION, COllISION, pAINTpAINT & BODy & BO

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Train

Cost $24–$30 Rating

76 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

Austin Newman, head coach and owner of CrossFit Oak Hill

Core Hammer (most-fit.com)

Regular sledgehammer strikes on a burly tractor tire are among our favorite primal moves in the gym. Designed to deliver a “dynamic, fun, and safe portable sledgehammer workout, without a tire,” the Core Hammer is an 8-pound, black, round urethane rubber head securely attached to a fiberglass handle.

There’s something simple and satisfying about channeling one’s inner lumberjack to crush a big complex of strikes, tire flips, jumps, and pushups.

The Core Hammer gets big creativity points from us for its simplicity and creativity. No need to worry about tracking down a big tire, finding a way to haul it to your backyard or gym, and scrubbing off the construction crud before you use it.

We loved the feel of striking the hammer on concrete, which is its recommended use. (Although we hit a bunch of other stuff with it too.) Striking solid, 4-by-6 foot rubber flooring produced a seriously unpleasant vibration from the handle through our hands, wrists, and elbows—we recommend you avoid this

at all costs. The asphalt parking lot felt good though, with the urethane head sustaining no noticeable damage from the rougher striking surface.

Our favorite choice: solid concrete walls and pillars, which allow for a nice variety of movements through angles and planes of motion that you can’t get with an overhead smash.

Finally, we put the Core Hammer through some rubber-on-rubber violence, turning it loose on some of our big tires. Surprisingly, because of its uniformly round rubber surface, the hammer bounces very predictably off of almost anything. Whereas a standard sledgehammer requires a choice between a vertical or horizontal orientation of the hammerhead (and some precision striking to avoid angled rebounds), with the Core Hammer you just swing away.

It’s a great way for a beginner to learn to strike a tire or the ground.

Cost $200 Rating

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

it’s becoming harder for new ones to distinguish themselves from the crowd. In appearance and construction, The Thing is the love child of those hard, rumbly rollers and the bright, hollow Trigger Point rollers.

We put it to the test on a collection of strength and endurance athletes.

(One liked it so much she insisted on taking it with her to Ironman Texas and we haven’t seen it since.)

If you buy the principle behind Trigger Point theory (we do), The Thing does a better job than smoother rollers of pushing into soft tissue tough spots and facilitating the release of tension.

Its hexagonal bumps will win the “just right” approval from Goldilocks—not too hard, not too soft. The bright red color on the inside of the roller helps it stand out from its peers on our selftreatment shelf, but what we like most is its travelfriendliness. The Thing is 5 inches wide, 13 inches long, and weighs about a pound. The hollow core is big enough to fill with shorts, socks, a shaker bottle, and a couple of protein pouches. It can also easily pack into your gym bag or carry-on.

Hyperwear SandRopes (hyperwear.com)

If you’re a consistent exerciser, you’ve probably lifted, tossed, and slammed various sizes of SandBells more times than you care to remember. Claiming to provide “a whole body core and cardio workout, with more results in less time,” SandRopes are the most recent addition to the established line of Hyperwear products.

We dropped by the Hyperwear headquarters in North Austin to pick up a pair of the 15-pound ropes.

Covered in thick black neoprene, the sand bladders are 10 feet long, about 2 and a half inches wide, and were easy to grip and throw over a shoulder for the carry to the car.

Once in the gym, we attached the (included) anchors to our usual spot and went to work on a variety of traditional rope patterns— twists, slams, waves, etc.

We also loaded them over our shoulders for a squat and traveling-lunge combo with two, 75-foot rope drags at the end of each complex (watch us in action on the online video tutorial). The drags were a fun and challenging finisher.

One of the touted benefits of the SandRope is that it provides the weight and function of traditional ropes in much less space.

We found this to be true, and with a 30-pound option (not tested), we imagine a double rope setup would be enough to challenge even the strongest and fittest among us.

One other notable detail was the absence of sand on

the gym floor. Most sandbags eventually leak if they are slammed or dropped repeatedly, and the heavier the bag, the bigger the problem. All of Hyperwear’s sand products seem to have no sand-spilling issues, and the ropes are no exception.

Drawbacks: Not all the rope patterns you know will translate. In particular, inside and outside corkscrew patterns didn’t work well for us due to the shortness of the rope. If you can keep the creative part of your workout brain turned on though, this tool provides exceptional variety in a small space.

Cost $165–$180 Rating

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 77

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Train

CROW A n at o my o f a p o s e

By Erinn Lewis, co-owner and instructor at Sukha Yoga photography By Brian Fitzsimmons

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i n e . c o m • 79

Train

Crow Pose (or Bakasana) To Start: Warm the body up with a few rounds of Sun Salutations. Wiggle out your wrists. Keep your breath full and steady.

New to Crow: 1. Place a block under you like a little perch. Step on to the block.

2. Spread your toes, press through the mounds of your feet and lift your heels.

3. Split your knees wide and stretch your upper body forward and down.

4. Lengthen your arms, placing your wrists as wide or a little wider than shoulder distance apart on your mat. Fan out through your fingers and release your skull. Breathe a few slow, deep breaths here.

5. Slide your arm into your inner upper thighs. Suction your arms and your legs against each other.

7. Transfer your weight and squeeze into the midline, pulling the pit of your belly in and up.

8. Lift one foot and squeeze the heel toward your butt. If you feel stable, lift the other foot off the block. Or alternate lifting each foot until you’re ready to take flight.

80 • au stinfI tm agazine.c om • 07.2 015

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

6. Bend into the elbows, stay lifted on the toes, and split your knees, positioning them as high on the triceps (upper arms) as possible. Think about taking the knees all the way up to the armpits. Set and soften the gaze forward.

Advanced Crow ( T r i p o d H e a d s ta n d Transition) • From Crow Pose, keep your breath full and steady and your upper body open and receptive. Breathe into the back of your lungs and heart.

• With your hips floating high in the air, find the balance between your hands as they press into the earth.

• Shift your weight forward, slowly lowering the crown of your head to the earth.

• Release your shoulders away from your ears and broaden your collarbones.

• Bring your knees off your upper arms by squeezing them to the midline of your body. Continue to hug the knees in and keep the pit of your belly engaged.

• Draw in from your arms energetically to the top of your head and keep your elbows stacked with your wrists.

• Lift your legs into an upside down chair and move your hips away from your feet to float above your shoulders.

• Extend your legs up, spread your toes and the balls of your feet to the sky. Continue to keep your legs strong and your mind relaxed.

• Smile—its good medicine to shift perspective. Enjoy the float and flight!

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 81

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Workout

Find Fitness (and Fun) in the Functional

by Diane Vives, M.S., C.S.C.S., N.S.C.A.-C.P.T., F.M.S.

These efficiencyenhancing circuit exercises are designed to give your body the workout it wants

E

very time a circuit is organized, we have an opportunity to make sure we are putting exercises together with a purpose. To make sure we incorporate exercises that not only increase volume, intensity, and overall physical conditioning, but also feed the body movements it craves—those functional movements that make our everyday tasks and activities easier and more efficient.

Highlighted in this circuit are exercises focused on working hip extension, developing strong, explosive rotations of the hip and upper body, and challenging core static stability and upper body pushing strength. Put together, these functional movements offer an intense circuit guaranteed to work the entire body.

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1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

9 10

Hip Thrust

Clock Push-Ups

Start: Position your back on the bench so that the edge of the bench is just below the shoulder blade and the barbell is on the crease of the hip. With the back in a neutral position, establish a straight line through the shoulder, hip, and knee.

• Feet should be shoulder width apart and directly under the knees so that the shins remain perpendicular to the ground.

• In a smooth, controlled movement (with no jerking), perform a hip hinge by flexing the hips so that the torso maintains a neutral position and all the movement is coming from the hips.

• The goal is to focus on the hip hinge and extension while allowing the low back to remain in a neutral, supportive position.

• Return to start by fully extending the hips as you regain shoulder, hip and knee alignment.

Start: With a light weight balanced on your upper back, get into a push up position. Your feet should be stacked to create a good pivot point for the low body • The weight gives good feedback to help you maintain a level shoulder position when stepping laterally with the hands.

• After stepping to the side with each hand, lower your chest to the ground in a push up.

• Continue alternating walking the hands and performing the push-ups in a circular or clock pattern.

Purpose: This lower body movement translates to better force production for lower body movements as well as muscle development of the glutes.

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons performed by Blake Martin at Iron Tribe

Purpose: Perform a more challenging upper body strength movement that also challenges your core control and static stability.

07.2015 • au sti nf Itmaga z i n e . c o m • 83

Workout

Overhead Wall Toss

Purpose: The arms act as an extension of the torso and this overhead toss works the full flexion and extension motions of the body—really challenging your core strength.

Start: Stand (in a tall posture) about 2 feet away from the wall with the ball directly overhead.

• Begin the movement by slightly bending at the knees while simultaneously extending the hips and upper back to load the throw into the wall.

• Quickly use your body’s elastic feeling to flex forward from the ground up and perform a quick snap throw into the wall. The ball should bounce off the wall and directly back into your hands.

• Absorb the throw and maintain control.

• While reloading for the next throw, always brace the core like you’re bracing for a punch.

Rotational Single Leg Jump

Purpose: Prepares a single leg to rotationally load and explode into a change of direction (a physical function we do in many activities).

Want a guided look at these movements?

For a more detailed look in action, check out the workout video on austinfitmagazine.com/Videos/

84 • au stinfI tm agazine. c o m • 07.2 015

• This is a single leg takeoff with a quiet, two-foot landing in the new direction—now facing 90 degrees away from the original starting position.

• Set your position on the opposite leg and perform the jump again, this time in the opposite direction.

Work one at a time on each individual movement in this circuit and then put them together to challenge your overall conditioning.

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

Start: In a single leg stance, brace the core and quickly perform an athletic bend in the ankle, knee, and hip while loading rotationally (like winding up) with the upper body.

• Without hesitation, quickly unload and explode into a 90-degree jump by extending at the ankle, knee, and hip while uncoiling the upper body to drive the direction of the jump.

Events Featured Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic

Submit your event online at austinfitmagazine.com

S

TE

July 7 Yappy Hour at Rowing Dock What’s a better way to unwind from the work day than by paddling the waters of Lady Bird Lake? How about paddling with your dog? Every Tuesday of the month, the Texas Rowing Dock hosts an all-day “yappy hour” where you can bring your furry friend with you and get the second hour of your canoe or kayak rental free. It’s the best of both worlds. rowingdock.com/happenings

TEXAS

July 23 Birds of Prey Nature Night Each Thursday evening throughout the summer, the Wildflower Center hosts a free nature night. The center saves the best for last with their Birds of Prey program—the last nature night this summer. Listen to experts from the Blackland Prairie Raptor Center as they discuss the issues concerning the future of birds of prey. (They will also be bringing a few of their raptor ambassadors to attend the event.) wildflower.org/nature 86 • au st i nf Itmaga z i ne.co m • 07.2015

July 26 Party Barge Fun Meet some new friends (or bring a few of your own) as you float a summer weekend afternoon away on Lake Travis with Hill Country Outdoors. The outdoor and social club invites the public (reservations will be capped at 50 people) to hop on board a party barge and have fun. The barge comes equipped with a waterslide, restrooms, propane BBQ pits, and stereo, and the club will have light snacks, club soda, and water on hand. Party-goers are welcome to bring any food, drinks, and floatation devices of their choosing. hillcountryoutdoors.com Food and Drinks July 4 Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic Celebrate freedom with the musician who possibly knows the true meaning of it best, Willie Nelson. This will be the first time in five years that Nelson has hosted the 4th of July Picnic event in Austin. A star-studded, friendlist lineup includes performances by Eric

photography by Brian Fitzsimmons

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Church, Merle Haggard, Kacey Musgraves, Sturgill Simpson, Jamey Johnson, and more.

The picnic will be held at the Circuit of the Americas. circuitoftheamericas.com/willie July 7 Anthony Bourdain at Bass Concert Hall Prepare to be entertained by an evening of comedic straight-talk as TV personality and acclaimed chef Anthony Bourdain comes to town on his Close to the Bone tour at Bass Concert Hall. Reasons you should go: If you’re a fan of Bourdain’s book “Kitchen Confidential,” find you frequently stop what you’re doing to watch his Travel Channel shows “No Reservations” and “The Layover,” or want hear behind-the-scenes stories of what its like to travel around the world with a camera crew documenting your every move, bite, and snide remark. anthonybourdainontour.com July 29 Gourmet Camp Cooking at REI Camping doesn’t have to mean sacrificing the sanctity of your meals. Learn how to transform your wilderness (or car camping) cooking skills from bleh to brilliant at this free class hosted by an outdoor specialist at REI–Round Rock.

Studies have found that knowing how to cook well in the backcountry can go a long way in impressing your tentmates. bit.ly/1Trpnqg ARTS July 22 Bob Schneider at Blues on the Green Be sure to bring a blanket and a bucket of ice (to store drinks or to dunk your head in) to this free musical evening with El Paso-raised and Austin-rooted rock artist Bob Schneider at Blues on the Green. The 49-year-old musician has received much fan attention and media acclaim over the years from his hit songs “Metal & Steel,” “Big Blue Sea,” and “Come With Me Tonight.” This February, Schneider released his latest album, King Kong Vol. 1.

July 25 Jaws on the Water Picture this: You’re languidly floating in a pool and the movie Jaws starts to project on a screen in front of you. Scary or super cool? To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Jaws, The Alamo Drafthouse Rolling Roadshow is joining forces with the Texas Ski Ranch to bring swimmers who moonlight as movie goers together for an evening of fear, fun, floating bars, and possibly a few underwater surprises. bit.ly/1QCbDdc

July 28 Phish at Austin 360 Ampitheater Known for their extensive touring schedule, innovative set lists, and jam sessions, the American rock band Phish are coming to Austin for a night both lifelong and new fans are sure to remember. While the group formed their band in the early 80s at the University of Vermont—the root of the group’s musical ambitions—to their fans, Phish are not just a band, they're a way of life. And although the group’s albums sell well on their own, like any jam band, they’re best experienced live. bit.ly/1Cc1gko LIFESTYLE July 10 Hairspray at Zilker Hillside Theater Grab a blanket and a towel and spend the night stretched out on the grassy hillside in front of Barton Springs. Save your seat early and take a dip in the 68-degree spring fed oasis before settling in for an evening of entertainment. This year, Zilker Theater Productions is putting on the summer musical Hairspray. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. Admission is free, but donations are encouraged. zilker.org July 15 Ghostbusters at Sound & Cinema Every other Wednesday (throughout the summer), Do512 and Alamo Drafthouse host a free concert and movie showing on the lawn of the Long Center. This Wednesday, catch a musical performance by Latasha Lee & The Black Ties and sing out the “Who you gonna call?” theme song while watching Ghostbusters. Food trucks open at 6 p.m., the band goes on at 7:30 p.m., and the movie starts at 9 p.m. Admission is free. do512.com/ soundandcinema

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July 21 Astronomy on Tap ATX Get your mind brewing as you sip on a cold one at this fun and engaging science talk at The North Door. Past educational discussion topics have ranged from planets to black holes to the beginning of the universe. Listen, learn from, and interact with professional astronomers who stick around for a postpresentation beer. Then test your new-found knowledge with games and prizes. Admission is free. astronomyontap.org

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Rides & Races Featured Couples Triathlon

Submit your event online at austinfitmagazine.com JuLY July 2 Firecracker 5K Evening Run San Marcos, TX • bit.ly/19KEc47

July 18 Capt'n Karl's Trail Series – 60K/30K/10K Muleshoe Bend Spicewood, TX traverserunning.com Hill Country Kids and Family Tri Kyle, TX • hillcountrykidstri.org

July 4 Firecracker 5K Lago Vista, TX • lagovistajuly4.org/firecracker5k-fun-run

Vern’s No Frills 5K Georgetown, TX • noexcusesrunning.com

Freedom 5000 5K Austin, TX • raceatx.com

Lakefest Run the Dam 10K/5K Somerville, TX • burlesoncountytx.com/lakefest

July 5 Tri For Old Glory Martindale, TX • redemptionrp.com/Tri4OlGlory

July 19 Marble Falls Triathlon Marble Falls, TX • marblefallstri.com

July 11 Orange Leaf Half-Marathon/5K New Braunfels, TX • bit.ly/1bPFRqN

July 21 Splash & Dash Series Austin, TX • bit.ly/1fZ0BGT

XTERRA Off Road Triathlon Magnolia Hill Ranch, Navasota, TX racerevolutions.com

July 24 El Chupacabra de San Antonio 5K/10K San Antonio, TX • runintexas.com/sachupa

July 12 XTERRA Trail Runs 21K/11.5K/6K Magnolia Hill Ranch, Navasota, TX racerevolutions.com

July 26 TriWaco Triathlon Waco, TX • triwaco.org

August 2 Jack’s Generic Triathlon Lake Pflugerville, TX • jacksgenerictri.com August 8 5K for Clay Round Rock, TX • bit.ly/1QaMqBc Capt'n Karl's Trail Series – 60K/30K/10K Colorado Bend, Lampasas, TX traverserunning.com August 9 BadAss Brazos Half-Marathon/10K/5K Waco, TX • runproject.org/race/badass-brazoshalf10k5k August 15 Dragon's Den Half-Marathon/10K/5K San Antonio, TX • dragonsdenhalf.com Vern's No Frills 5K Georgetown, TX • bit.ly/1zgOLbD XTERRA Off Road Triathlon Cameron Park, Waco, TX • racerevolutions.com August 16 XTERRA Trail Runs 21K/10K/5K Cameron Park, Waco, TX • racerevolutions.com

AuGUST Couples Triathlon Austin, TX • couplestri.com

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August 1 Texas Beer 5K Austin, TX • atxne.ws/1JLWkHf

August 18 Splash & Dash Series Quarry Lake, Austin, TX • bit.ly/1fZ0BGT

August 22 Habanero Hundred 100-Mile/100K Buescher State Park, Smithville, TX trailracingovertexas.com/habanero-hundred August 23 Alamo Beer Marathon/10K/5K San Antonio, TX • scallywompus.com AuGUSTO 12K/8K San Antonio, TX • carrerathon.com August 29 Capt'n Karl's Trail Series – 60K/30K/10K Reveille Peak Ranch, Burnet, TX traverserunning.com

Texas Wine Series 10K/5K Becker Vineyards, Fredericksburg, TX texaswineseries.com September 15 Splash & Dash Series Quarry Lake, Austin, TX • bit.ly/1fZ0BGT September 19 Lighthouse Hill Ranch 50K/20-Mile/10-Mile Johnson City, TX • runintexas.com/lighthouse ThunderDash 5K Mud Run/Obstacle Course Comfort, TX • thunderdash.com LoziLu Women’s Mud Run 5K Austin, TX • lozilu.com/Austin

SEPTEMBER September 5 Rugged Maniac Obstacle 3-Mile Race Austin, TX • ruggedmaniac.com/events/austin September 7 TriRock Austin Triathlon Austin, TX • trirock.competitor.com/Austin September 11 Zilker Relays Austin, TX • zilkerrelays.com Foam Glow 5K San Antonio, TX • foamglow.com Zoo Run Relay San Antonio, TX • sazoo.org/events/zoo-run-relay September 12 Spa Girl Tri Bastrop, TX • spagirltri.com/spa-girl-tri-bastrop Burning Pine 10K/5K Bastrop, TX • burningpinerun.com Gruene 10K New Braunfels, TX • bit.ly/1cjM1Ps Waco Wounded Veterans 5K Waco, TX • wacowoundedveteransrun.webs.com September 13 9/11 Heroes 5K Run Camp Mabry, Austin, TX • bit.ly/1BpM1Ec Brain Power 5K Cedar Park, TX • brainpower5k.com CASA Superhero Run 5K Austin, TX • casasuperherorun.com Run with the Heroes 5K Austin, TX • bit.ly/1FPbZ9k

Spectrum Series Marathon/HalfMarathon/10K Flat Rock Creek Ranch, Comfort, TX spectrumtrailracing.com Vern’s No Frills 5K Georgetown, TX • noexcusesrunning.com September 20 GUSTO Run 15K/10K/5K San Antonio, TX • carrerathon.com September 21 Terra Firma Duathlon Smithville, TX • terrafirmaracing.com September 25 Ultra 520K Texas Triathlon Marble Falls, TX • ultra515texas.com September 26 Big Foot Trail Race 50K/30K/10K Flat Creek Crossing Ranch, Johnson City, TX austin.backonmyfeet.org Dare to Ascend Trail Marathon/HalfMarathon/5K Lake Georgetown, Georgetown, TX ascendoutdoor.com September 27 Fight Like A Girl 5K Old Settler’s Park, Round Rock, TX fightlikeagirl5krr.com Run Free Texas 80’s 8K Cedar Park, TX • rft80s8k.com Kerrville Triathlon Festival Kerrville, TX • kerrvilletri.com Katy Triathlon at Firethorne Katy, TX • katytriathlon.com

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DISCOVER! Tell us about it!

Give us a shout at @AustinFit. We'd love to hear about your experience!

Revel in the Ride at Reveille Peak Ranch hether you choose to spend an afternoon traversing across creek beds, powering up the edge of cliffs, or dodging pine trees as you gain speed over a twisted trail, many Austin-area mountain bikers agree: few trails come close to those at Reveille Peak Ranch.

As you pull into the huisache tree-dotted parking lot (read: not much shade), take notice of the glistening lake that lies before you and watch as it drops down into a waterfall of pink-hued rapids— made more pronounced after a recent rain.

Hop on your bike and veer off the jeep road and onto a winding single-track path to warm up your muscles and prepare you for the tangled roots and rocky crags that lie ahead. Once you hit the high fence line, it’s choose-your-own-adventure time.

Take the Tee Pee Trail to start your day with challenging climbs punctuated with thrilling descents through open, grassy fields. Follow it up with a ride on the punishing Epic Trail (boasting 200 vertical feet in about 100 yards).

In search of a slightly milder, but no less exhilarating, ride? Cross the fence line and drop into the Race Loop. This wildflower-flanked, well-trodden dirt path positions you to dart through the woods, dodging roots and rocks as you make your way to the next fork in the road.

Take a left onto Reveille Peak Loop to test your nerves. Covered almost entirely in granite with a pastel pink sheen, the grade of the slopes and the rugged terrain can appear impossible to traverse on a bike. Don’t let your eyes fool you though. The granite is surprisingly grippy; meaning areas that appear impossible to climb are navigable with a can-do attitude and some leg power. In between weaving through boulders, look up and check out the mesmerizing vistas around you.

Everyone will tell you not to skip Decision Point, which boasts the best views on the 1,300-acre property. Take a seat on a wooden bench and refuel. Soak in the solitude as you squint to see Lake Buchanan in the distance. Then, let go of any Zen you may have found at the top by taking the Super D trail back down (at your own risk), or follow Decision Point Trail back to the Race Loop. Or, take a break with a calm cool-down on the League Loop.

Whichever path you decide, don’t forget to climb to the top of the Flow Track and bomb down it.

Flying over tabletops and careening through berms makes for an exhilarating treat after all of your hard hill climbing.

Upon return to the high fence, assess how much dirt your body has accumulated and promptly pedal back to the pavilion to find cold showers and cold beer. A soak in the tub overlooking the scenic lake makes for a soothing, memorable end to a beautiful trail-riding day.

Be sure to bring water, food, sunscreen, and a GPS with you on your ride. Trail maps are available at the park office and the pay station. Admission is $10 per person.

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Special thanks to Larissa Tater for recommending and writing this month’s trail review.

Find out what other activities Reveille Peak Ranch has to offer at rprtexas.com.

photography by Andrea Roach, Reveille Peak Ranch

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by Larissa Tater

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