Austin's 5th Annual 10 Fittest
by Drex Earle
Editor-in-Chief
|
0 of 11 |
|
With more than 5,000 of you chiming in this year, the contest is finally over and the results are in. And yet again, you’ve proven you all know how to pick ‘em. This turned out to be the biggest year we’ve ever had for our now 5th annual “10 of Austin’s Fittest” list, and the group is about as interesting, varied and of course, fit, as it gets. Enjoy a peek at your new competition.
Susan Dell: Leader of the Pack
Since her husband’s meteoric rise in the technology industry starting in the 1990s, Susan Dell has become one of the most accomplished activists and philanthropists in the world. Co-founding and running the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation since 1999, she’s proven to be an inspired leader who demands results, while bringing focus, passion and an unyielding sense of purpose to a variety of issues facing children. Whether it’s adolescent obesity, prenatal healthcare or urban childhood poverty, her personal mantra of “go forward, never give up, never quit, anything is possible,” lives through the amazing work of her and her husband’s global non-profit.
But behind this public persona is a fascinating personality few people get to see. For starters, Susan Dell is a charismatic and captivating force of nature; a gracious, funny, razor sharp ball of energy with a very unique point of view. When you first meet her, you’re struck by her almost playful intensity; she has a way of drawing you in and making you feel extremely comfortable, knowing full well she has the upper hand. And as you get to know her, you realize that beneath this disarmingly down-to-earth charm is a fierce competitor, someone who knows what she wants and just how to get it. This is perhaps most apparent when it comes to anything fitness-related.
It may come as a surprise (as it did for us) that Susan Dell is exceptionally fit. Not just “run-of- the-mill fit; more like “elite athlete” fit. In all the years we’ve been covering health and fitness in Austin, we’ve rarely seen anything like her. The 46-year-old, mother of four, is not just one of the fittest people on our list this year, she’s among the fittest women we’ve ever featured, period. In fact, she may be one of the fittest people we’ve ever met. Yes, we repeat: she’s that fit.
When you consider how passionate and dedicated she is to regular exercise, it’s not all that surprising. Whether she’s logging 50+ miles on her bike (which happens several times a week), frequenting the yoga studio just as often or pounding the Stairmaster in between, Susan brings an intensity to her workouts that matches virtually everything else in her life.
“I workout seven days a week,” she says. “I do a variety of sports throughout the week like biking, running, swimming, yoga, hiking, power walking, the Stairmaster, along with conditioning and core strength routines. I also do abdominal work daily.”
As one of her assistants recently described her, “Susan is crazy fit. Not just the fittest in Austin, but probably the country. For years, I’ve been with her while she’s been training, racing, you name it. And I’d be hard-pressed to name anyone that’s in the same league.”
Her résumé of fitness accomplishments is certainly a testament to this: by her mid-40s she’d already completed an Ironman, run several marathons and even set three cycling course records at Kaloko and Mauna Kea in Hawaii. For fun, she rode her bike more than 50 miles and 10,000 feet up to the top of Haleakala crater on the island of Maui. While most people were cruising their way down the mountain, taking in the scenery at a leisurely pace, Susan was grinding her way up.
“I can definitely climb, that’s probably my strong suit,” she admits. “Whenever I race, I’m pretty much in the middle of the pack on the descents and straightaways, but I make up all my time on the climbs. I just love to climb.”
And climb she has. Since childhood, her father instilled in her a strong sense of fitness, one that has evolved into a way of life for herself, her husband and four kids.
“Exercise has been a part of my life since I was a little girl,” she says. “My earliest memories of having fun while exercising were my dad taking my brothers and I with him to the nearby high school track. My hope now is that our four children will always love being active. Michael and I both make fitness a top priority and our kids are paying attention, so I’m thrilled.”
In fact, Susan readily acknowledges that her love for fitness extends far beyond mere recreation. In many ways, she’s dependent on it to keep up with the demands of an almost non-stop schedule.
“It’s my sanity,” she says. “I think much more clearly 30 minutes into my workout, plus exercise energizes and calms me at the same time. After my workouts, I feel strong and ready for whatever challenges life throws my way. My training time is definitely my highest-quality thinking and creative time – it’s actually where a lot of my ideas for the foundation come from.”
This relentless passion for fitness in her own life has translated into a windfall of charitable work for a variety of childhood health programs in Austin, New York City, Chicago and other parts of the world such as India and Africa. To date, the foundation has provided more than $65 million in grants to The Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, The Dell Pediatric Research Institute and Dell Children’s Medical Center, all world-class facilities aimed at advancing global medical and behavioral research in childhood obesity and disease. These grants make up approximately one-tenth of the more than $650 million donated by the Dells since the foundation’s inception.
“We’ve focused on education and health, because when you consider what kids need to break the cycle of poverty, good health and a quality education are the two most basic building blocks,” she says. “Education can empower children to pull themselves out of poverty, and good health is important for a happy, active life. The fact is, if childhood obesity continues to increase, many believe our current generation of young people will become the first in American history to live shorter lives than their parents.”
Both personally and professionally, Susan is doing everything she can to move the statistics in the other direction. As one of Austin’s fittest people, she’s no doubt become a model for leading a healthier and fitter lifestyle. As a tireless ambassador for children’s health issues, she understands the keys to success: starting simple and taking it one step at a time.
“It’s important for families to understand that small, easy steps can significantly increase our children’s prospects for longer, healthier lives,” she says. “My personal philosophy is ‘Fuel for Performance and Train for Life.’ When children’s bodies are fueled with healthy options – plenty of water, proper portion sizes, small and balanced meals throughout the day, and all the green vegetables they want – they perform better, whether it’s taking a test, playing music, painting a picture or participating in a sporting event. Plus, they need to get moving and stay active for at least 60 minutes a day – riding a bike, dancing, swimming or walking to a friend’s house. Literally taking these small steps and fitting physical activity in every day are the things that will make the difference.”time — it’s actually where a lot of my ideas for the foundation come from.”
Q&A: Personal Fitness
What are your most impressive/memorable fitness achievements to date? Competing in the Ironman World Championships had been a dream of mine since college, so that is my most memorable achievement. It was a huge challenge! My family and close friends came to Kona, Hawaii to cheer me on, which made this race even more special for me. Cycling races up Kaloko and Mauna Kea in Hawaii have also become very exciting for me, because for a few years now, I’ve held the women’s record on each of these race courses as well as the sprint race course up Kaloko. I’m very proud to have these records, because they’re very difficult climbs with many of the hills reaching higher than 20 percent grades.
Day in and day out, how do you stay motivated? I love to feel my body working and I get excited about setting and reaching goals, so I never lose my motivation. I also admire incredible athletes that I’m fortunate enough to know. As they achieve new levels of greatness in their sports, I’m motivated to get stronger, faster, better in every way I can.
What is your diet like? I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, I like to have brown rice. Fish, eggs, natural peanut butter and protein drinks are my main sources of protein. I also eat non-fat and low-fat dairy products like Greek yogurt, soy cheese and my favorite food of all time…frozen yogurt! I drink water all day long and also like to have herbal and green tea. I don’t drink any alcohol or caffeinated beverages.
To you, how important is goal setting? What are your current fitness goals? I think setting goals is very important. It gives you purpose and focus. I always have a few goals in front of me at any given time: some athletic, some personal and some business. As for my fitness goals, I always keep these a secret, sharing them only with my husband and kids. Once I tell them what I plan to do, then I know I have to make it happen and they’ve come to expect that I will. I can tell you that there are three big athletic goals I plan to achieve in the next 12 months. After I meet my goals, I’ll tell you all about it!
What are your favorite things about living in Austin, in general and as it relates to health and fitness? I love how many great places Austin has to be physically active. We have trails to hike and bike on, we have lakes where we can ski, kayak and swim, and we have so many great areas to play like Town Lake, the Barton Creek Greenbelt and other awesome spots. I also love all the wonderful outdoor events here, like concerts, great family events, a variety of races and other fun activities. I could easily do a commercial for Austin, because I love our town so much!
Q&A: Family
What kinds of health and fitness habits do you hope to impart to your kids? My hope is that our four children will always love being active. They’re very active now and Michael and I have been so happy to see them find their passions and work towards their own goals. As parents, it’s our job to set a great example for our children and show them how to lead healthy and active lifestyles.
How often do you work out as a family? What kinds of things do you do? We all do a variety of sports, so several of us will exercise together at least a few times a week. Since we don’t all do the same thing, however, we often pair off or work out in smaller groups. Our daughters Kira and Juliette compete at a national level on Arabian horses, earning numerous championship titles. Our daughter Alexa is now a triathlete and I love having her as a training partner. Michael is a very strong cyclist and we ride together all the time. Our son Zachary is great at so many sports and very competitive. Zachary and Michael often play racquetball and bike together. Zachary and I have fun running on the trails and going bowling, too. The six of us have done fun events in town like the Keep Austin Weird Festival and other local 5K and 10K races as well.
Who is the fittest person in your family and why? Well, I’m probably the fittest member of the family, but everyone in our family is very fit. Being physically fit has been a huge part of my life for more than 30 years, so this probably explains why.
Q&A: Foundation
Which programs at the foundation have been most successful and why? We have a constant focus on measuring the impact of our efforts. As a result, we aim to fund programs with a solid evidence-base of success. There are too many to name, but I will give you a local example. More than 140,000 kids in Texas participate in Marathon Kids — a free running, walking, nutrition and schoolyard gardening program for kindergarten through 5th graders that can easily be integrated into a school day. A recent study shows participation in Marathon Kids makes children more physically active and they eat healthier. This is the kind of program we look for because it’s transforming children. Another example is Dell Scholars, a scholarship program for low-income and financially-underserved students. The national average persistence rate for students within this socioeconomic profile is 23 percent, however we’ve been able to drive it to more than 90 percent with Dell Scholars. We’re very proud that our kids are beating the odds and closing the achievement gap.
How do you and the foundation plan to help curb the growing childhood obesity epidemic? Our funding is aligned with priorities outlined by First Lady Michelle Obama and the comprehensive “Let’s Move” Initiative launched a few months ago. We fund programs that provide opportunities to increase physical activity, such as the Recess Pilot in Travis County Elementary Schools which employs inexpensive or free strategies to keep kids more physically active during recess time. We also focus our funding at getting healthier foods in schools. Children consume as many as half of their daily calories while in school, which puts educational institutions on the nutritional frontline in this country. Not only have the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables increased 50 percent compared to overall food costs in the past two decades, but the lack of access is one reason why many children are not eating recommended levels of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. We support school-based programs that take a holistic approach, like the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy School Program in Florida and Washington, DC and the Coordinated Approach To Childhood Health (otherwise known as CATCH) in Texas.
What role do you think nutrition/food supply plays in the obesity epidemic? There are so many issues at play in the obesity epidemic, and the road to change is not as easy as just the balance between physical activity and healthy eating. We now understand that obesity prevention is not just about personal responsibility. For example, one of our most successful grantees (The Food Trust in Philadelphia) was able to reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity by 50 percent using a school-based policy initiative, but then realized that if children stepped into a school environment which made healthier choices impossible to practically enact, the other 50 percent would never be affected. It’s clearly the combination of personal behavior in an enabling environment that can result in sustained and broad-based change. And the food supply issue plays a part in that, too. That’s why it’s so important for change to occur from my house, your house and your neighbor’s house, all the way to the White House.
Whose philanthropic work do you most admire? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is not only a philanthropic mentor to us, but to anyone in the philanthropic world because of the breadth and depth of its giving. We’ve had multiple opportunities to work together on grants, particularly in the area of education. That experience has been very valuable. Others are doing great work, too. The Broad Foundation’s approach in public education, the work the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is doing on childhood obesity and the Grameen Foundation’s approach in microfinance are all great examples.
Susan's Book
Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives
Narrated by Susan Dell
In the spirit of her and her foundation’s wellness goals, Susan lent her voice to narrate a book, Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives. “It profiles 15 outstanding moms who are working to instill healthy habits in their kids,” she explains. “I've been a healthy living advocate all my life, but I quickly found I had a lot to learn from these amazing moms with simple, yet enormously impactful ideas about how to keep their kids healthy.” The book seeks to inspire families to live their best by showcasing the efforts of mothers across America, who, despite their circumstances, have instilled life-long, healthy habits in their kids or communities. “What they do possess is the creativity and determination to guide their children toward the healthiest lives possible.” As of this month, the foundation has already distributed nearly 750,000 free copies to families across the country.
Brian Prinzo Owner of Rockbody Boot Camp
Elevator mechanic by day, boot camp instructor by night, 31-year-old Brian Prinzo is not only defying heights on a daily basis, but perhaps his own expectations as the founder and owner of Rockbody Fitness in Austin. Now in six locations and growing, the buff, goateed Prinzo and his wife Courtney have exploded their business in less than a year, touting themselves as the most affordable boot camp around.
And it seems to be working. With more than 900 votes in all this year, Brian was the leader of our user-generated list by a healthy margin. A true hard body in his own right, Prinzo works out about 15 hours every week on his own, then gets in extra hours teaching boot camp.
“I strength train every other day for about 45 minutes and on my off-days, I do agility drills, sprints and run a couple miles,” he says.
He claims that the variety of his routine, goal-setting and a no-frills diet — consisting of 60 percent complex carbohydrates and 15 percent fat — are the keys to getting him through long days.
“I also enjoy working out with a partner to keep the motivation up and keep it challenging,” he says. “Running Rockbody, I constantly have to shock different muscle groups and keep the exercises fun and interesting for all fitness levels.”
Favorite “Cheat” Meal
Spicy Ranch chicken wings with sweet potato fries
Little Known Fact
Prinzo played semi-pro football for the Bastrop Bulldogs
Recovery Regimen
He drinks a protein shake (with at least 40 grams of protein) 30 minutes after every workout
KellyAnne Judd “Real World Sydney” and “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” Cast Member
Fearless, funny and now famous from her “MTV Real World Sydney” stint three years ago (followed by three “Real World/Road Rules Challenges” since), KellyAnne Judd, 24, happens to be one of our fittest people this year. If you’ve ever seen her on the reality TV challenges, then you know how fit and fierce she really is; in fact, due to her conditioning, she’s often the one the other female competitors want to send home first.
All of that comes from a pretty vigilant attention to regular exercise; as she explains it, “staying active is an almost every day thing.” When she’s training for an upcoming challenge or just hitting the gym hard, Judd puts in an average of about five days a week, mixing up her workouts with plenty of aerobics and a good dose of resistance work.
“I try to switch it up as much as possible,” she says. “I've been getting more into yoga because I just love what it does for my body and mind. Lifting heavy weights with small reps, light weights with lots of reps, climbing, doing push-ups, pull-ups, stairs, biking and crunches, crunches, crunches.”
Extremely interested in nutrition and natural medicine, Judd focuses heavily on her diet, too. Over the years, she’s learned to listen to her body and find balance with what she eats.
“I’m lactose- and gluten-intolerant, though I do cheat here and there,” she admits. “I eat a lot of fresh foods and fish, but completely avoid pork. I can do goat cheese, which I love, and almond milk is a wonderful substitute for me. I avoid soda, unnatural sugar as much as possible and rarely drink. But if I do, I'll take unmixed shots with a side of water and really enjoy the taste of Veev Organic Vodka.”
In many ways, taking care of herself and staying fit has always been part of Judd’s reality; not a challenge she has to prepare for.
“Working out and eating right just makes me feel great in general,” she says. “Austin is such a wonderful, outdoorsy city with so many things to chose from, plus the people are so health- conscious here, it’s really great to be around it all.”
Her Motivation
Judd loves to push herself and see how she can change her body. Plus, she really enjoys the social aspect of seeing regulars at the gym, supporting them and swapping advice
Her Workout Recovery
She’ll carry around individual packets of egg white protein or brown rice protein and mix it up with whatever liquid is around, preferably a juice
Current Fitness Goals
In the next month and a half, she’d like to double the amount of push-ups and pulls-ups she can do. She’d also like to train for another triathlon and beat her time from her first one
Ryan Haring Professional Motorcross Racer
Ryan Haring is just one of those people who makes fitness look easy. Laid-back, thoughtful and humbly competitive, you can tell he stays active because he truly enjoys it, not because he’s “trying” to stay in shape. And the truth is, it all comes pretty naturally.
“Staying motivated to work out has never really been hard for me,” he says. “Actually, thinking about being cooped up inside keeps me motivated. If my body could keep going 24/7 without crashing I would never stop!”
As the official winner of the first annual Austin Fit Magazine-sponsored Gladiator Games, 26-year-old Haring was an automatic entry into this year’s list. Finishing the frenetic obstacle course in just under 3 minutes, he squeeked by the competition by demonstrating his own brand of athleticism to become one of Austin’s 10 Fittest. Just a couple weeks earlier, he won the Austin ALA Stair Climb at Frost Bank and to top it all off, he was crowned the winner of the San Antonio ALA Stair Climb a week later.
“The three back-to-back wins were an awesome achievement for me,” he says.
To rub it in a little more, Haring happens to be a professional motorcross racer. Having raced since he was 12, he knows the importance of regular exercise since his physical fitness directly impacts his livelihood.
“When you’re always pushing your mind and body to its limits, it really makes other things in life seem like a walk in the park,” he says. “After a day with a really good hard workout, or finally accomplishing a goal I’ve had for awhile, it makes me feel like I can pretty much conquer anything that comes my way.”
Next Fitness Goal
Top 10 fittest people in Austin for 2011? He would also like to finish a full Ironman in the near future
Little Known Fact
Besides being a professional motorcross racer, Haring also owns his own pedi-cab company
Excersize Routine
If he’s not riding or running downtown, he likes to road bike, ride BMX, kayak, swim, go rock climbing on the greenbelt or attend a Camp Gladiator session
Lindsey Ginko LifeTime Fitness Instructor, Consultant for L'Bri Pure 'n Natural
Devoted mom, regular Ironman competitor and much-loved group fitness instructor for LifeTime Fitness in South Austin, Lindsey Ginko, 35, is the female version of our all-time “fittest” list leader and last year’s cover pick, David Garza. Or perhaps more accurately, David Garza is the male version of her.
In fact, Ginko and Garza are good buddies, training partners and colleagues at LifeTime. As it turns out, Garza was Ginko’s source of inspiration when deciding whether or not to put herself out there for this year’s contest.
“David actually convinced me to give it a shot,” she says. “After seeing him do it so successfully for so many years, I thought, ‘Why not me?’”
As our readers have so passionately pointed out, Ginko is more than deserving. Working out virtually every day, logging an amazing 25+ hours of exercise a week on her bike, the trail and in the gym, she’s either training hard for an upcoming race or kicking butt in any on of her group fitness classes.
“Since I’m a triathlete, I swim, bike and run a lot,” she explains. “A few times a week I put in ‘two-a-days,’ where I’ll do speed work on the track with my coach and then swim an hour in the evening. The next day I might teach a couple classes and then later head out on my bike for a long ride or go for a long run. I teach cycling, strength and core classes throughout the week so I try to get in at least one day of weight training and take a total conditioning or kickboxing class on the days I don't teach.”
How does Ginko get enough calories to fuel this non-stop workout schedule? Well, believe it or not, she’s a vegetarian and has been for more than 20 years.
“My diet consists mostly of fruits, veggies, whole grains, a lot of spinach, nuts and tofu,” she says. “During ‘race’ season I have to make sure I’m eating enough vegetables and protein because I have a tendency to live mostly on fruits and carbs. I avoid processed foods and carbonated drinks and never eat fast food. I know that the food choices I make will have a profound effect on how my body will perform and how healthy I can become.”
Memorable Fitness Achievements
She completed her first Ironman in Arizona in under 12 hours and earned a spot on Team USA for the 2009 Long Course Triathlon World Championships in Australia
Why She Stays Fit
Fitness makes her feel empowered. She says she feels more alive and free when she’s exercising and doing something good for her body
Upcoming Fitness Goals
To compete in Ironman Florida in November and finish in the top three of her age group (to qualify for the World Championships in Kona). Also, to run the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon in 2011 in 3:30 or less
Brad Womack Bar/Nightclub Owner, Consultant, Entrepreneur
Arguably one of the sweetest, most thoughtful and surprisingly humble guys you’ll meet, Brad Womack happens to have the fitness thing down, too. He’s the real genuine article, both in and out of the gym.
Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in Austin in better physical shape; or as motivated to pushing the limits of his fitness on a regular basis.
“I keep my regimen fun by constantly switching it up,” he says. “CoreFit with Ryan Nail has been great for me because no two days are alike. Even in the gym, as soon as I feel like I'm just ‘going through the motions,’ I change up my routine to make it fun and interesting, while still meeting my physical goals.”
Working out six days a week, 37-year-old Womack spends half his time doing sprint interval drills, plyometrics and core work (with CoreFit) and the other half weight training at Pure Austin downtown. To top it all off, you may catch him jogging around Lady Bird Lake, reveling in the splendor of what he calls our “incredible outdoor gym.”
“Being physically fit is the No. 1 component in my confidence level,” he says. “There have been times in my life where I haven't had the time to work out as much as I'd like and I don't feel anywhere near as confident as when I'm in the physical shape I want to be. I mean that on every level, too — whether it's with a girl I'm dating or even during some type of important business transaction — I feel much more confident when I'm fit. Anytime I face a challenge, it alleviates my stress and allows me to make better decisions by really thinking things through.”
Best known as “The Bachelor” from the ABC hit show of the same name, Womack is immensely bright, funny, charismatic and driven; in every way more multidimensional than the steamy, southern heartthrob portrayed on TV. Now owner/operator of four popular bar/nightclubs in town, his calm, composed demeanor and natural business instincts have helped him become one of Austin’s savviest entrepreneurs.
Whether it’s taking an idea and transforming it into a profitable enterprise, bringing a brand concept back to life or pushing through the pain of a grueling workout, Womack’s recipe for success is pretty much the same: set your goals and anything’s possible.
“I've actually centered my entire existence around setting goals,” he says. “No matter how big or small, I always feel incredible when I accomplish something I’ve set out for myself. Though it may seem easy to some AFM readers, my biggest fitness goal right now is to complete a half-marathon. Yet my biggest challenge is that I become dreadfully bored after running about eight miles or so. I guess that's just one of those ‘mental blocks’ I need to get past!”
Memorable Fitness Achievement
His very first “Dirty Duathlon” at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville. He says the physical part of the race was brutal, but the mental part was even tougher. This is where Womack learned to push past almost any mental block
Pre-Workout Meal
Six egg whites, peanut butter toast and a cup of berries
Favorite “Cheat” Meal
Hut’s Dag burger or a few slices of Frank and Angie’s pizza
Dr. Laurie Buob, MS, DC Sports Chiropractor and Fitness Instructor
The thrill of winning a local race or dropping those last few pounds are victories almost anyone can get behind. But when a nagging injury sidelines your training or your body starts to ache, it’s always refreshing when someone can empathize and relate to what you’re going through. This year, we have someone who embodies both sides of this fitness coin — Dr. Laurie Buob, chiropractor and founder of Austin Family and Sports Chiropractic in Westlake, as well as regular fitness instructor for Lifetime Fitness.
Addicted to the discipline and competition of athletics from an early age, Dr. Buob, now 43, decided to make regular fitness the sport she plays every day of her life. Alternating between running, biking, swimming and lifting weights, she’s become a regular on the triathlon scene and somewhat of a yoga nut, too.
“My greatest accomplishment is how I’ve been able to maintain my fitness since age 7 when I was playing baseball,” she says. “My first time ever at bat, the opposing coach pulled all his outfielders up because I was a girl, then I slammed the ball past all of them. My first home run made my mom and dad so proud. Since then, I’ve done so many things athletically, and all of them have made me extremely happy.”
As a sports chiropractor, Dr. Buob understands the setbacks that come with regular fitness since she sees and treats a variety of exercise-related injuries in her profession.
“Being an athlete helps me identify with common patient injuries, and the physical nature of my job keeps me pretty fit as well,” she says.
Her most common advice to patients is simple, straightforward and something she happens to follow in her own life: “Listen, listen and listen some more to your body. Hydrate, take vitamins, think positively and most importantly, rest.”
“I get a lot back from my patients in watching them get better from sports injuries and achieving their fitness goals,” she says. “The truth is, they fuel me to accomplish my own. I’ve always believed in this quote: ‘Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.’”
Next Fitness Goal
To do a half-Ironman and a century (100-mile) bike ride
Favorite “Cheat” Meal
Pizza made at home. She’ll go to Whole Foods, buy the dough and what she wants on her pizza — pepperoni and jalapeño-filled olives with goat cheese
Her Diet
Meats, fish, veggies, fruits and wine. She’ll eat out about once a week and avoids anything with gluten or dairy due to allergies
Brewster McCracken Executive Director of Pecan Street Project, Inc.
Considering Austin’s now famous moniker as a “fit” city, along with the indelible legacy of wellness initiatives left behind by former mayor and AFM cover pick Will Wynn, it was easy for us to envision someone like Brewster McCracken slipping into Austin’s mayoral shoes. McCracken seemed to have the perfect look, track record and vision for the part, plus we had the feeling he could (and would) make health and fitness an equal, if not larger, part of our civic discourse.
“I love the sense of community in Austin centered around exercise,” McCracken says. “When I was still on the city council, one year I served as the starter for the Trail of Lights 5K. The guy serving as Santa was supposed to sing the Star-Spangled Banner, but he was drunk, forgot his lines and sang completely out of tune, which was awesome. But even better was seeing hundreds of Austinites running through the mist on that cold December night. It was one of those moments when I realized what an incredible and unique place Austin is, and how central fitness is to our quality of life.”
As we suspected, McCracken’s strong sentiment about health and fitness is not just a talking point for the former city councilmember, but rather the way he lives his own life. Now 44 years old, he routinely wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to work out, splitting his time between runs on the Town Lake trail and weightlifting at the gym.
“The feeling I have all day when I work out motivates me to get out of bed that early,” he says. “It clears my mind and gives me energy all day. Also, the world is very serene at dawn. It’s a very different vibe from any other time of day.”
As executive director of Pecan Street Project, a green energy research and development organization headquartered at the University of Texas, McCracken now makes a living cleaning up the environment. Yet he’s just as invested in cleaning up his diet, with a nutritional philosophy that follows two simple rules: “go easy on the meat and limit the alcohol” as much as possible.
“I don’t eat a lot of meat,” he says. “I learned a valuable lesson from Paul Carrozza about the difference between a meal and a feast. Traditionally, people had a regular dietary staple that was healthy and modest – essentially a ‘meal.’ Then, on special occasions, they would celebrate with indulgent feasts. In our culture of relative wealth, we’ve blurred the lines and regularly eat feasts. Since Paul explained that to me, I’ve been eating peanut butter and fruit spread sandwiches, along with a cup of yogurt three to four times a week.”
Sanieh Professional Yoga Teacher
Probably one of the most overlooked aspects of fitness — flexibility — is something local yogi Sanieh Patricia has definitely mastered. Contorting her body into any number of mind-bending positions is just another day at the office for this 33-year-old fitness phenom. If you don’t believe us, take another look at the above photos.
But what’s equally impressive about Sanieh (the singular name she’s now best known by) is her mental fitness — namely, the raw, all-encompassing, metaphorical approach she applies to her own health. As she explains it, her physical abilities are just an experiential vehicle to self-improvement; a way to find balance and understanding within herself, in order to make life’s challenges more navigable. By constantly pushing and pulling her mind and body to new places, she’s able to create a reality that reinforces her to keep it up.
“The desire to feel strong, fluid and flexible in my body is really a reflection of my desire to be agile, balanced and graceful in life,” she explains. “With yoga it's so very little about the postures themselves; it's really about our relationship to them. How we define ourselves by, attach ourselves to or deny ourselves of them. When I take care of my entire body, I feel much more powerful in life, which in turn contributes to a peaceful, centered feeling. In other words, “how you do anything is how you do everything.’”
Bubbly, thoughtful, charismatic and bright, it’s no surprise Sanieh has become one of Austin’s most popular yoga instructors. Yet she’s also proven to be one of our fittest people, enduring an exercise regimen that’s as tough, as it is varied. Using yoga as her foundation, Sanieh runs, swims, bikes, surfs, does martial arts and plyometrics, as well as interval training and CrossFit. Plus, she’s typically training for an upcoming race, which at the moment happens to be an Olympic-distance triathlon.
“The fact that I've involved myself in so many different disciplines helps to keep things fresh and certainly keeps my body and mind stimulated,” she says. “My heavier training days fall on my lighter teaching days which allows for the added fun of getting to do multiple activities in the same day.”
A positive attitude and sense of balance are clearly her most reliable guides, whether she’s dealing with business, navigating relationships or taking care of herself.
“Time and again, I've learned that the body just follows the mind,” she explains. “Through a lot of discipline and ongoing practice, my self-talk has changed for the better and I've been brought into clarity as a result. My fitness is about dissolving the preconceived limitations of what I've told myself (or been told) I can do within my life.”
View of a Healthy and Fit Lifestyle
She believes anything can be made to be "bad" or unhealthy without proper understanding, communication and balance. To her, a sound, mental approach has everything to do with what makes a "lifestyle"
Goal-Setting
Sanieh creates vision boards and full spectrum life goals, updates them regularly and shares her aspirations out loud
Jessica Ortiz-Price Owner of AustinDEEP
Tough bodywork is what Jessica Ortiz-Price, owner of AustinDEEP Tissue Therapy Center, is best known for. Her expert massage techniques and personal mantra – “hurts so good” — have made her (and her massage business) among the most sought-after in town. It seems the art of reducing pain through power has not only played a role in Price’s profession, but throughout her entire life.
“I had a pretty crazy childhood,” she says. “When I was 12 years old growing up in Port Isabel, there were a lot of unhealthy people around me. My saving grace was my cousin Sari, who was a health nut. She taught me to eat turkey sandwiches instead of tortillas and to exercise regularly. From then on I could always find peace in my workouts.”
And found peace she has. Working out almost religiously these days, Price’s triathlon training requires six days of exercise every week, including three sessions each of swimming, biking and running. With all this in her schedule, she also finds time to lift weights at Pure Austin. And it’s not uncommon to catch Price, 33, chatting on her phone in the middle of a long run.
“I’m currently training for my first half-Ironman, which requires that I work out a lot,” she says. “Besides all the running, biking and swimming, I love to bust out pull-ups at the gym — it’s the one exercise that makes me feel super tough. For me, there are only two things that matter when it comes to my fitness — commitment and passion. ‘Try’ is just an excuse.”
With health and fitness, Ortiz-Price has clearly found an obsession — something that intrigues her every day and makes her want to push harder, farther and of course, deeper.
“What motivates me is that I’m passionate about being active,” she says. “At AustinDEEP I get to chat with a lot of clients about working out. If I can get someone excited enough to exercise or eat healthier, then I feel I’ve made a difference.”
Most Memorable Fitness Achievements
- Breaking a 20-minute 5K when running with the Gazelles
- Completing the 3M half-marathon in 1:30
- Placing second in her age group in the Go for the Gold 10K
Favorite “Cheat” Meal
Chips and salsa, anything chocolate
Workout Tunes
Shakira, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg and everything by Beyonce
Special thanks to Tom and Pam Bernhardt and Spring Condominiums for photo shoot locations
Make-up by Melinda Quiroz, E&G Beauty
Susan Dell: Leader of the Pack
Since her husband’s meteoric rise in the technology industry starting in the 1990s, Susan Dell has become one of the most accomplished activists and philanthropists in the world. Co-founding and running the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation since 1999, she’s proven to be an inspired leader who demands results, while bringing focus, passion and an unyielding sense of purpose to a variety of issues facing children. Whether it’s adolescent obesity, prenatal healthcare or urban childhood poverty, her personal mantra of “go forward, never give up, never quit, anything is possible,” lives through the amazing work of her and her husband’s global non-profit.
But behind this public persona is a fascinating personality few people get to see. For starters, Susan Dell is a charismatic and captivating force of nature; a gracious, funny, razor sharp ball of energy with a very unique point of view. When you first meet her, you’re struck by her almost playful intensity; she has a way of drawing you in and making you feel extremely comfortable, knowing full well she has the upper hand. And as you get to know her, you realize that beneath this disarmingly down-to-earth charm is a fierce competitor, someone who knows what she wants and just how to get it. This is perhaps most apparent when it comes to anything fitness-related.
It may come as a surprise (as it did for us) that Susan Dell is exceptionally fit. Not just “run-of- the-mill fit; more like “elite athlete” fit. In all the years we’ve been covering health and fitness in Austin, we’ve rarely seen anything like her. The 46-year-old, mother of four, is not just one of the fittest people on our list this year, she’s among the fittest women we’ve ever featured, period. In fact, she may be one of the fittest people we’ve ever met. Yes, we repeat: she’s that fit.
When you consider how passionate and dedicated she is to regular exercise, it’s not all that surprising. Whether she’s logging 50+ miles on her bike (which happens several times a week), frequenting the yoga studio just as often or pounding the Stairmaster in between, Susan brings an intensity to her workouts that matches virtually everything else in her life.
“I workout seven days a week,” she says. “I do a variety of sports throughout the week like biking, running, swimming, yoga, hiking, power walking, the Stairmaster, along with conditioning and core strength routines. I also do abdominal work daily.”
As one of her assistants recently described her, “Susan is crazy fit. Not just the fittest in Austin, but probably the country. For years, I’ve been with her while she’s been training, racing, you name it. And I’d be hard-pressed to name anyone that’s in the same league.”
Her résumé of fitness accomplishments is certainly a testament to this: by her mid-40s she’d already completed an Ironman, run several marathons and even set three cycling course records at Kaloko and Mauna Kea in Hawaii. For fun, she rode her bike more than 50 miles and 10,000 feet up to the top of Haleakala crater on the island of Maui. While most people were cruising their way down the mountain, taking in the scenery at a leisurely pace, Susan was grinding her way up.
“I can definitely climb, that’s probably my strong suit,” she admits. “Whenever I race, I’m pretty much in the middle of the pack on the descents and straightaways, but I make up all my time on the climbs. I just love to climb.”
And climb she has. Since childhood, her father instilled in her a strong sense of fitness, one that has evolved into a way of life for herself, her husband and four kids.
“Exercise has been a part of my life since I was a little girl,” she says. “My earliest memories of having fun while exercising were my dad taking my brothers and I with him to the nearby high school track. My hope now is that our four children will always love being active. Michael and I both make fitness a top priority and our kids are paying attention, so I’m thrilled.”
In fact, Susan readily acknowledges that her love for fitness extends far beyond mere recreation. In many ways, she’s dependent on it to keep up with the demands of an almost non-stop schedule.
“It’s my sanity,” she says. “I think much more clearly 30 minutes into my workout, plus exercise energizes and calms me at the same time. After my workouts, I feel strong and ready for whatever challenges life throws my way. My training time is definitely my highest-quality thinking and creative time – it’s actually where a lot of my ideas for the foundation come from.”
This relentless passion for fitness in her own life has translated into a windfall of charitable work for a variety of childhood health programs in Austin, New York City, Chicago and other parts of the world such as India and Africa. To date, the foundation has provided more than $65 million in grants to The Michael and Susan Dell Center for Advancement of Healthy Living, The Dell Pediatric Research Institute and Dell Children’s Medical Center, all world-class facilities aimed at advancing global medical and behavioral research in childhood obesity and disease. These grants make up approximately one-tenth of the more than $650 million donated by the Dells since the foundation’s inception.
“We’ve focused on education and health, because when you consider what kids need to break the cycle of poverty, good health and a quality education are the two most basic building blocks,” she says. “Education can empower children to pull themselves out of poverty, and good health is important for a happy, active life. The fact is, if childhood obesity continues to increase, many believe our current generation of young people will become the first in American history to live shorter lives than their parents.”
Both personally and professionally, Susan is doing everything she can to move the statistics in the other direction. As one of Austin’s fittest people, she’s no doubt become a model for leading a healthier and fitter lifestyle. As a tireless ambassador for children’s health issues, she understands the keys to success: starting simple and taking it one step at a time.
“It’s important for families to understand that small, easy steps can significantly increase our children’s prospects for longer, healthier lives,” she says. “My personal philosophy is ‘Fuel for Performance and Train for Life.’ When children’s bodies are fueled with healthy options – plenty of water, proper portion sizes, small and balanced meals throughout the day, and all the green vegetables they want – they perform better, whether it’s taking a test, playing music, painting a picture or participating in a sporting event. Plus, they need to get moving and stay active for at least 60 minutes a day – riding a bike, dancing, swimming or walking to a friend’s house. Literally taking these small steps and fitting physical activity in every day are the things that will make the difference.”time — it’s actually where a lot of my ideas for the foundation come from.”
Q&A: Personal Fitness
What are your most impressive/memorable fitness achievements to date? Competing in the Ironman World Championships had been a dream of mine since college, so that is my most memorable achievement. It was a huge challenge! My family and close friends came to Kona, Hawaii to cheer me on, which made this race even more special for me. Cycling races up Kaloko and Mauna Kea in Hawaii have also become very exciting for me, because for a few years now, I’ve held the women’s record on each of these race courses as well as the sprint race course up Kaloko. I’m very proud to have these records, because they’re very difficult climbs with many of the hills reaching higher than 20 percent grades.
Day in and day out, how do you stay motivated? I love to feel my body working and I get excited about setting and reaching goals, so I never lose my motivation. I also admire incredible athletes that I’m fortunate enough to know. As they achieve new levels of greatness in their sports, I’m motivated to get stronger, faster, better in every way I can.
What is your diet like? I eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. Occasionally, I like to have brown rice. Fish, eggs, natural peanut butter and protein drinks are my main sources of protein. I also eat non-fat and low-fat dairy products like Greek yogurt, soy cheese and my favorite food of all time…frozen yogurt! I drink water all day long and also like to have herbal and green tea. I don’t drink any alcohol or caffeinated beverages.
To you, how important is goal setting? What are your current fitness goals? I think setting goals is very important. It gives you purpose and focus. I always have a few goals in front of me at any given time: some athletic, some personal and some business. As for my fitness goals, I always keep these a secret, sharing them only with my husband and kids. Once I tell them what I plan to do, then I know I have to make it happen and they’ve come to expect that I will. I can tell you that there are three big athletic goals I plan to achieve in the next 12 months. After I meet my goals, I’ll tell you all about it!
What are your favorite things about living in Austin, in general and as it relates to health and fitness? I love how many great places Austin has to be physically active. We have trails to hike and bike on, we have lakes where we can ski, kayak and swim, and we have so many great areas to play like Town Lake, the Barton Creek Greenbelt and other awesome spots. I also love all the wonderful outdoor events here, like concerts, great family events, a variety of races and other fun activities. I could easily do a commercial for Austin, because I love our town so much!
Q&A: Family
What kinds of health and fitness habits do you hope to impart to your kids? My hope is that our four children will always love being active. They’re very active now and Michael and I have been so happy to see them find their passions and work towards their own goals. As parents, it’s our job to set a great example for our children and show them how to lead healthy and active lifestyles.
How often do you work out as a family? What kinds of things do you do? We all do a variety of sports, so several of us will exercise together at least a few times a week. Since we don’t all do the same thing, however, we often pair off or work out in smaller groups. Our daughters Kira and Juliette compete at a national level on Arabian horses, earning numerous championship titles. Our daughter Alexa is now a triathlete and I love having her as a training partner. Michael is a very strong cyclist and we ride together all the time. Our son Zachary is great at so many sports and very competitive. Zachary and Michael often play racquetball and bike together. Zachary and I have fun running on the trails and going bowling, too. The six of us have done fun events in town like the Keep Austin Weird Festival and other local 5K and 10K races as well.
Who is the fittest person in your family and why? Well, I’m probably the fittest member of the family, but everyone in our family is very fit. Being physically fit has been a huge part of my life for more than 30 years, so this probably explains why.
Q&A: Foundation
Which programs at the foundation have been most successful and why? We have a constant focus on measuring the impact of our efforts. As a result, we aim to fund programs with a solid evidence-base of success. There are too many to name, but I will give you a local example. More than 140,000 kids in Texas participate in Marathon Kids — a free running, walking, nutrition and schoolyard gardening program for kindergarten through 5th graders that can easily be integrated into a school day. A recent study shows participation in Marathon Kids makes children more physically active and they eat healthier. This is the kind of program we look for because it’s transforming children. Another example is Dell Scholars, a scholarship program for low-income and financially-underserved students. The national average persistence rate for students within this socioeconomic profile is 23 percent, however we’ve been able to drive it to more than 90 percent with Dell Scholars. We’re very proud that our kids are beating the odds and closing the achievement gap.
How do you and the foundation plan to help curb the growing childhood obesity epidemic? Our funding is aligned with priorities outlined by First Lady Michelle Obama and the comprehensive “Let’s Move” Initiative launched a few months ago. We fund programs that provide opportunities to increase physical activity, such as the Recess Pilot in Travis County Elementary Schools which employs inexpensive or free strategies to keep kids more physically active during recess time. We also focus our funding at getting healthier foods in schools. Children consume as many as half of their daily calories while in school, which puts educational institutions on the nutritional frontline in this country. Not only have the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables increased 50 percent compared to overall food costs in the past two decades, but the lack of access is one reason why many children are not eating recommended levels of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. We support school-based programs that take a holistic approach, like the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy School Program in Florida and Washington, DC and the Coordinated Approach To Childhood Health (otherwise known as CATCH) in Texas.
What role do you think nutrition/food supply plays in the obesity epidemic? There are so many issues at play in the obesity epidemic, and the road to change is not as easy as just the balance between physical activity and healthy eating. We now understand that obesity prevention is not just about personal responsibility. For example, one of our most successful grantees (The Food Trust in Philadelphia) was able to reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity by 50 percent using a school-based policy initiative, but then realized that if children stepped into a school environment which made healthier choices impossible to practically enact, the other 50 percent would never be affected. It’s clearly the combination of personal behavior in an enabling environment that can result in sustained and broad-based change. And the food supply issue plays a part in that, too. That’s why it’s so important for change to occur from my house, your house and your neighbor’s house, all the way to the White House.
Whose philanthropic work do you most admire? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is not only a philanthropic mentor to us, but to anyone in the philanthropic world because of the breadth and depth of its giving. We’ve had multiple opportunities to work together on grants, particularly in the area of education. That experience has been very valuable. Others are doing great work, too. The Broad Foundation’s approach in public education, the work the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is doing on childhood obesity and the Grameen Foundation’s approach in microfinance are all great examples.
Susan's Book
Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives
Narrated by Susan Dell
In the spirit of her and her foundation’s wellness goals, Susan lent her voice to narrate a book, Be Well: Messages from Moms on Living Healthier Lives. “It profiles 15 outstanding moms who are working to instill healthy habits in their kids,” she explains. “I've been a healthy living advocate all my life, but I quickly found I had a lot to learn from these amazing moms with simple, yet enormously impactful ideas about how to keep their kids healthy.” The book seeks to inspire families to live their best by showcasing the efforts of mothers across America, who, despite their circumstances, have instilled life-long, healthy habits in their kids or communities. “What they do possess is the creativity and determination to guide their children toward the healthiest lives possible.” As of this month, the foundation has already distributed nearly 750,000 free copies to families across the country.
Brian Prinzo Owner of Rockbody Boot Camp
Elevator mechanic by day, boot camp instructor by night, 31-year-old Brian Prinzo is not only defying heights on a daily basis, but perhaps his own expectations as the founder and owner of Rockbody Fitness in Austin. Now in six locations and growing, the buff, goateed Prinzo and his wife Courtney have exploded their business in less than a year, touting themselves as the most affordable boot camp around.
And it seems to be working. With more than 900 votes in all this year, Brian was the leader of our user-generated list by a healthy margin. A true hard body in his own right, Prinzo works out about 15 hours every week on his own, then gets in extra hours teaching boot camp.
“I strength train every other day for about 45 minutes and on my off-days, I do agility drills, sprints and run a couple miles,” he says.
He claims that the variety of his routine, goal-setting and a no-frills diet — consisting of 60 percent complex carbohydrates and 15 percent fat — are the keys to getting him through long days.
“I also enjoy working out with a partner to keep the motivation up and keep it challenging,” he says. “Running Rockbody, I constantly have to shock different muscle groups and keep the exercises fun and interesting for all fitness levels.”
Favorite “Cheat” Meal
Spicy Ranch chicken wings with sweet potato fries
Little Known Fact
Prinzo played semi-pro football for the Bastrop Bulldogs
Recovery Regimen
He drinks a protein shake (with at least 40 grams of protein) 30 minutes after every workout
KellyAnne Judd “Real World Sydney” and “Real World/Road Rules Challenge” Cast Member
Fearless, funny and now famous from her “MTV Real World Sydney” stint three years ago (followed by three “Real World/Road Rules Challenges” since), KellyAnne Judd, 24, happens to be one of our fittest people this year. If you’ve ever seen her on the reality TV challenges, then you know how fit and fierce she really is; in fact, due to her conditioning, she’s often the one the other female competitors want to send home first.
All of that comes from a pretty vigilant attention to regular exercise; as she explains it, “staying active is an almost every day thing.” When she’s training for an upcoming challenge or just hitting the gym hard, Judd puts in an average of about five days a week, mixing up her workouts with plenty of aerobics and a good dose of resistance work.
“I try to switch it up as much as possible,” she says. “I've been getting more into yoga because I just love what it does for my body and mind. Lifting heavy weights with small reps, light weights with lots of reps, climbing, doing push-ups, pull-ups, stairs, biking and crunches, crunches, crunches.”
Extremely interested in nutrition and natural medicine, Judd focuses heavily on her diet, too. Over the years, she’s learned to listen to her body and find balance with what she eats.
“I’m lactose- and gluten-intolerant, though I do cheat here and there,” she admits. “I eat a lot of fresh foods and fish, but completely avoid pork. I can do goat cheese, which I love, and almond milk is a wonderful substitute for me. I avoid soda, unnatural sugar as much as possible and rarely drink. But if I do, I'll take unmixed shots with a side of water and really enjoy the taste of Veev Organic Vodka.”
In many ways, taking care of herself and staying fit has always been part of Judd’s reality; not a challenge she has to prepare for.
“Working out and eating right just makes me feel great in general,” she says. “Austin is such a wonderful, outdoorsy city with so many things to chose from, plus the people are so health- conscious here, it’s really great to be around it all.”
Her Motivation
Judd loves to push herself and see how she can change her body. Plus, she really enjoys the social aspect of seeing regulars at the gym, supporting them and swapping advice
Her Workout Recovery
She’ll carry around individual packets of egg white protein or brown rice protein and mix it up with whatever liquid is around, preferably a juice
Current Fitness Goals
In the next month and a half, she’d like to double the amount of push-ups and pulls-ups she can do. She’d also like to train for another triathlon and beat her time from her first one
Ryan Haring Professional Motorcross Racer
Ryan Haring is just one of those people who makes fitness look easy. Laid-back, thoughtful and humbly competitive, you can tell he stays active because he truly enjoys it, not because he’s “trying” to stay in shape. And the truth is, it all comes pretty naturally.
“Staying motivated to work out has never really been hard for me,” he says. “Actually, thinking about being cooped up inside keeps me motivated. If my body could keep going 24/7 without crashing I would never stop!”
As the official winner of the first annual Austin Fit Magazine-sponsored Gladiator Games, 26-year-old Haring was an automatic entry into this year’s list. Finishing the frenetic obstacle course in just under 3 minutes, he squeeked by the competition by demonstrating his own brand of athleticism to become one of Austin’s 10 Fittest. Just a couple weeks earlier, he won the Austin ALA Stair Climb at Frost Bank and to top it all off, he was crowned the winner of the San Antonio ALA Stair Climb a week later.
“The three back-to-back wins were an awesome achievement for me,” he says.
To rub it in a little more, Haring happens to be a professional motorcross racer. Having raced since he was 12, he knows the importance of regular exercise since his physical fitness directly impacts his livelihood.
“When you’re always pushing your mind and body to its limits, it really makes other things in life seem like a walk in the park,” he says. “After a day with a really good hard workout, or finally accomplishing a goal I’ve had for awhile, it makes me feel like I can pretty much conquer anything that comes my way.”
Next Fitness Goal
Top 10 fittest people in Austin for 2011? He would also like to finish a full Ironman in the near future
Little Known Fact
Besides being a professional motorcross racer, Haring also owns his own pedi-cab company
Excersize Routine
If he’s not riding or running downtown, he likes to road bike, ride BMX, kayak, swim, go rock climbing on the greenbelt or attend a Camp Gladiator session
Lindsey Ginko LifeTime Fitness Instructor, Consultant for L'Bri Pure 'n Natural
Devoted mom, regular Ironman competitor and much-loved group fitness instructor for LifeTime Fitness in South Austin, Lindsey Ginko, 35, is the female version of our all-time “fittest” list leader and last year’s cover pick, David Garza. Or perhaps more accurately, David Garza is the male version of her.
In fact, Ginko and Garza are good buddies, training partners and colleagues at LifeTime. As it turns out, Garza was Ginko’s source of inspiration when deciding whether or not to put herself out there for this year’s contest.
“David actually convinced me to give it a shot,” she says. “After seeing him do it so successfully for so many years, I thought, ‘Why not me?’”
As our readers have so passionately pointed out, Ginko is more than deserving. Working out virtually every day, logging an amazing 25+ hours of exercise a week on her bike, the trail and in the gym, she’s either training hard for an upcoming race or kicking butt in any on of her group fitness classes.
“Since I’m a triathlete, I swim, bike and run a lot,” she explains. “A few times a week I put in ‘two-a-days,’ where I’ll do speed work on the track with my coach and then swim an hour in the evening. The next day I might teach a couple classes and then later head out on my bike for a long ride or go for a long run. I teach cycling, strength and core classes throughout the week so I try to get in at least one day of weight training and take a total conditioning or kickboxing class on the days I don't teach.”
How does Ginko get enough calories to fuel this non-stop workout schedule? Well, believe it or not, she’s a vegetarian and has been for more than 20 years.
“My diet consists mostly of fruits, veggies, whole grains, a lot of spinach, nuts and tofu,” she says. “During ‘race’ season I have to make sure I’m eating enough vegetables and protein because I have a tendency to live mostly on fruits and carbs. I avoid processed foods and carbonated drinks and never eat fast food. I know that the food choices I make will have a profound effect on how my body will perform and how healthy I can become.”
Memorable Fitness Achievements
She completed her first Ironman in Arizona in under 12 hours and earned a spot on Team USA for the 2009 Long Course Triathlon World Championships in Australia
Why She Stays Fit
Fitness makes her feel empowered. She says she feels more alive and free when she’s exercising and doing something good for her body
Upcoming Fitness Goals
To compete in Ironman Florida in November and finish in the top three of her age group (to qualify for the World Championships in Kona). Also, to run the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon in 2011 in 3:30 or less
Brad Womack Bar/Nightclub Owner, Consultant, Entrepreneur
Arguably one of the sweetest, most thoughtful and surprisingly humble guys you’ll meet, Brad Womack happens to have the fitness thing down, too. He’s the real genuine article, both in and out of the gym.
Honestly, you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone in Austin in better physical shape; or as motivated to pushing the limits of his fitness on a regular basis.
“I keep my regimen fun by constantly switching it up,” he says. “CoreFit with Ryan Nail has been great for me because no two days are alike. Even in the gym, as soon as I feel like I'm just ‘going through the motions,’ I change up my routine to make it fun and interesting, while still meeting my physical goals.”
Working out six days a week, 37-year-old Womack spends half his time doing sprint interval drills, plyometrics and core work (with CoreFit) and the other half weight training at Pure Austin downtown. To top it all off, you may catch him jogging around Lady Bird Lake, reveling in the splendor of what he calls our “incredible outdoor gym.”
“Being physically fit is the No. 1 component in my confidence level,” he says. “There have been times in my life where I haven't had the time to work out as much as I'd like and I don't feel anywhere near as confident as when I'm in the physical shape I want to be. I mean that on every level, too — whether it's with a girl I'm dating or even during some type of important business transaction — I feel much more confident when I'm fit. Anytime I face a challenge, it alleviates my stress and allows me to make better decisions by really thinking things through.”
Best known as “The Bachelor” from the ABC hit show of the same name, Womack is immensely bright, funny, charismatic and driven; in every way more multidimensional than the steamy, southern heartthrob portrayed on TV. Now owner/operator of four popular bar/nightclubs in town, his calm, composed demeanor and natural business instincts have helped him become one of Austin’s savviest entrepreneurs.
Whether it’s taking an idea and transforming it into a profitable enterprise, bringing a brand concept back to life or pushing through the pain of a grueling workout, Womack’s recipe for success is pretty much the same: set your goals and anything’s possible.
“I've actually centered my entire existence around setting goals,” he says. “No matter how big or small, I always feel incredible when I accomplish something I’ve set out for myself. Though it may seem easy to some AFM readers, my biggest fitness goal right now is to complete a half-marathon. Yet my biggest challenge is that I become dreadfully bored after running about eight miles or so. I guess that's just one of those ‘mental blocks’ I need to get past!”
Memorable Fitness Achievement
His very first “Dirty Duathlon” at Rocky Hill Ranch in Smithville. He says the physical part of the race was brutal, but the mental part was even tougher. This is where Womack learned to push past almost any mental block
Pre-Workout Meal
Six egg whites, peanut butter toast and a cup of berries
Favorite “Cheat” Meal
Hut’s Dag burger or a few slices of Frank and Angie’s pizza
Dr. Laurie Buob, MS, DC Sports Chiropractor and Fitness Instructor
The thrill of winning a local race or dropping those last few pounds are victories almost anyone can get behind. But when a nagging injury sidelines your training or your body starts to ache, it’s always refreshing when someone can empathize and relate to what you’re going through. This year, we have someone who embodies both sides of this fitness coin — Dr. Laurie Buob, chiropractor and founder of Austin Family and Sports Chiropractic in Westlake, as well as regular fitness instructor for Lifetime Fitness.
Addicted to the discipline and competition of athletics from an early age, Dr. Buob, now 43, decided to make regular fitness the sport she plays every day of her life. Alternating between running, biking, swimming and lifting weights, she’s become a regular on the triathlon scene and somewhat of a yoga nut, too.
“My greatest accomplishment is how I’ve been able to maintain my fitness since age 7 when I was playing baseball,” she says. “My first time ever at bat, the opposing coach pulled all his outfielders up because I was a girl, then I slammed the ball past all of them. My first home run made my mom and dad so proud. Since then, I’ve done so many things athletically, and all of them have made me extremely happy.”
As a sports chiropractor, Dr. Buob understands the setbacks that come with regular fitness since she sees and treats a variety of exercise-related injuries in her profession.
“Being an athlete helps me identify with common patient injuries, and the physical nature of my job keeps me pretty fit as well,” she says.
Her most common advice to patients is simple, straightforward and something she happens to follow in her own life: “Listen, listen and listen some more to your body. Hydrate, take vitamins, think positively and most importantly, rest.”
“I get a lot back from my patients in watching them get better from sports injuries and achieving their fitness goals,” she says. “The truth is, they fuel me to accomplish my own. I’ve always believed in this quote: ‘Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.’”
Next Fitness Goal
To do a half-Ironman and a century (100-mile) bike ride
Favorite “Cheat” Meal
Pizza made at home. She’ll go to Whole Foods, buy the dough and what she wants on her pizza — pepperoni and jalapeño-filled olives with goat cheese
Her Diet
Meats, fish, veggies, fruits and wine. She’ll eat out about once a week and avoids anything with gluten or dairy due to allergies
Brewster McCracken Executive Director of Pecan Street Project, Inc.
Considering Austin’s now famous moniker as a “fit” city, along with the indelible legacy of wellness initiatives left behind by former mayor and AFM cover pick Will Wynn, it was easy for us to envision someone like Brewster McCracken slipping into Austin’s mayoral shoes. McCracken seemed to have the perfect look, track record and vision for the part, plus we had the feeling he could (and would) make health and fitness an equal, if not larger, part of our civic discourse.
“I love the sense of community in Austin centered around exercise,” McCracken says. “When I was still on the city council, one year I served as the starter for the Trail of Lights 5K. The guy serving as Santa was supposed to sing the Star-Spangled Banner, but he was drunk, forgot his lines and sang completely out of tune, which was awesome. But even better was seeing hundreds of Austinites running through the mist on that cold December night. It was one of those moments when I realized what an incredible and unique place Austin is, and how central fitness is to our quality of life.”
As we suspected, McCracken’s strong sentiment about health and fitness is not just a talking point for the former city councilmember, but rather the way he lives his own life. Now 44 years old, he routinely wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to work out, splitting his time between runs on the Town Lake trail and weightlifting at the gym.
“The feeling I have all day when I work out motivates me to get out of bed that early,” he says. “It clears my mind and gives me energy all day. Also, the world is very serene at dawn. It’s a very different vibe from any other time of day.”
As executive director of Pecan Street Project, a green energy research and development organization headquartered at the University of Texas, McCracken now makes a living cleaning up the environment. Yet he’s just as invested in cleaning up his diet, with a nutritional philosophy that follows two simple rules: “go easy on the meat and limit the alcohol” as much as possible.
“I don’t eat a lot of meat,” he says. “I learned a valuable lesson from Paul Carrozza about the difference between a meal and a feast. Traditionally, people had a regular dietary staple that was healthy and modest – essentially a ‘meal.’ Then, on special occasions, they would celebrate with indulgent feasts. In our culture of relative wealth, we’ve blurred the lines and regularly eat feasts. Since Paul explained that to me, I’ve been eating peanut butter and fruit spread sandwiches, along with a cup of yogurt three to four times a week.”
Sanieh Professional Yoga Teacher
Probably one of the most overlooked aspects of fitness — flexibility — is something local yogi Sanieh Patricia has definitely mastered. Contorting her body into any number of mind-bending positions is just another day at the office for this 33-year-old fitness phenom. If you don’t believe us, take another look at the above photos.
But what’s equally impressive about Sanieh (the singular name she’s now best known by) is her mental fitness — namely, the raw, all-encompassing, metaphorical approach she applies to her own health. As she explains it, her physical abilities are just an experiential vehicle to self-improvement; a way to find balance and understanding within herself, in order to make life’s challenges more navigable. By constantly pushing and pulling her mind and body to new places, she’s able to create a reality that reinforces her to keep it up.
“The desire to feel strong, fluid and flexible in my body is really a reflection of my desire to be agile, balanced and graceful in life,” she explains. “With yoga it's so very little about the postures themselves; it's really about our relationship to them. How we define ourselves by, attach ourselves to or deny ourselves of them. When I take care of my entire body, I feel much more powerful in life, which in turn contributes to a peaceful, centered feeling. In other words, “how you do anything is how you do everything.’”
Bubbly, thoughtful, charismatic and bright, it’s no surprise Sanieh has become one of Austin’s most popular yoga instructors. Yet she’s also proven to be one of our fittest people, enduring an exercise regimen that’s as tough, as it is varied. Using yoga as her foundation, Sanieh runs, swims, bikes, surfs, does martial arts and plyometrics, as well as interval training and CrossFit. Plus, she’s typically training for an upcoming race, which at the moment happens to be an Olympic-distance triathlon.
“The fact that I've involved myself in so many different disciplines helps to keep things fresh and certainly keeps my body and mind stimulated,” she says. “My heavier training days fall on my lighter teaching days which allows for the added fun of getting to do multiple activities in the same day.”
A positive attitude and sense of balance are clearly her most reliable guides, whether she’s dealing with business, navigating relationships or taking care of herself.
“Time and again, I've learned that the body just follows the mind,” she explains. “Through a lot of discipline and ongoing practice, my self-talk has changed for the better and I've been brought into clarity as a result. My fitness is about dissolving the preconceived limitations of what I've told myself (or been told) I can do within my life.”
View of a Healthy and Fit Lifestyle
She believes anything can be made to be "bad" or unhealthy without proper understanding, communication and balance. To her, a sound, mental approach has everything to do with what makes a "lifestyle"
Goal-Setting
Sanieh creates vision boards and full spectrum life goals, updates them regularly and shares her aspirations out loud
Jessica Ortiz-Price Owner of AustinDEEP
Tough bodywork is what Jessica Ortiz-Price, owner of AustinDEEP Tissue Therapy Center, is best known for. Her expert massage techniques and personal mantra – “hurts so good” — have made her (and her massage business) among the most sought-after in town. It seems the art of reducing pain through power has not only played a role in Price’s profession, but throughout her entire life.
“I had a pretty crazy childhood,” she says. “When I was 12 years old growing up in Port Isabel, there were a lot of unhealthy people around me. My saving grace was my cousin Sari, who was a health nut. She taught me to eat turkey sandwiches instead of tortillas and to exercise regularly. From then on I could always find peace in my workouts.”
And found peace she has. Working out almost religiously these days, Price’s triathlon training requires six days of exercise every week, including three sessions each of swimming, biking and running. With all this in her schedule, she also finds time to lift weights at Pure Austin. And it’s not uncommon to catch Price, 33, chatting on her phone in the middle of a long run.
“I’m currently training for my first half-Ironman, which requires that I work out a lot,” she says. “Besides all the running, biking and swimming, I love to bust out pull-ups at the gym — it’s the one exercise that makes me feel super tough. For me, there are only two things that matter when it comes to my fitness — commitment and passion. ‘Try’ is just an excuse.”
With health and fitness, Ortiz-Price has clearly found an obsession — something that intrigues her every day and makes her want to push harder, farther and of course, deeper.
“What motivates me is that I’m passionate about being active,” she says. “At AustinDEEP I get to chat with a lot of clients about working out. If I can get someone excited enough to exercise or eat healthier, then I feel I’ve made a difference.”
Most Memorable Fitness Achievements
- Breaking a 20-minute 5K when running with the Gazelles
- Completing the 3M half-marathon in 1:30
- Placing second in her age group in the Go for the Gold 10K
Favorite “Cheat” Meal
Chips and salsa, anything chocolate
Workout Tunes
Shakira, Jay Z, Snoop Dogg and everything by Beyonce
Special thanks to Tom and Pam Bernhardt and Spring Condominiums for photo shoot locations
Make-up by Melinda Quiroz, E&G Beauty
Fairway to Fitness, June 2009 Issue
Austin's 10 Fittest, August 2009 Issue
Get Stoked to Get Soaked: 15 Austin Lake Activities, May 2009 Issue
