Month: June 2015

SUNDAY SHOUTOUT & FIT SPOTLIGHT [Amy Crandall]

I met up with Amy Crandall last week for a cup o’ Joe at our local Winans coffee shop. She truly inspires me on so many levels and is an uh-mazing person! Fit. Positive. Real. Absolutely beautiful. And one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Not to mention that she blogs, does photography and drinks coffee. She is pretty much my soul mate!

Expertise [Bio]:

Although her degree and post-college experience was in photography, Amy is now typically on the other side of the camera. She has done modeling for numerous companies, many local, including Bend Active, Thread, Capital Style, Bohindi, The Blowout Bar and more. Her modeling career happened very organically as her positive attitude & open [creative] mind showed her the various facets that life has to offer.

Looking and feeling good doesn’t just happen, she works for it! Amy has earned several fitness certifications including yoga, personal training and pilates. She is a personal trainer and class instructor at PEAK Human Performance in Dublin as well as the creator of a fitness website and blog, Active Body, Creative Mind. She is excited to soon be launching an online personal training component to Active Body, Creative Mind. The training will pilot as a complimentary two week shape up plan that will include nutrition, training and well-being advice.

Amy was an open book during our chat, sharing many of her fitness tips and routines…

Motivation for Living Fit?

“Aging gracefully!” Amy has clients in their 70s that still exercise, proof that taking care of yourself will help you remain youthful & healthy. Fitness allows you to feel good, confident, peaceful, happy. The more surface level accomplishments [for instance, body & physique] will follow!

Best fitness accomplishment?

Her team just finished leading the first 8 week challenge at PEAK. The two month journey not only connected people, it also helped them achieve and notice results ~ emotional, physical & mental ~ from weight loss to cultivating healthy habits.

Typical workout routine?

“I love to lift weights – it will transform your body!” Amy lifts twice a week, doing a whole body routine and jumping rope between sets. This serves as her cardio [although I’ll keep trying to get her to join us for a group run sometime]! She also does pilates once per week and tries to squeeze in a yoga session when she can.

Amy leads an extremely active lifestyle and in addition to her workouts, enjoys hiking, walking and acroyoga. Dates with her main squeeze often include a workout, such as spending Valentine’s Day at The Butcher Shop in German Village and their recent trip to SnowShoe for Wanderlust.

Oh, and she foam rolls & stretches. Every day.

Typical Diet or Nutrition Plan?

Amy is a creature of habit & has similar foods at each meal. A sample day may look something like this…

Breakfast – Ezekial bread, almond butter, banana, apple, chia seeds [healthy fat & good for runners]
Lunch – two scrambled eggs & lots of veggies, cooked with coconut oil
Dinner – Protein [chicken, ground turkey] veggies, healthy fat or carb
She also typically eats ½ avocado per day to get her healthy fat and limits dairy

Some of Amy’s favorite things…

Favorite FIT place around Columbus: Peak Human Performance!

Known for their athletic performance enhancement, she loves [and teaches] the Fitmix class & Pilates. PEAK provides “Smart Training” – an assessment of what your body really needs.

Favorite cheat food: TimTam Australian cookie with tea and other treats; allows herself to indulge now and then!

Coffee drink: French pressed coffee with cream and raw sugar. Her daily dose of half & half is about the only dairy she really consumes!

Any advice for others on their journey to get or stay FIT? “Create healthy habits. Be patient with yourself, and allow the time your body needs to adjust.”

Was blessed to have spent some coffee time with this amazing lady. Can’t wait to see her out on the fitness scene in Cbus!

FIT-spiration [10 facts about Christine!]

Living Fit [Columbus] run crew member highlight – Christine Loncaric

Expertise: Christine was active while growing up (dance and cheerleading mostly), and after graduating college, bounced between cardio machines, free weights, and some group fit classes. She found a passion for personal fitness and a healthy lifestyle a few years ago, which grew even deeper after becoming a mom in 2013. Though she would previously not have considered herself a runner, she challenged herself to run The Nationwide Children’s Hospital 1/2 Marathon in 2014. After registering [and slightly panicking] she found the Living Fit Columbus group shortly after, and hasn’t stopped running since! She has since completed two half marathons, is signed up for the fall Columbus half again this year, plus many other races. Along with running, she has fallen in love with yoga as a way to cross train and build both mental and physical strength.

Ten FIT facts about Christine

What is your motivation for LIVING FIT? “I have always had an awareness of fitness and the need for a healthy lifestyle, but found a new dedication once I had a child in 2013. Not only do I want to be a good example for my daughter, but I have realized how important it is to have a healthy outlet for myself. I am a better wife, mom, friend and co-worker when I am taking care of myself, and for me that means solid work outs and a balanced diet.”

What does your diet look like? “It’s all about balance for me! I honestly love healthy foods – lean proteins, greens, healthy grains, fruits and veggies — and these things make up a large marjority of what I eat on a daily basis. But, I am also not afraid to indulge and treat myself too! My absolute favorite foods to eat are big salads, pizza, greek yogurt & berries, sweet potatoes, bananas & chicken wings. Nice mix, right!?? And add a glass of bubbly and I am 100% happy! I know food is fuel for my body and try to use it as such, but life’s too short to beat yourself up for treats [pizza, chicken wings, whatever!] here and there.”

What does your typical exercise routine look like? “I run about 3x a week, and incorporate a combo of yoga, boot camp classes or HIIT workouts throughout the week as well. My goal is to sweat 6 days a week!”

Some of Christine’s Favorite Things…

FIT place around Columbus: The running trails in Dublin & the many yoga studios around town — current favorites are Harbor Yoga and V Power Yoga.
Healthy Meal/Food/Recipe: I always start my day with a big & healthy breakfast (and coffee of course!). My two favorite weekday breakfasts are: greek yogurt topped with chia seeds, fresh (or frozen) berries, chopped up banana, raw oats, and a sprinkle of sweetened granola; OR scrambled eggs with bell peppers, roasted sweet potatoes, topped with salsa and an avocado (if in season).
Race Distance: This is always changing for me. Half marathon for the sense of accomplishment after months of training. But I love 5Ks and the challenge of keeping up speed for 5 milers or 10Ks
Yoga Pose: I love doing a series 5 or so basic sun salutations to center my mind and get my blood flowing. My current goals are to keep working on improving my crow pose, and to be able to do headstand away from the wall.
Pump up music: I love a good pop song with a strong beat while running — I use the Women’s Running Magazine playlists on Spotify and love them!
Favorite Workout gear: For running I love my Under Armour Women’s UA HeatGear Armour Sports Bra; Lululemon Speed Tights; and Spibelt to hold my phone when I’m running alone or fuel when on long runs. For yoga I need my Under Armour headbands and prefer Lululemon Wunder Under pants. I also love my Bend Active Columbus pants and LFC tank to wear around town!

Any words of wisdom or advice for those looking to get [or stay] FIT? “A truly healthy lifestyle didn’t stick for me until I let go of the idea that I should work out and eat less so I could achieve a goal weight. Now, I acknowledge my body for all the things it does for me — it carried a beautiful baby when doctors weren’t sure it would; it allows me to explore the world around me on foot as I run; it gives me energy and focus to do well at work so I can provide for my family; it allows me to hold plank a little longer, run a little faster so I can PR at a race, do a stronger, more controlled chaturanga during yoga, which help make my heart and muscles stronger. I acknowledge that I am lucky that, for me, this lifestyle means I accept my body AND I also now fit into a smaller size of clothing than I did a few years ago. But acceptance and appearance truly came after this became a lifestyle and not about holding myself to a regimen of consuming and burning specific calorie counts. Every body is different, and I love the lightness that has come with accepting mine for all it does and all I know it can do.”

More fun facts [that humble Christine would never say about herself!]

She is one of our strongest [speediest!] runners and will often be the leader of our pack, even while pushing her little gal, Marj!
She helped create the Living Fit Columbus IG account & takes great fitness photos. 🙂
She PRd in her second half marathon, crushing her goal of breaking two hours.
She is one of the kindest, most humble, compassionate people you will ever meet! So glad she found LFC!

If that doesn’t leave you feeling inspired, nothing will! Go get healthy! 🙂

Thanks for your time, C!

Check out some of our previous interviews on our FIT-spotlight page.

FIT-spiration // 10 facts about Deedra!

Living Fit [Columbus] run crew member highlight – Deedra Nicolet

Deedra (left) & Teresa (right) pacing at the HOKA Cbus 10K

Deedra was with us when we started our original running group, ‘Hilliard Grand Run Club’ in the summer of 2012. A sprinter at heart, she has grown fond of distance running over the past few years. She usually saves her kick for the end of the run and is known to push us to finish strong. “D” is also a cyclist lover and races for the Pelatonia each year.

As a side note, I [Teresa] am so thankful for Deedra’s dedication to running! She kept our group going during my maternity leave, kept me motivated post-partum and even talks us into cold winter runs – must be her Wisconsin frozen-tundra roots! She also just convinced me to be a pacer for the first time ever… and helped us finish right on track!

Ten FIT facts about Deedra

Favorite way to sweat: Running. Although distance running is slowly growing on her, shorter distances are her preference. A former sprinter, she typically ran the 100 and 200 m dash.

Fuel/Diet: She does not get too caught up in dieting, counting calories, etc. Everything in moderation.

Favorite FIT places around Columbus: