THE BACHELORETTE S16. E5. | WELCOME TAYSHIA

When ABC’s The Bachelorette kicked off last month, we thought that we wouldn’t be sharing weekly updates etc with Clare Crawley. With our insider info and as many people found out in weeks leading up to the first episode, we knew that she would not be The Bachelorette for the whole season. Each week we watched and last week, we finally saw her onscreen; however, the guys didn’t meet her, thus we held off from a recap. So tonight with one of our faves firmly in the seat, Tayshia Adams, we’re excited to go back to our scheduled posts on what took place, who we’re thinking will get down on the knee and more!

We meet Tayshia after Dale Moss proposes to Clare and they make an immediate exit after a long day of one on one time with one another. Meanwhile, the remaining guys who have no idea what’s going on except for the fact that Clare is not interested in them as she found love, believe that they will pack up the next day to return home after spending all the time quarantining to find their love journey. Chris pops in to let them know that should they choose, they can stay as they have another Bachelorette coming and they have until later tonight to decide if they will stay or not. The remaining 16 guys debate, take time etc and they all decide to stay. They meet Tayshia and are cautiously optimistic, although we know that Jason is having a hard time along with a few others. But smooth sailing in 2020 is not exactly something that stays around, Tayshia is pulled to get her limo moment with 4 additional guys who join the house. Their icy reception by the other men reminds us that it will be a bumpy road. We take a bit of a break to do a catch up with Dale and Clare. We hoped that there wouldn’t be an hour+ segment with these two. Thankfully they literally got their 15 mins and we were in the midst of Tayshia’s first dates which every guy was guaranteed that they would have one whether it was a group date (water basketball with some of the new guys thrown in) and a one on one. We also loved that on her first night, although first impression roses were given, she cleared the air quickly by saying that she wasn’t going to send anyone home so that she got time with everyone. This night also brought Jason’s feelings up when he let her know that he would be unable to stay due to falling in love with Clare. We’re still absorbing everything that happened, but we’re glad that the fun is back in the show and we have our eye on a few that we will be interested to see how things go!

Each night, we’ll tweet The Bachelorette and you can chat along with us (@AthleisureMag + with our Co-Founder/Creative + Style Director, Kimmie Smith @ShesKimmie) to see what’s taking place!

Each week we will let you know who our faves were last episode and if we’ve changed up since then as it pertains to who we think should go to Hometowns (it will be interesting to see how Hometowns will take place - we’re assuming families will be quarantined) if we were choosing right now! We will also say who we think should take it all.

We also suggest a podcast that we’re newly obsessed with, Wondery’s Bachelor Happy Hour which is hosted by Rachel Lindsay (contestant on The Bachelor Season 21; The Bachelorette Season 13) and co-hosted by Becca Kufrin (contestant on The Bachelor Season 22; The Bachelorette Season 14) to get their feedback!

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LAST EPISODE

We know that we liked these guys even though Clare was Team Dale all day - but we’re loving Kenny, Joe, Eazy and Zac. Kenny’s proposal will be accepted.

WEEK 5 (TAYSHIA’s 1st)

It’s too soon so we’re going to roll over most of last week’s picks. But we’re going to swap Zac for one of the new guys, Spencer (we’re not fans, but there is no denying that she is intrigued by him). Kenny, Eazy and Joe are still in the Hometown picks. We still think that Kenny will propose.

OUR HOMETOWN PICKS

KENNY

SPENCER

JOE

EAZY

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BEN, 29 - Indianpolis, IN

BENNETT, 30 - NY, NY

BLAKE, 29 - Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

BRENDAN, 30 - Milford, MA

CHASEN, 31 - Walnut Creek, CA

DEMAR, 26 - San Diego, CA

ED, 36 - Pittsburgh, PA

EAZY, 29 - Dallas, TX

IVAN, 28 - Dallas, TX

JASON, 31 - Rutland, VT

JAY, 29 - Langhorne, PA

JOE, 36 - North Woodmere, NY

KENNY, 39 - Chicago, IL

MONTEL, 30 - Boston, MA

NOAH, 25 - Tulsa, OK

PETER, 32 - Everett, MA

RILEY, 30 - NY, NY

SPENCER, 30 - San Diego, CA

TYLER, 27 - Morgantown, WV

ZAC, 36 - Haddonfield, NJ

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

WE'RE @ THE SPA WITH ICONA POP + SOFI TUKKER

Over the past few months, we have navigated a number of life changes that have given new meaning to the term and ever evolving, "new normal." In the midst of these crazy times, we have also embraced things that we have always enjoyed - even if it is in a new way! Once again, music comes to the rescue as it makes our activities enhanced on all levels. When we first heard of Icona Pop and SOFI TUKKER's song Spa, we loved the fact that it had fun lyrics, a catchy tune and embraces something that we have been enjoying from home.

We had to catch up with both groups to find out how this song came together, how they have been working in these times and what they have coming up!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We have been fans of Icona Pop and SOFI TUKKER for a number of years – from pre partying, at the club, fun dinners, at PROPEL CO:LABS Fitness Festival in NY, Ultra Music’s Party here in NY during NYFW and when we’re cycling in studio. We also love hearing your music in commercials, shows etc. So it’s no surprise that when your team sent us the link to Spa, we’ve been jamming to it for the past few days and feel that it definitely needs to be in the mix of Athleisure songs for sure. Before we get into the song, how have you been spending these past crazy months?

ICONA POP: Wow thank you for all the love and support, that means a lot!

In the beginning, we felt very lost. Everything got canceled and life was just weird.

We decided first to take the time to reflect and breathe for a second. But after that we got so inspired so we locked ourselves in the studio and been super creative from there.

It started with us djing online and then we started our ”rave spa”. We´ve been connecting with all our fans around the world. And the best part is that we’ve had the time to sit down and write a lot of new music.

We’ve come to really appreciate the things you can do from your studio and laptop.

SOFI TUKKER: We started livestreaming on basically the first day of lockdown. At first, it was really random. Soph was working out and Tuck was Djing and our photographer started livestreaming the whole thing. We did it again the next day with Soph also DJing and it was so fun to connect with people so we committed to doing it every single day. We have been doing daily live dj sets every day now for 122 days. It's turned out to be such a meaningful time, being able to connect with people daily and find joy and positivity, even in pretty dire times. The community that's built around the sets calls themselves the Freak Fam and it keeps growing!

AM: In terms of staying fit, what are your workouts like and have you embraced new modalities especially during these crazy times?

IP: Its been very cool to join live stream work outs and also a lot of Swedish gyms have been having outdoor activities.

We try to move everyday before going to the studio. Doesn’t matter if its gym, walking running or whatever. But that really gives you endorphins and makes you stay focused the rest of the day.

It’s also different depending on how stressful it is, how much time and also how you´re feeling in your body that day.

Usually when its stressful or you have a lot in your head and you still need to release some steam, its amazing to lift weights, but also to do things that make you calm down like yoga or pilates.

ST: I've found working out to help so much during these times. I don't feel as stir crazy cuz I really am using all my energy in a day! I go on really long bike rides, I do HIIT training in the backyard, I practice yoga, I use the Peloton, I go rollerblading, I go on runs, I workout on the beach... pretty much anything, I try to switch it up all the time and keep my body guessing!

AM: How has creating music been for you during this time?

IP: It's been both good and bad.

We get a lot of our inspiration from traveling and now we’ve been in the same place for months. But somehow it's like life catches up with you and you can tap in to emotions that you haven't had the time to explore before.

Also the pressure to release music has been very low. But somehow we’ve released more music then in years this year. Feels like people really need it right now.

ST: We've been able to get so much done, since we aren't traveling!! We've created a ton of new music, and we usually test it out during the livestream and then workshop it and bring it back into the studio to tweak. It's a really fun way to make music and really cool to involve everybody throughout the whole process more than ever.

AM: How do you stay inspired as there is more time being at home versus traveling and having in person events?

IP: We absolutely love hugging and kissing our fans, so we really miss that. Even though we love seeing the world, the traveling part can put a lot of pressure on your body. So we guess its been good to stay at one place and slow down for a minute. And also, it's been very interesting for us with all the new ”normal” routines.

ST: The daily DJ sets really inspire us. We are constantly listening to music and testing it out and seeing how people react. And we've started doing a couple days a week of guest dj sets, so we are really active in the livestreaming world and constantly feeling inspired by not just the music we're playing but also the music other people are playing in their sets.

AM: Both of you have found great ways to stay connected with your fans, do you have any virtual events that we should know about and have you started working on IRL events?

IP: We live for our "Rave spa” that we have on our instagram live.

We try to do it once a week and then people can ask us whatever they want while we dj and are having a spa. We also do QandAs with our fans and try to involve them a lot in our everyday life. We also been playing live at empty clubs or arenas and streaming it to different places. We have an amazing live show prepared so as soon as the world opens up for touring, we will be there. We can’t wait!

ST: Yessss! Aside from our daily dj sets which you can find @sofitukkeroffical on twitch and @sofitukker on facebook and IG live, we are doing our first ever eConcert!!!! It's on December 4th and it's really excited because with this technology, the community will actually be present with us during the live show. We will be able to really see and hear everybody who is with us, with big screens in front of us while we are performing live. We can't wait. We haven't done our live show since the pandemic started and this will be truly next level technology we can't wait to all be together! You can find tickets on our website sofitukker.com.

AM: How do you define the Icona Pop sound?

IP: Electronic pop, driving drums, chanting choirs and a punk attitude.

AM: How do you define the SOFI TUKKER sound?

ST: We try not to define it so that we can always stay open to whatever inspires us in the studio. But it's always made to dance to, and we try to keep things joyful. Even in more emotional lyrics, we are a big fan of the cry-dance track.

AM: How did Spa come about and what was the intent behind creating it?

IP: We´ve been big Sofi Tukker fans for years. We bumped into each other in a elevator in New York and fell in love with them and decided to write together. A couple of weeks later we sat in the studio together and we started to talk about how much we love going to the spa. And realized That, that is the best way of ending every evening. After a show, a stressful day, if your being at a club, imagine to end that party night in a spa :) What a dream!

ST: We had wanted to get into the studio together for a while so we were soooo giddy when we finally were in there together. We vibed so well together and had big friend crushes!! So we were just goofing off and having fun and I think spa just came up in conversation and naturally made its way into a song. we were both vibing on acid house and techno and at first thought it didn't even need lyrics, but then we had so much fun with them.

AM: What was the thought behind both groups coming together?

IP: It felt so right from the instant second we met. Its all about the energy, and we really felt how we were vibing the second we met. Like we’ve known them for years.

ST: We have been Icona Pop fans for a while and then we randomly met each other in an elevator in New York and became instant friends. We knew we had to get into the studio together cuz we had such a good vibe among us.

AM: What are you doing in terms of promoting this song?

IP: We've done a lot of online interviews, zoom chats with our fans, playing the song in our dj sets and the response have been great so far. We love our fans, they are so creative. We get so happy when they put up videos of themselves in robes, cucumbers on their eyes, having a sparty in their living room.

ST: Rebranding cucumbers as "cukes" from now on.

AM: Will you guys collab again on another song together?

IP: Absolutely, we've already talked to Sophie and Tucker that we have to write more music asap and go on spa tour together.

ST: We'd love to!

AM: When you’re spa’ing from home, what are 3 things that you have to have to get into that mood?

IP: A robe

A good facial (Zo skin care - sulfur mask) And to lite some candles (its all about the mood).

And some great music off course. Our absolute favourite thing is the sauna. Its the best way to relax :).

ST: A candle

A robe

A bathtub

IG @ICONAPOP

@SOFITUKKER

PHOTO CREDITS | PG 44 Icona Pop's Yoye Lapogian | PG 47 + 48 SOFI TUKKER Squid | PG 42 + 43 Composite Pictures Yoye Lapogian/Squid |

Read the Oct Issue #58 of Athleisure Mag and see We’re @ The Spa with Icona Pop + SOFI TUKKER in mag.

9LIST

Read the Oct Issue #58 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST in mag.

ATHLEISURE LIST | PRECISION FIT

Presence Fit is founded by Dr. Masaki Nakada and Robert Jadon. Dr. Nakada received his PhD from UCLA in Computer Science with an emphasis on human biomechanics, while Robert Jadon is a serial, technology entrepreneur.

There are new, live classes everyday, and there is also a library of On Demand classes. Presence's signature 40min HIIT workout is what got the company started, with a combination of strength and cardio. There are strength and mobility classes, as well as body-specific routines.

Instructors have a live video feed of each member, and that is supplemented with artificial intelligence, and HR monitoring to give them the most complete picture of the participants. There is also 2-way audio available, so participants can ask questions or request modifications and get direct responses from the trainer without distracting the class.

By having 2-way audio before and after class, as well as the ability to see if a friend is in the class, members can get get the workout they need, and enjoy it in a group setting. Since your video feed is only visible to the instructor, you never have to worry about anyone else in the class seeing you. It's completely private in that regard. We think it's the best of both worlds, combining community and privacy in a mobile platform.

Members can connect their Apple Watch to have their heart rate sent in real-time to our trainers so they can adjust their coaching accordingly. The trainer dashboard allows them to see a video of the member, their HR, and our mobile tracking using artificial intelligence which shows form, reps and activity.

Classes are expanding to include yoga, barre, and pilates to complement HIIT and strength training. These will be available live as well as On Demand.

PHOTO CREDITS | PRESENCE FIT

PRESENCE FIT

www.pressence.fit

IG @presence.fit

ATHLEIUSRE LIST | CENTR

Chris Hemsworth (Thor franchise, Avengers franchise and Men in Black: International) founded Centr, a holistic health app in partnership with Australian based fitness technology company Loup.

Chris wanted to create Centr to offer the support people need to achieve their health and fitness goals, leveraging his team of world-class experts that he has used over the years. The program is designed to take all the guesswork out of a healthy lifestyle by offering a weekly goal that is customized to individual’s goals, ability and personal taste on demand.

Its approach believes that no one diet or training program is the sole answer, which is why the program offers such versatility. Centr's focus is to achieve a healthier body, a stronger mind, and a happier life - so you can reach your full potential. In one easy to use app, users are able to train, eat and live better through Centr’s:

• Personalized Training Planner: consisting of over 1000 workouts including Boxing, Yoga, Functional Training, Pilates and more for all fitness levels.

• Daily Meal Plan: Composed of 600+ unique recipes created by dieticians and world-class celebrity chefs with options for all dietary preferences from no limitations to vegan.

• Time To Breathe: Compiles hundreds of new meditations and sleep visualizations as well as including the latest kid’s meditations narrated by Chris Hemsworth & Taika Waititi.

There are hundreds of on-demand workouts anytime, anywhere. Current fitness modalities offered by Centr include boxing, MMA, yoga, pilates, HIIT and HIRT style workouts, functional training, strength training, plyometric workouts and stretching. There is a wide array of both equipment free and with equipment workouts, as well as the option to follow coached (video) workouts or self guided workouts that can be taken at your own pace and are ideal for in-gym use.

Within the Facebook community, Centr experts such as Dan Churchill, Luke Zocchi and Da Rulk frequently engage with members to offer tips and advice relevant to their specialty areas. The Centr community also provides valuable feedback on the Centr workouts, recipes and overall content which helps the product continue to evolve. Centr is compatible with Apple watch.

PHOTOS COURTESY | CENTR

CENTR

www.centr.com

IG @centrfit

Read the Oct Issue #58 of Athleisure Mag and see Athleisure List | Centr in mag.

STYLE FILES | SS21

Read the latest Oct Issue #58 of Athleisure Mag or see Style Files | SS21 in mag.

ROCK THIS WHEN YOU'RE SET TO TAKE OVER THE ZOOM

Read the Oct Issue #58 of Athleisure Mag and see Rock This When You’re Set to Take Over the Zoom in mag.

ATHLEISURE BEAUTY

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OAT BEAUTY

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#TRIBEGOALS

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HOW TO DRESS | FOR BEING IN TRANSITION

Read the Oct Issue #58 of Athleisure Mag and see How to Dress | For Being in Transition in mag.

IN OUR BAG | WHEN WE PLAN SMALL OUTINGS

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THE PICK ME UP

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ATHLEISURE MAG | #58 OCT 2020

In this month’s issue as we continue into the fall, our Oct Issue #58 is covered by DJ/Producer/Music Exec and Entrepreneur, Steve Aoki. Our virtual cover shoot showcases fall style within Fitness, WFH and Out + About. We talk about Steve’s impressive career in music, building his label DIM MAK, being an entertainer, the process of creating music and collaborating, Neon Future series, being a Tech Future Optimist and more. Music has definitely gotten us through these times and we took some time to talk with Ultra Record’s Icona Pop and SOFI TUKKER to talk about their newest single Spa, how they have been spending the past few months and how they connected to create this song.

This month, 4 X NBA Champion LeBron James shares 9 songs that we should listen to in this month’s 9PLAYLIST which inspired him as he focused on #RevengeSznCompleted. 30 Olympic + World Champion Medalist Simone Biles of Team USA Gymnastics shares her favorites and why in our 9LIST STORI3S.

Read the Oct Issue #58 of Athleisure Mag here.

THE UNDEFEATED WITH LAILA ALI

We sat down with Laila Ali, who continued Muhammad Ali, her father’s legacy in the sport, as well as trailblazing outside of it. As a professional boxer who went undefeated in her career, she held the WBC, WIBA, IWBF and IBA female super middleweight titles and the IWBF light heavyweight title. She is a TV personality and host of OWN’s Home Made Simple, participating in Dancing with the Stars, Food Network’s Chopped as well as Celebrity Apprentice. In our interview, we took time to talk with her about the importance of fitness, nutrition and how we can focus on spring cleaning this time of year.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Can you tell us the moment when you realized that you wanted to be a boxer and eventually parlaying that into TV hosting, nutrition and wellness?

LAILA ALI: So I first saw women’s boxing on television when I was about 17 years old and that was when I first had the idea and desire to become a professional boxer myself. So it wasn’t right away that I took the leap because I was at school full time and I had a business at the time and it took me about a year to start training and once I did, that was it – end of story. Of course I ended with 24-0, 21 KOs and 4 world titles.

So boxing was my first love and I focused so much time and energy on it for about 9 years and then I decided I wanted to retire and to start a family, then I started to think about what I wanted to do next. Right around that time, Dancing With the Stars called and I decided to do the show as it was a great platform for me to show other sides of myself. From there, I just went onto TV hosting and different opportunities. During that 5 year period I began to think about what I was passionate about, what I wanted to do next, and that was really when I came to the conclusion that I really wanted to be able to help other people live their best life. I wanted to help them make healthy lifestyle choices and then I started doing shows such as Home Made Simple which I host, now which comes on OWN every Saturday. I’m able to work with families, make their living spaces amazing, also cook healthy recipes with them out of my cookbook Food For Life and now we’re launching our own product line which is simple plantbased cleaning products. They are available at select Walmart stores and Walmart.com.

So, things have really come full circle, but it was all about really encouraging people to make healthy lifestyle choices and live their best life.

AM: Can you tell us a little more about Home Made Simple’s product extension of cleaning products and why you enjoy using them?

LA: So we have hand soap, we have dish soap, we’ve got laundry detergent, fabric softener, multipurpose spray. It comes in lemon, lavender and rosemary. All of these products are not only safe and affordable, but they are effective and that is the most important thing. I’m all about using products that are good for my family, the environment and Home Made Simple’s products are amazing in that they actually work as well.

AM: We know that you have a number of tips about cleaning your home – especially in a way that keeps it simple, can you share 3 with us?

LA: Now is the time that everyone is thinking about spring cleaning right? We are in my household as well! Some of the things that I like to do is to get my kids involved and what I do is give them a series of chores on a chart. When they have done everything that they need to do, then I reward them. Whatever they are asking me for, I tell them that they can get it once they have gotten all of their stars on their chart. One of the other things that works out really well for me is not to wait for things to pile up. I like to take 10-15 minutes out of everyday to put things in their place. Another tip I have is that whenever you have things that you want to give away or get rid of, clothes that don’t fit anymore – put them in a big bin. I leave mine in the garage and remove them quarterly as it keeps clutter down. Every time you buy things – when you bring something into the household, you take something else out. We all have things in our kitchens and other rooms of the house that can be placed in a bin. I think that when you do that, you’re encouraged to donate items and I think that it’s really good to be able to help those in need or to be able to repurpose those items. That’s how it keeps everything nice and organized. Of course, it's all about using products that you love and that work and Home Made Simple really makes that easy to do with their new plant-based cleaning products.

AM: With it being the Spring and people needing ways to spruce up food options when it comes to supporting their workout, what smoothies and power foods should we think about incorporating into our day to day?

LA: I think it’s very important to be consistent first of all and make sure that you are getting enough rest so that you can do your best workout. Staying hydrated is key! A lot of people don’t realize how important it is to drink water as it enhances your performance, effects the way that you think and it’s really important to do. I like to have a protein shake after I workout. I don’t want to eat and put my body through having to digest food which is more work. I like to have a protein shake and just kind of get everything in and then eat a couple of hours after which is what my routine is.

AM: As someone who I’m sure travels a lot, what are 3 skincare products that you swear by that you enjoy using in your routine?

LA: I don’t think that it’s so much products or about a routine. I make sure that I clean my skin really well every night. I wash my face and I use a good moisturizer before I go to bed. In the morning I like to clean my face in the shower after my pores have opened up with the hot steam and then I will clean my face. I like to use my Clarisonic because it really gets into those pores really well. So those are tips that I have. Water and sweating are actually amazing for your skin. Sweating out toxins and that comes from working out and drinking water. Beauty comes from within.

AM: We’re all about #Tribegoals and the power of tribes which are the source of inspiration. Who are 3 people that you are inspired by?

LA: Well I definitely have a tribe of people that are around me. I think that every successful person does. It takes a team and nobody is doing it by themselves. My husband is part of my tribe and is my best friend, my confidant. One of my best girlfriends is like my person my go to who will keep it real with me and be honest. I don’t want to have yes people around me. Of course I would also include my business associates as well.

IG @TheRealLailaAli

Read the May Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Undefeated with Laila Ali in mag.

You can hear Laila Ali's interview now on our show, #TRIBEGOALS which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multimedia podcast network! Make sure to subscribe to find out when the episode drops. You can hear it on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and wherever you enjoy listening to your favorite podcast.

KYLOSOPHY

The world of fitness training goes hand in hand with motivation and providing it to those that you work with. During this season of NBC's Strong (Executive Produced by Sylvester Stallone), the Athleisure Mag team was introduced to Ky Evans who was a professionally trained dancer turned top trainer (Shape named him in the top 50 in 2014). After seeing him for a few episodes, not only did we find his passion and energy contagious but we liked his methods and how he works with his clients.

Ky's classes have a month long waitlist in Studio City, Venice and in Hollywood. His clientele
includes Olympians (Carmelita Jeter), professional athletes (Ronda Rousey) and TV/film personalities (Giuliana Rancic, Hayden Panettiere, Sophia Bush, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rosario Dawson) to name a few. We took a moment to find out about Ky's experience on the show, his fitness method and how he obtains balance in his life.

See Athleisure Mag's Interview with Olympian, Carmelita Jeter

ATHLEISURE MAG: We enjoyed seeing you on Strong and love your energy that you brought
during the weeks you were on! Prior to being a fitness trainer, you were in ballet - tell us how
you chose to work in that field, what company you were in and when you realized that you
were ready to transition your career.

KY EVANS: Strong was an incredible experience and it allowed me the opportunity to show the world that fitness is not about muscles, or medallions, but about the ability to truly express ones greatest gift – our body! I never really chose the career of dance, it chose me. I never really wanted to be a great dancer, I just wanted to feel free and alive, expressive, and safe. I spent a life time of feeling small, and not enough. Dance was the only time I felt alive and free. I started dancing at a very young age with ethnic Macedonian “Oro” circle dancing at church functions. This led me to study Ballet in college. The power and grace with the vulnerability and truth of ballet was the real reason I danced. I never wanted to be famous. I never danced in a company, never even auditioned, you see its much easier to have unlimited potential and
not try, then try and fail. I was so afraid of failing that after college I never put on ballet
shoes again. Instead I spent the next 10 years lost in complete state of fear, doubt, judgment and anger all because I was afraid to fail, afraid that I would never be enough, afraid that people would laugh at me! So I stopped doing the one thing that set me free, and started doing what most people do when they are that lost, drugs.

AM: How did you decide upon being a fitness trainer?

KE: It’s the same kind of theme, I never really thought about being a fitness trainer. I loved
expressing my body, but never really cared about the results, just the feeling and sensations that it gave me. When you train, you want to fail. Failure is a good thing when you train. You go 'till you fail, yet in life I was paralyzed by the idea of failure. I mentioned above that I spent 10 years in black hole of pity and self-hatred. At my lows, of lows at the age of 36, I had my awaking. I was homeless, couch surfing were I could, partying every night when I got a phone call from my father. It was the first time I ever heard him cry and he said to me, “I know what you’re doing. We did not escape the communists to get to this great country for you to end up like this. I want you to get up, stand up, and make it happen.” He then hung the phone up, I didn’t say a word, instead I walked down to Venice beach and took a plank position in the sand, closed my eyes and began to weep so hard that when I opened my eyes I was holding plank for almost 30 minutes. That’s when it hit me, that’s when I decide to dedicate my
life to teaching HOPE, and giving the gift of FAILURE!

AM: We know that your classes have quite the waitlist and that Shape noted you as one of the top 50 hottest trainers - what is it that keeps your clients coming back?

KE: I am truly blessed with the most amazing clientele on the planet. I am currently teaching
close to 500 people a week. I have been blessed with a lot of attention, but I think the real reason that people keep coming back is that it not about me. Its not what I can do, its not about how fast I can get you results, but what I can get them to believe in what they can do if they just embrace how truly great they already are! There can only be one you, so why do we spend so much time trying to change that. Instead we need to embrace how great we are through expressing or gift, or body! My classes are not about adding on, but rather the peeling away to the truth of how great we really are. But to do that we must first embrace failure. My classes are like a journey of self, but you're not alone. You are failing with others, proving the point that everyone fails, that we are not as alone as we might think. And when we fail together we realize we are all the same!

AM: What is Kylosophy?

KE: Kylosophy is just my interpretation of life and art. When I teach I go into a flow state where I take a lot of philosophical ideas and apply it to expression, life and failure. I studied a lot of philosophy in college and the fastest way to free the soul is to exhaust the body to complete failure so that the mind turns off and the spirit is set free. The fastest way to God is through the body. I believe that true meditation isn’t stillness, rather the ability to own one’s self during complete physical and mental failure. Adversity introduces us to our self, and failure erases the ego!

AM: What is the Megaformer and how integral is that to your training as well as to your clients?

KE: The Megaformer saved my life. It is the perfect combination of art and science. It allows me to create like no other and is limitless in its possibilities. It is my canvas and my clients are my paint. The machine itself is a custom built machine designed and created by Sebastian Lagree. Simply put it is the ultimate in neuromuscular non impact strength and conditioning. It’s the future of you!

AM: You worked with Sebastian Lagree who taught you the Lagree Method - what was that like?

KE: Sebastian Lagree was the only person that gave me a chance. After I had my awakening, I was washing dishes at a hotel on Sun got to see and train on his first machine in the “Proformer.” After that class my search was over. I found my vessel of truth, and the man to mentor me. He took me under his wing, and the rest is history. He still is my mentor and I am currently working at his newest studio with his newest creation the SUPRA.

AM: How was it being on Strong and what did you learn from being on the show?

KE: Strong for me was never about showing off, or look at me, I’m fit! It was never about
winning money or even the tower. Strong for me was about sacrifice. Sacrificing my ego for the benefit of my partner’s growth and success. It was about vulnerability and being able to fail in front of the world. Owning the idea that win or lose, I am enough. At the end of the day, it was just a TV show. The real tower started when I got back. The only tower that matters, is LIFE! And when I got back from filming the show, my partners told me that I was no longer needed and that the brand that I started was going in a different direction. So basically when I got back, I lost everything. At the highest point of my career, I was back to zero. Talk about the ultimate test of Strength! Losing one’s entire identity, career, and income in less than 10 minutes. Now the real Tower begins!

AM: Were you able to meet with Sylvester Stallone who Executive Produced the show?

KE: That was my only regret. I never got to meet Sly. But the wardrobe people keep telling me that I reminded them of him. Sly gets it. He trains to express who he is and how he feels. He is an artist. He writes, directs, produces, and acts. He does it all. All because he embraces his body, he lives to train because he knows that his training keeps him in total inspiration! The ROCK is like that too!

AM: Will there be additional seasons and will you be coming back for the next one?

KE: There is a good possibility that there will be a season 2, I am currently on hold by the
network and that I might be coming back. So I better get practicing on my climbing!

AM: What's next for you?

KE: Everything and anything! Right now I am working on opening my own super gym here on the west side of LA. I have spent the last 10 years helping others uncover there gifts and reach their goals. I have opened over 12 gyms in LA, and it is time for me to own my worth and create my own place. A place that is the ultimate in self-expression, creativity, and inspiration for all to experience. After that I need to finish my book, and hopefully turn that into a motivational speaking tour. I am a huge fan of Mastin Kipp, Bob Proctor, and of course Tony Robbins. And I hope to be that next generation of self help guru’s that end bullying, and show people how truly great they really are if they would just trust their body, embrace failure, and lead with
their heart.

AM: What exercises that can be done to get that lean ballet style body?

KE: No workout changes body composition better than the Lagree method. There are over 300 studios world wide, so go out and find one near you and get to class. Also nutrition will be key, I have an amazing program on my site. It was designed by PFC Nutrition and it was the same programming I used for my partners transformation. You are what you eat! Your sport is Life and your body your instrument. You can train all day but if you are not eating to support the demands of your daily life nothing will ever change!

AM: Do you guest teach in other cities?

KE: I would love to travel and do a guest teaching tour. We are currently working on getting
that up. With over 300 studios would wide I hope to be coming to a city near you very soon! So if there is a studio near you, have contact me and I would love to come out and do a little preaching and teaching! For more info go to my site: kyevans.com

AM: How do you maintain balance?

KE: HA! Balance!? It’s called no sleep and a lot of coffee! Actually when you truly embrace one’s higher purpose, it’s never work, and its play. I am truly blessed to be doing what I love, and I can never really get enough of it. I am driven with the simple idea that if I can just get through to one person day. Show that one person that he or she is enough. That there is one you, and there can never be another you ever. And that the worlds needs you. That you are enough! That we train to reveal how truly great we already are. So stop competing, and start creating. My fear is that if I stop, I wont be able to get through to that one person that needs me the most. And that would crush me.

Personally, I try to meditate once a day. Sometimes it's for 5 minutes, other times is an hour I try to train 6 days a week, again sometimes it's 30 minutes other times its 2 hours. I read a lot and on Sundays I go to a monastery and hang out with monks in Malibu to kind of recharge myself. The bottom line is, its not about how much you do, or how often you do it. It’s about doing the things you need to do so that you are always the best version of yourself at all times. To truly understand self, one must truly embrace failure. I try to fail at least once a day!

AM: Please feel free to share anything that you would like to from charities that you are apart of, projects that we may not have covered etc.

KE: I am currently working on getting with this amazing charity called “Defeat the Label.” It's an anti bullying organization out of Detroit, where I am from. I spent my life being made to feel small, not enough. And I am really excited to help teach others to take back their power by own their greatest gift, their body!

Pictures courtesy of Ky Evan

ROBOTS

Are robots going to take away all of our jobs? Some, but not as much as you might think!

by Ed Maguire

Will humans be irrelevant in the future? What kind of jobs in the future will survive? How can we make sure that we don’t make career choices that end up like buggy-whip makers, or switchboard operators? What will we do if there is no work left for most people to do?

There’s a lot of conversation these days about what could happen to jobs with the pace of advances in robotics and artificial intelligence. When people think of robots doing work, the first thing that comes to mind is often a loveable robot from popular culture like C3PO in Star Wars, or Data in Star Trek. Or maybe on the dark side, a malevolent super computer like the HAL9000 in 2001: A Space Odyssey? In reality, robots are far more likely to look like something you’d find on an assembly line. The automation that replaces jobs is apt to look a lot more like the EZ-Pass tag for your car, or the self-checkout line at the store.

The truth is that automation has been replacing jobs for hundreds of years, making people
uncomfortable and scared for their future. If you go back to the early 1800s, a weaver named Ned Ludd smashed knitting frames (new technology) and gave rise to a movement of weavers opposed to automation known as Luddites. The proportion of the US workforce employed in agriculture declined from 41% in 1900 to 2% in 2000 due to automation. We've seen big declines in other jobs. Automobiles reduced the number of blacksmiths and stable hands; machines have replaced many jobs in construction and manufacturing. In the past, the workers seemed to be able to retrain skills as new types of professions arose. 

The concern today is whether the accelerating pace of change brought about by exponential growth in computing power, advances in Artificial Intelligence and the integration with automation and robotics will destroy jobs faster than workers can adjust. Some recent studies seem to give reason for concern: a 2013 paper entitled “The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?” by Dr. Michael A. Osborne from Oxford University’s Department of Engineering Science and Dr. Carl Benedikt Frey of the Oxford Martin School, estimated that 47% of jobs in the US are “at risk” of being automated in the next 20 years. They found that jobs in transportation, logistics, office and administrative support are at “high risk” of automation with other occupations within the service industry also highly susceptible. Larry Summers, the former American treasury secretary, looked at employment trends among American men between 25 and 54. Only one in 20 was not working In the 1960s, but according to his forecast this could reach one in seven within 10 years. In his view, technical change is increasingly taking the form of “capital that effectively substitutes for labor.” Other prominent economists including Nouriel Roubini and Paul Krugman have publicly expressed concerns that successes in technology are eliminating jobs. Robert Reich has said that robots will “take away good jobs that are already dwindling. They will in short supplant the middle class.”

The topic of technological unemployment has been discussed at great length in books like Martin Ford’s “Rise of the Robots” and Terry Kaplan’s “Humans Need Not Apply.” In Ford’s view, the writing is on the wall: we are already seeing so much technology-driven unemployment that ultimately society will have to provide a Universal Basic Income, or UBI, to every member of society to account for the declining cost of producing goods and the shortage of jobs for everyday workers. This idea is gaining a lot of ground, with a considerable amount of discussion at the 2016 World Economic Forum.

Not everyone believes in the doom and gloom forecasts. A new study by Melanie Arntz, Terry Gregory and Ulrich Zierahn for the OECD argues that studies on robots or computerization destruction of jobs, vastly overestimate the risks. They believe disruption is much less than feared, “finding that on average, across the 21 OECD countries, 9% of jobs rather than 47%, as proposed by Frey and Osborne face a high automatibility.” The McKinsey Global Institute sees job “redefinition” instead of unemployment, foreseeing that very few occupations will be automated in their entirety in the near or medium term. Rather, certain activities will be automated, business processes will transformed, and jobs redefined. Authors Andrew McAfee and Erik Brynjolfssen in “The Second Machine Age” see that disruption is inevitable in the short term, but remain optimistic that society will adjust.

So how do you make sure that robots don’t take YOUR job? The first question to ask is whether what you do all day can be easily automated by a machine. Working as a cashier or customer service person can be replaced by self-service kiosks or online (we’ve certainly seen a lot of shopping mall jobs go away because of e-commerce). If it’s a task that’s repetitive, or can be replaced in part by software processes or an online app, it’s likely the job will look different in a decade’s time. Of course, there are some jobs that could change dramatically – like taxi drivers or truck drivers with the adoption of self-driving technologies. Others are not likely to see much change at all – gardeners, nurse practitioners, therapists- jobs where there needs to be a human touch.

I like to think that robots and computers don’t have a sense of style, or good taste, or empathy, and that can never be replaced by a machine. What are those human qualities? Creativity, the ability to inspire others, the ability to organize groups of people are examples, though there are many more. Being a designer, storyteller, or an artist can never be replaced by a machine. What are those human qualities? Creativity, the ability to inspire others, the ability to organize groups of people are examples, though there are many more. Being a designer, storyteller, or an artist can never be automated, and we as human beings crave contact and social connections. While it does help to have your Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) chops, never underestimate the value of an English or Art History education (I’m not talking about a degree, that’s another conversation entirely). Embrace what’s best about being human, and  let the machines handle the rest!

Ed Maguire has worked as an equity analyst covering the technology sector since 1999 for a variety of firms including CLSA Americas, Merrill Lynch and CIBC. Previously he led sales for independent music distributor Twinbrook Music while working as a professional musician performing on bass, violin and keyboards, composing, arranging and producing a variety of styles of music. Ed holds a B.A. in Music from Columbia and an M.B.A. from Rutgers in Finance and Management Information Systems. He lives in Millburn, NJ with his wife Lily, their two kids and the dog Spock.
 

MOTIVATIONAL IMPACT

When you think of fitness luminaries and their famous systems, Tony Horton comes to mind without a doubt! With his innovative and successful systems that include P90X, P90X2, and P90X3, he is a household name. We caught up with Tony to talk about TH Care by Tony Horton, his new hair and skincare line, motivation seminars, 22 Minute Hard Corps, and living a consistent lifestyle. 

ATHLEISURE MAG: What does a healthy lifestyle mean to you? 

TONY HORTON: Simply, you must be very consistent with your exercise and have a purpose beyond the aesthetic, weight, scale, tape measure, and what other people say about you. It's about eating whole foods as much as possible, from anywhere between 80 - 95% of the time, depending on the individual.

AM: What are your favorite experiences training celebs and are there differences training  them?

TH: I believe that there are nuances for sure. My first celebrity client was Tom Petty and when he called me up at my tiny two bedroom apartment, I hung up on him thinking that it was my friend pulling a prank on me. Once I met Tom, it was a really phenomenal experience because I was dealing with someone who hadn't really trained consistently or in the kind of way that I was trying to show him - with weight lifting, boxing, kick boxing, and cardiovascular exercises and basic stretching. It was a 3 month experience and I went on tour with him for 3 weeks in the middle of that tour after we trained, and I think that what was the most unique about it was that it opened up the door to other celebrities like; Billy Idol, Bruce Springsteen, Stephen Stills, Annie Lennox, Sean Connery, Shirley MacLaine, Usher, and so on. The Tom Petty experience opened all the doors to being a celebrity trainer.

AM: Is being on tour with clients hard for you in terms of staying on your training schedule for yourself?

TH: My training doesn't get affected. Tom was kind enough to know that I needed some time in the day to exercise too. On tour, he's got soundcheck and reheasals so there's hours between the workout in the morning and his show where I could workout. Then there were times that we would just work out together.

AM: What's the ideology behind your famous fitness methods?

TH: My trademarked phrase "Do your best, so forget the rest," explains everything. I think that in this industry, there are a lot of people that fail because they feel like they have to compete with the past, with others or with the expectations of how it is supposed to go throughout the course of whatever program they have decided to do. My philosophy is, you just take care of the basics and don't think too much about the aesthetic change (how many push- ups you have to do and how many pull-ups you need to do or how perfect your yoga Asana needs to be). These things are causing people to have too much angst. To be consistent for the process and the lifestyle is about making sure that you do what you can and it changes from day to day. From things as unpredictable as biorhythms, lack of sleep, hydration - there are just too many variables that are difficult to track that allow you to have the perfect fitness experience. Sometimes Lebron scores 40+ and sometimes he doesn't. Even the best athletes in the world don't have the same exact performance every time and neither should we expect that from ourselves.

AM: Does fitness go hand in hand with motivation?

TH: I think you need some kind of motivation to be consistent with your fitness. If your motivation isn't as important as food, shelter, water and breathing as it should be - then chances are you won't be able to sustain it. It's not about losing weight so that you can show your friends how great you look in an outfit. It's about being able to sustain how you look for decades. When your purpose is aligned, then there is a greater likelihood that you'll make the switch and stay with it for the rest of your life. 

AM: What are your motivational weekends like?

TH: It depends from event to event. A corporate one is different than a beach body event. If it's a 4 hour excursion, it's different than a 2 day excursion. On average, most of them are a workout or two, seminar based, and we do some autographs/photos. For example, at the Omega Institute coming up June 24 - 26. It's a 2 day intensive so we break off in groups and analyze aspects of our health/fitness lifestyle. Last year, it was motivation - how do we get it, why aren't we consistent, and what are the plans that need to be in place so that we can create accountability. These were the things that were important in last year's seminar. 

This year, it focuses on food and diet. In my opinion, exercise is about fitness but most people don't realize that health is the result of the food you eat. Food is either medicine or poison. You have opportunities throughout the day - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks in between that allow you to make healthy or unhealthy choices. When you make healthy choices, it seriously impacts the quality of your life, sleep, the likelihood of you getting sick and the ability for you to perform better when you exercise and for the body to recover so that you can come back the next day. That is the importance of food - it's not just exercising so that you can eat whatever or to try and watch your weight. That is about as archaic as driving around in a Ford Pinto. The goal is to be more sophisticated and to know that it's not complicated.

The Omega Institute has a session where we do a simple workout, yoga, meditation - there's three where we break off into groups to solve some of the food issues that people have. We also have obstacle courses and goofy games.

I want people to come away knowing as much new information as possible so that they can feel that they come away with how they can start over. So often, if it is a workout in a seminar, 8 out of 10 people will think that what they did was fun, but they won't apply it. Two days is almost like you're re-wiring people. That's why it works.

AM: Tell us about TH Care by Tony Horton and will there be additional products in the future?

TH: I have always been a fan of Patrick Dockry, who is the owner/creator of Ultimate Salon Professionals and I was on his TV show and part of his magazine. Out of courtesy of me doing that, he sent me boxes of his products. My wife and I loved them. One day she and I were talking and I said, "Why don't we see if we can come up with a line of products that will accomodate some of my personal needs?" Due to damaging effects of the sun, my skin and hair are dry. So, I asked him to mix a little nature and science together for my hair and skin and he did. It's been a great improvement to the quality of my skin and my hair is manageable and under control. I started sharing it with friends and they suggested that I should get it packaged. 

We came out with two products, one is called Fitness (face/skin spray) and the other is  Workout (hair/bodywash). They're unisex and we wanted to create something that was simple, effective, and traveled well for athletes and /or those that exercise a lot. The scent was important because it couldn't be too feminine or masculine. Everyone who smells it always says it's like summer in a bottle. I don't know what that smells like exactly but it's clean, fresh and warm. People love it and we're already looking at including a shaving cream within the line and a hair and skin oil that is just the bomb that we've been experimenting with. I really love this oil! When you think oil - you think greasy but this absorbs deep into the skin and makes the skin look younger and feel better. But we have to get the first two off the ground before looking at the next ones.

On Monday nights, I do a plyometrics class at my house and I wear TH Care all the time. When we're in a room, people will ask what I'm wearing and they really think that the smell is amazing. When I tell them it's my skincare, they say that they should put it on more. I let them know that you have to in order to smell good - a lot of guys who are younger don't realize that they need to maintain their skin. Doing it now will get them into the routine of taking care of themselves. You get out of the shower, dry off a bit and then slap on the lotion to go about your day. 

AM: Tell us about the fitness methods that you created.

TH: P90X was a departure from anything else that existed in the market. No one had created 12 separate discs with 12 different workouts on them. There are a lot of specific routines out there in the areas of yoga, pilates, body building, cardio etc. A lot of trainers like to just stick with what they know and a lot of them are very good, but the issue with sort of a one-dimensional myopic approach to fitness is that people will plateau. The lack of variety usually causes people to settle into a certain place. Maybe they're happy and maybe they're not. 

With P90X, it forced all users to work on their weakness much more than their strengths, due, to the extent of the variety. The offerings include: weight lifting, body resistance, core and functional, pilates, yoga, plyometrics and so on. That's always been my theme. When you look at the course of my week in training, every workout is different from the next. I try to train 7 days a week and maybe taking one day off, but I schedule 7. I need to do plyometrics. I need to do yoga. I need to do chest and back. I need to do shoulders and arms and I need to do core and functional and ski training. I need 9 days in a week but I only have 7 - sometimes I will take off a Sat. or a Wed. I usually train 22 - 25 days a month. That's how your body truly changes. 3 or 4 days a week, you're playing catch-up all the time.The days off always supersede the day on. If you only train 4 days a week, you end up with what I call, Exercise Bipolar Disorder and that's not a good thing. The goal is to be consistent with everything.

The thing I tell people on the Motivation Seminar is that I want everyone to take a deep breath and hold it. Then I never tell them to stop and people have to gasp to catch their breath. I let them know that consistency is as important as taking your next breath. This allows you to live the kind of lifestyle that I think most people want to live.

The brand new method is called 22 Minute Hard Core, and it's a big departure from P90X/2/3. P90X2 was more of a balanced functional fitness version of P90X. Many people thought it was more difficult and it was meant for those that are athletes. But it also took P90X graduates and turned them into athletes. P90X3 is half an hour because a lot of people who

bought the other two systems were not finishing the 3 month program. The half hour allowed more people to participate everyday to not skip workouts and P90X3's success rate was the best of all three.

22 Minute Hard Core is an 8 week bootcamp with a 9th that's a Hell Week that is optional. The routines are 22 minutes and from the minute they start - it goes. You sweat during routines of cardio, core spec and resistance because it is relentless and it has to be because it's only 22 minutes. It's intense with modifiers - 1, 2 and 3. You get profficient at 1 and then it transitions into 2 and then 3. The same with resistance as well. There is a modifier option that if you have Beach Body on demand or on disc, you can choose it where you only look at the modifier and are not distracted by people on the video that are at a higher level then you.

AM: How can we live in a preventive way? 

TH: I think that those things go hand-in-hand. If you are eating well and exercising regularly, then you are preventing a lot of the illness and injuries that occur to people that aren't. That's what prevention is. It's not about relying on your pharmacists and/or doctors to solve your problems through meds. It's about taking control of your life and healing thy self. It's not an easy solution, it's more of a difficult one. When we were growing up, we went from one grade to the next and for many on to college. You just did it. I'm only asking for you to work out for 8 weeks - good lord!

It's being able to understand that exercise is fitness and food is health. If you understand that those two things are true and you practice healthy eating and regular exercise, then it is a very preventative lifestyle right out of the box.

AM: How do you stay balanced?

From the outside, it may look like I'm busy as hell, but I'm not. I know how to find my own down time. Some days there is literally nothing, just emails, phone calls, doing interviews, making my bed, making sure I eat well, hanging out with friends, and working out. That's quite often, but there are other days when it's super intense. I am in the midst of development, voice-overs, rehearsals, media, and PR tours. But what I do (what anyone would do not to burn out) is that they tell the people around them that they need their down time and sleep etc. 

No one schedules anything during my workout hours. Those that know me are aware that I work out Tues./Thurs. from 7:15am - 9:00am,  Mon./Wed. and Fri. nights after 5:30pm are blocked off as well. Sat. is yoga, so don't bug me and Sun. is my track or gymnastic workout. Everybody in my life knows when these things occur and they don't plan something else there. Then I sit down and negotiate my time. 
  
AM: You have worked with the First Lady, Michelle Obama on the 'Let's Move Campaign,' are there are other organizations you're involved in?

TH: I am a real fan of Rain Catcher. They bring fresh water to people that are in Africa and Asia as they usually have to walk for miles and miles to drink mud. So the technology that they have created is amazing which allows them to have drinkable water in their own village. 

The other one is Go Campaign which is a charity foundation that started from my friend, Scott Fifer. He was an attorney and screenwriter who went on a working vacation to Tanzania and ended up in an orphanage for three weeks. These kids lived in squalor and he couldn't believe it and they were learning gymnastics. The people that climbed Mt Kilimanjaro would make donations at the tiny orphanage. Scott decided that he would re-route his entire life to help them. He's helped raise 100s of millions for orphanages in Africa, Asia, Russia, South America, Harlem, Mexico, and Indian Reservations etc. 

It's amazing work that he does as he lives in a one-bedroom apartment and drives a Mini Coo
per - he doesn't pay himself and gives all the money to the kids. He pays for schools, books, kids, instruments, shoes, etc. It's an amazing organization. 

Pictures courtesy of Tony Horton

ATHLEISURE LIST: UPLIFT STUDIOS

Uplift is a (women-only) fitness studio and female society that offers signature group fitness classes, specialized personal training, and a unique social community. Their philosophy is pretty simple, but powerful: in everything they do, they are devoted to the power of "US". They create an environment where strong women empower, inspire, and connect with each other, through fitness and in all areas of life.

Leanne Shear is the co-founder of Uplift. Before conceiving the idea for Uplift, Leanne was a professional writer and the author of 'The Perfect Manhattan and Cocktail Therapy: The Perfect Prescription for Life’s Many Crises,' and her writing has also been featured in The Nation, The New York Times, New York, Glamour, Maxim, and Men’s Health, among others.  Leanne graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania and received a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies and Cultural Politics from New York University.  

Uplift offers five signature classes: Endurance, Power, Strength, Sculpt, and Uplift Express, which is a sampling of the other four formats. They offer personal training tailored specifically toward a range of female demographics. The studio also hosts a number of events including retreats, day trips, career panels, love/dating  events and nutrition workshops to name a few.

Uplift was on the top of the studio fitness game for amenities from the very beginning. In its full-scale NYC studio, they offer a range of beauty products, complimentary filtered water, coffee, tea, and post-workout refeuling snacks, and often  work with strategic partners to provide juices, nutrition bars and other goodies. The LA studio is providing similar offerings.

The studio will launch a new line of apparel in early July centered in "US"/aka the Uplift Studios moniker ("FocUS on the Good"). They will reintroduce their hugely popular muscle tee with the phrasing "Strong Women Uplift Each Other".

In addition to the NYC location, they also recently opened a second studio on the left coast in the heart of West Hollywood.

UPLIFT STUDIOS FACTS

LOCATIONS:

8254 Melrose Ave LA, CA
24 West 23rd St 2nd Fl NY, NY

STUDIO OFFERINGS: 

They offer personal training tailored specifically toward a range of female demographics.

THE ART OF THE SNACK: AVOCADO

This vegetable is always trending whether enjoying it on toast, solo, in salads or a number of other ways. In this issue's The Art of the Snack we share recipes for Avocados from Peru for a smoothie as well as a twist on a breakfast classic.

Pictures courtesy of Stuart Ramson/AP

Pictures courtesy of Stuart Ramson/AP

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Food Deco

PERUVIAN AVOCADO SUPER FOOD SMOOTHIE

Ingredients:

1 ripe Avocado from Peru, peeled and pitted
1 (13.5-oz) can lite or regular coconut milk
1 cup pineapple juice
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1 cup ice cubes

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender, secure with lid and puree until smooth.

Options:

• For added sweetness, dip the moistened rim of the glass (water or citrus juices work well) into a pile of sugar that is about ¼” deep.  Shake off the excess sugar and pour the smoothie.

• Before blending, add your favorite protein powder for a nutritionally boost.  

Yield:  4 cups; 1 cup per serving

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Food Deco

PERUVIAN AVOCADO EGG SCRAMBLE

Ingredients:

1 large egg
¼ cup liquid pasteurized egg product
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 ounce (2 slices) Peruvian Avocado
Salt
Pepper
Slice of whole wheat toast

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together egg product and egg until smooth.
2. Stir in salt and pepper.
3. Heat oil. Whisk in egg mixture and cook while constantly stirring until mixture sets.  
4. Place eggs on toasted bagel and top with avocado.

Options:

• Add 1 Tbsp scallions, minced or thinly sliced, to the egg mixture before cooking.

• Sauté 1 tsp fresh gingerroot, peeled and minced, then add egg mixture.

Yield:  1 serving