BREATHE IN WITH GUNNAR PETERSON + DR. CEDRIC JAIME RUTLAND

We're always promoting ways of optimizing your health and being able to bring you the best advice and tips on how to reach and push your goals. Each person has their own challenges and paths to getting there. This month we talk with Celebrity Fitness Trainer Gunnar Peterson and pulmonologist Dr. Jamie Rutland about asthma and how this condition affects this community when it comes to them engaging in fitness and sports, how they can approach these activities, the importance of checking in with your doctor and LungZone which both are participating in.

For avid readers of Athleisure Mag, Gunnar Peterson has shared his insights in a number of our issues. As a trainer to Khloe Kardashian, Kanye West, Hugh Jackman, professional athletes and more, he has always been focused on his clients reaching their fullest potential. It's great to get his perspective when it comes to training and working with those that have asthma and to also provide tips to those he isn't working with and has this condition so that you can set yourself up for the best success when navigating this portion of your journey.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve had the pleasure of interviewing you for Athleisure Mag and I always like getting your insights. What muscles are necessary specifically when it comes to breathing?

GUNNAR PETERSON: When you think about the muscles that are important for breathing, you want to think about the diaphragm, abdominal muscles and those in the chest and back that support lung capacity and postural awareness. The pectoral muscles, for example, are important when inhaling and exhaling. When I say postural awareness, I mean things like sitting up tall with your shoulders back and your chin is up high with an inhale and steady exhale. It's important to focus on deep diaphragmatic breathing, not shallow throat breathing, so that you can get more out of the body whether at rest or play.

AM: What exercises can we do to open our airways and strengthen the muscles that help us to breathe?

GP: Anything that challenges you from a cardiovascular perspective is a good exercise to open your airway and strengthen your muscles. In fact, you can visit JoinLungZone.com for my Get Moving class that provides movements and sequences in a way that will challenge you from a cardiovascular standpoint and help prioritize your lung health. Exercises include a push up with a t-raise – which strengthens your pectoral muscles – or a pull down – which opens you up in the front while you're taxing the latissimus dorsi muscles. All those things can help you to think about steady breathing during your resistance training. I should note that my class on www.JoinLungZone.com is for people living with moderate-to-severe asthma, and they should consult with their doctor before taking any of the classes. Each person should take classes based on their own fitness level -- you don't want to jump in particularly if you are coming in from a completely sedentary lifestyle. Once you get the green light from your doctor, then you can progress accordingly. Listen to your body. It’s something that everyone should learn to do, even those who might consider themselves advanced.

AM: What are routines that one can do to have a great workout while navigating a busy lifestyle?

GP: First, you need to determine your goals. Everyone has different goals. Your goal may just be to get up and get off the couch three times in one day. That’s ok. You must start somewhere. Once you determine your goal, you must create a plan and stick to that plan. You want to do something on a regular basis so that it’s consistent because it’s that consistency that keeps you going. My biggest piece of advice is to find something that you can consistently incorporate into your lifestyle. My “Get Moving” class provides exercises you can consider.

AM: Growing up, my sister had severe asthma that placed her in the hospital many times from the time she was 3 until her middle school years. At that time, going to gym class became a battlefield as the teacher didn’t understand the severity of her ailments or how to create programs that she could do – just recently she started running and was shocked that she could do it. As someone who has trained athletes, celebrities, etc., who live with asthma, are there things that you look out for and lean into so that they are still optimizing what they need to do while being mindful of their condition?

GP: First off, thank you for sharing that with me, and hats off to your sister for not losing interest in running despite what could have been a difficult experience when she was younger. I could easily see her throwing in the towel or checking out, but good for her for pressing on. We certainly have grown to understand how asthma can impact a person and have more resources available to us. Everybody is different and you can't push everybody at the same pace and same level. For many people with asthma, exercise can seem intimidating, especially when you are worried about having an asthma attack. But staying active is important, and certain exercises can help people focus on their breathing in a positive way. As a personal trainer, I’ve spent my life helping people focus on their physical well-being. Getting in shape is not something that happens overnight, and that’s true for lung health, too. That's why we have created a starting point for people at JoinLungZone.com.

AM: How important are personalized workouts to you when you’re working with your clients?

GP: Personalized workouts are everything to me when I'm working with my clients. That’s why they bring me in. They don't want something cookie-cutter. They don't actly what the person before them did, even if they had similar vitals and goals. When you think about sports teams not everybody does the same workout. Individualized workouts are very important to me, but they are also important for people living with moderate-to-severe asthma. Even if you are doing a group workout, there should be levels that fit various needs you should have a way to progress so that each person walks away feeling like they got the most out of it.

AM: Please share tips on how asthmatics and those who may be navigating related lung issues can still get a great workout.

GP: I know I’ve said this a few times now, but I am saying it because it’s important. Before trying a workout class, people living with asthma should speak with their doctor about what is right for them. Don't just jump in on your own. Think about your body as a whole-- don't try to isolate and narrow down to single, small muscle groups or single joint movements. You want to think about the broader picture and overall lung and cardiovascular health because that's what's going to carry you through the demands of your day. — whether that's biking or playing pick-up soccer with your kids or even just getting through the daily tasks of running your household, there are demands in all of those activities. Life is a sport, everybody's an athlete, so train accordingly.

AM: Tell me about LungZone and why you felt that this was something that you wanted to participate in.

GP: LungZone is a program – which you can learn more about at JoinLungZone.com – that aims to guide people with moderate-to-severe asthma toward better lung health. I’m excited to participate in this program and be here today on behalf of Sanofi and Regeneron because this is really all about inclusion. Once people know that they at least have an entry point, the sky's the limit. LungZone gives you everything from mindful breathing practices with Kelley Green who is a meditation expert to common questions about asthma that are answered by Dr. Cedric "Jamie" Rutland, and my Get Moving class so you can start anywhere on that continuum, and you can progress it or regress it as needed.

AM: How can we prioritize our lung health regardless of whether we have issues or not?

GP: The lungs are fundamental organs, and there are steps we can take to focus on better lung health in a very real way. Exercising, meditating for stress reduction, and practicing deep diaphragm breathing to train your body to breathe better are important ways that people can contribute to their lung health.

I believe first and foremost you should find a way to enjoy exercise. If you can find a way to enjoy it, you're more likey to stick to it, and if you stick to it, you're more likely to benefit from it and make it something that you can always build on.

AM: Are there any projects that you have going on that we should keep an eye out for?

GP: In addition to my work on LungZone, I try to always have irons in the fire. I have some upcoming work with F45 Training which is a global workout company. I am really aligned with their philosophies and really like that they design their classes for all levels so anyone can do it. Again, that’s in part why I was excited to also participate in LungZone because it’s that same mentality.

IG @gunnarfitness

Gunnar shared how he is involved in LungZone and why this is important for those that are living with asthma. We wanted to take a step back and to take a look at asthma. It's important for us to take a step step back and look at what asthma is, how this condition affects the body and the areas that it targets specifically. Dr. Cedric "Jamie" Rutland, a pulmonologist, explains more about this to give us a better understanding about this and what are common triggers. It's impossible to think about asthma and its affects without asking about how COVID can also play into this condition and the importance of receiving the vaccine. He also shares his involvement in LungZone as well.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into asthma, LungZone etc, I’d like to know about your background as you’re a fellow Big 10 alumni. Why did you want to work with those who have pulmonary issues?

DR. CEDRIC "JAMIE" RUTLAND: It's a great question. The way that I ended up at a Big 10 school, University of Iowa for medical school, was really that it just happened to be a top 10 medical school. So when I got accepted, I decided to go there. When you think about a Big 10 school in the Midwest in general, that area of the country is very well educated. All the students within that area of the country are so talented, and so good at being a student that I picked up a lot of different skills from others in the process. That experience truly allowed me to understand what pulmonary and critical care offered me, which was the opportunity to not only specialize in a certain field of medicine, but also experience other parts of medicine that I enjoy because when you're an ICU physician you see everything. I still like to help people with kidney problems, liver problems, and GI tract problems. ICU medicine also gave me the opportunity to communicate with families and patients in critical situations. It allowed me to explain things and teach, which is something that I really like to do, and I think without the help of a Big 10 school, like the University of Iowa, I wouldn't be where I am today.

AM: For our readers that may not be familiar with asthma, can you talk about what it is and the areas of the body that are affected?

DR. CJR: Let’s first talk about the lungs and how it's structured. The lung is essentially a bunch of pipes that lead to a bunch of balloons stacked on top of one another. When you take a deep breath, that air travels down your windpipe and further down into smaller little pipes called the bronchi and bronchioles. Those bronchioles lead to the balloons where oxygen is picked up by your blood and used to keep your body functioning properly.

Asthma is an inflammation of those pipes. More specifically, it's inflammation of the smooth muscle layer of the pipe, which leads to airway narrowing. That means people have trouble taking a deep breath in, and more specifically, even have trouble releasing a deep breath out. We want to calm that inflammation down so people can breathe easier and feel a little bit better.

AM: Are there various categories or groups as I’m sure that not all asthma is the same for those that have it.

DR. CJR: Yes, there are different categories and different treatments depending on the type of asthma you have. If a patient comes in and tells me they are short of breath, I quickly determine what type of inflammation may be present in their body. Those patients might need an inhaler. But, often times, it's not just a localized type of inflammation. It's often a systemic type of inflammation, something we call Type 2 inflammation. When you identify that more systemic type of inflammation, then there are certain treatment options that work to block that inflammation, like Dupixent® (dupilumab). In clinical trials, Dupixent improved lung function in as little as 2 weeks and helped reduce asthma attacks by up to 81% when compared to standard of care alone plus placebo. I should mention that people shouldn’t use Dupixent if they are allergic to it or its ingredients, and it can cause serious side effects, including allergic reactions and inflammation of your blood vessels. So, it’s important to talk to your doctor to see what type of inflammation you have and what type of treatment may be right for you.

AM: What are the symptoms of asthma and are there seasons where it can be more prone to happening?

DR. CJR: Common symptoms of asthma are shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. Those symptoms tend to happen as soon as you're exposed to irritants or anything that you are allergic to. If you go outside and its springtime and all that pollens around, and you start coughing or wheezing, that's going to be your trigger. If you are going outside during the wintertime, and you feel like your airways are narrowing or you start coughing then cold is your trigger. All these things can trigger your airways to become inflamed and that leads to airway narrowing, mucus production, shortness of breath and wheezing which are the classic symptoms of asthma.

AM: For those who are living with asthma, what do you suggest that they should be aware of when it comes to living a 360 life in terms of fitness whether they’re an enthusiast or an athlete?

DR. CJR: I think if you are an athlete or a fitness enthusiast who lives with asthma, then you have to understand your disease and listen to your body when it’s telling you that you don't have your disease under control. It's very important for people to be aware of their symptoms because the last thing you want is for that persistent inflammation to continue which could lead to a hospitalization, severe asthma attack and potentially death. If you're using an inhaler and you're still coughing or short of breath when you do things like going up a flight of stairs, you need to tell your physician – whether it's your primary care physician, your pulmonologist, or your allergist – that your medication isn’t working and see what else is out there.

AM: Can you tell me about what LungZone is, why you wanted to be involved in it and how you’re participating with this program.

DR. CJR: LungZone is a virtual community created by Sanofi and Regeneron to allow patients and their family members the opportunity to become educated about what asthma is, what inflammation is present in your lungs, and potentially how to treat that inflammation appropriately. The reason why I'm involved in LungZone is because as a doctor, it marries two things I'm in love with. One is immunology, which is the study of white blood cells and what they do in the body when there’s inflammation present. And the other thing is communication. I think it's very important for patients and their family members to understand what the body is going through. What I have found, is that people who understand what's going on in their body tend to tolerate their disease a little bit better, and they feel empowered by learning what's going on in their body and understanding how they can help control their disease. I think that that is something that is extremely important, and it's something I'm passionate about.

AM: How can our readers participate?

DR. CJR: Your readers can participate by going to JoinLungZone.com and taking my "Help Manage Your Asthma" class or take the other more dynamic classes from Gunnar Peterson and Kelley Green. I think what's good about these classes is that they truly help people understand what their body is going through, what they maybe need to ask their physician and other ways to strengthen their body and manage their systems.

AM: As we have all been navigating these past months due to COVID-19, can you share any information in terms of those who have actually battled COVID while being asthmatic or for those who have not had COVID but do have asthma how this may affect them?

DR. CJR: What's interesting about asthma is that there are different subcategories of asthma. Depending on the type of asthma, a person might deal with SARS-CoV-2 differently. Asthma leads to airway inflammation, and so does COVID-19. If asthma-related inflammation is uncontrolled, then COVID-related inflammation can be really problematic. If there's one thing that I've learned, it is making sure that a person's asthma symptoms and the inflammation are under control.

AM: Do those who are not asthmatic but have gotten COVID experience some of the issues that are similar to asthma?

DR. CJR: Yes, you can. Again, when you have that inflammation of lungs, whether it's caused by smoke, pollen, or COVID, the symptoms are going to be the same. I have had people who have never been diagnosed with asthma, that now have asthma due to this persistent inflammation in the post-COVID setting.

AM: For those that may not have received the vaccine for COVID and are asthmatic, what is your message to them to encourage them to get it?

DR. CJR: I love this question and I will tell you why. If you're a patient of mine, you're going to understand what asthma is and how it works. We talk a lot about targeting inflammation. The whole point of a vaccine is to calm down inflammation and not allow the immune system to overreact and cause more problems. It’s a lot easier for my patients to understand how and why a vaccine works. We also talked in the earlier questions about what complications COVID can cause when you have asthma, and that’s also what I discuss with my patients.

AM: You are a busy man without a doubt. You're the founder/ownder of West Coast Lung. Can you tell me more about this and why you wanted to launch your own office?

DR. CJR: When I was a young doctor, I understood that the most important people to be able to communicate with were not my colleagues, it was my patients. There was a particular incident when I was in the hospital, and a colleague of mine couldn't get a patient to open up. This lady looked exactly like my grandma. So, first thing I said to her was, "Good Afternoon Mama." And she just opened up to me. My colleague said to me, "How did you know to call her mama?" I said, "She's an African American female so she's mama, that's just who she is.” That's when I understood that I needed to make certain I knew how to communicate with patients. So, when I started West Coast Lung, I wanted to focus on messaging and education amongst patients and their family members, so they can understand what is going on with their bodies. I think it empowers people and allows them to more easily deal with what they have, and perhaps make some changes to their diet and exercise that helps them feel better in the long run.

AM: You’re also the VP of the Association for Healthcare Social Media. What is this organization and how are you involved?

DR. CJR: We knew that social media was going to be a place where people were going to get health information. We knew that 50% of people got their health information from social media, which was astonishing to us, but we also know with social media that you can post anything. We understand our role with messaging and how to combat misinformation, and that's what we are continuing to do. Our role in social media is continuing to evolve, and we partner with YouTube, Pinterest, and are always looking for other media partners to be able to express our message. We have physicians that discuss gastroenterology, fertility, and obstetrics. So, we really all understand the impact that social media has and as a company you want to be able to deal with it in a very positive way.

AM: You’re also the National Spokesperson of the Lung Association! What do you to bring awareness to lung health and how long have you been in this role?

DR. CJR: I've been involved with the American Lung Association for about four years. What I like about being a spokesperson, is that it gives you the opportunity to show that there are doctors who look like me on a national scale. I think that there's a lot of kids that look like me that may not know that they can be a doctor, or they can become a doctor, so I think that showcasing that was important to me. It also allows me to practice my craft around messaging and teaching on the national stage and explain things in a way that everybody can understand, which again I think is really important. Being in this position allows me to be that bridge between science and your everyday person.

AM: Going through your Instagram, it’s evident that you’re passionate about pulmonary issues and making it approachable through your videos. Why has this been important for you to share this kind of information socially?

DR. CJR: You have to be able to explain it in a way that people can understand. If you can't, you've done nothing. For example, with the COVID vaccines, within a year we went from having nothing to "go get the vaccine." We had a year to teach immunology.

I think in that moment I understood and said, "You know what, I am just going to teach how the body works." If people can understand that, maybe they can get to the conclusion of how a vaccine works. I teach why the vaccine may work, but I also teach about Onesimus, who was the African slave who brought the concept of vaccination to this country in the 1700s. I discuss why Onesimus had this belief in how smallpox should be treated and how that concept came from Africa to Boston during the smallpox pandemic. I want people to understand, and I use their language to make it happen.

AM: In addition to using your platform for health, it also looks like you enjoy having fun like your appearance on Game of Talents this past spring and sharing your wall of Js. How important is it to you that you have that work life balance as well as sharing that doctors come in many forms and can literally be a cool guy that you’d want in your friend group?

DR. CJR: I think it's important for people to be themselves and embrace who you are. I've done game shows with my friends. I'll still go out with my wife and my kids and coach them all the time. I think it’s just doing the things that I enjoy. Being a professional doesn't mean you need to ignore certain aspects of your life. I spent a lot of a lot of time learning that saying no doesn't mean you don't have to be you, it just means that you're focused on what you're trying to gain. I was focused on gaining my medical degree, my fellowship and ultimately my career. I'm just not going to let go of being me.

AM: As we get closer to the end of the year, are there any projects that you'd like to share that we should know about?

DR. CJR: In addition to my partnership with Sanofi and Regeneron on LungZone, another major project I am working on is developing a television program in which we educate people in a barber shop setting. There's a lot of education that happens at the barber shops. You know, I always have a dry erase pen with me so I can draw the science to help people understand, and I think taking that to a broader audience is extremely important. Being able to educate in any setting gives people the power to understand, and exposure to others who made them think about something in a different way. We have some prominent Hollywood producers and musicians involved and I think it’s going to a really positive platform that allows people to ask questions and find answers in an easy-to-understand way.

IG @DrJRutland

PHOTOS COURTESY | LungZone

Read the OCT ISSUE #70 of Athleisure Mag and see Breathe in with Gunnar Peterson + Dr. Cedric James Rutland in mag.

GET VACCINATED, ACT UNVACCINATED WITH DORRY SEGEV, MD. PHD

The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply altered all of our lives and we feel truly blessed to have the opportunities to have high quality vaccines available in the US. We came across some truly excellent work in this area by world-renowned organ transplant surgeon, Dorry Segev, MD, PhD, particularly around the efficacy of the vaccines for organ transplant and immunocompromised patients, and reached out to find out more about his studies and findings and definitely have important information to convey to our reader community. Please take note and pass along this information to your family and friends if applicable.

Dr Segev is the Marjory K. and Thomas Pozefsjy Professor of Surgery and Epidemiology and Associate Vice Chair of Surgery at Johns Hopkins University. He is the founder and director of the Epidemiology Research Group in Organ Transplantation (ERGOT), the largest and most prolific group of its kind in the world.

People who are immunocompromised or immunosupressed should get vaccinated when possible and also continue to strictly follow Covid-19 safety measures after vaccination, including proper mask wearing, social distancing, and hand washing as the efficacy after their vaccine series may be less than people with healthy immune systems due to their condition or medicines they take. Studies are also underway focusing on these patients, especially those taking certain types of immunosupressants, who may be considering a third dose when seeing no/low antibody response after their vaccine series while working with their doctors and careful medical consideration.

We spoke with Dr. Dorry Segev about his recent groundbreaking study on Antibody Response to 2-Dose SARS-CoV-2 mRNA Vaccine Series in Solid Organ Transplant Patients, that evaluated the state of transplant and immunocompromised patients and Covid-19 vaccination in the US today; some upcoming studies he is currently working on; and some of the core fitness and wellness activities and life lessons that he focuses on in his active lifestyle.

See Dr. Segev’s groundbreaking study on Covid 19 mRNA vaccine response.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What led you to study the response efficacy of Covid-19 mRNA vaccines in transplant and immunocompromised patients?

DR. DORRY SEGEV: As a transplant surgeon, I take care of people who are on immunosuppression and who are vulnerable. We know that transplant patients were at higher risk of getting Covid-19 and higher risk of dying from Covid during the pandemic, so as soon as there was talk of the vaccine coming out I knew 2 things, 1) that transplant patients might be fearful of taking the vaccine because transplant patients and anybody with on immunosuppression were excluded from the original trials – so they did not have evidence the vaccine was safe specifically for them (eg. an organ rejection or a flare of auto immune disease) - so very early on we wanted to make sure it was safe for immunosuppressed people and we did that very early on; and 2) we also wanted to understand how much immune response immunosuppressed people were having, because to have an immune response from the vaccine you have to have a functioning immune system and we purposefully inhibit the immune system of people with transplants and autoimmune diseases and things like that by putting them on medications that specifically blunt the immune system so that they don’t get rejections and flares and manifestations of their conditions. So it’s a balance between not wanting them to have a rejection but probably we are limiting the ability of their immune system to mount a response with the vaccine. Since this was a new vaccine technology and particularly dealing with a virus out there more fatal disease than say the flu - we did the study very early on. With the initial roll-out prioritizing medical staff and frontline transplant broadly on social media so we could very quickly say things about safety and immune response.

AM: What was your reaction to the results?

DR. DS: I knew that the immune response would be less - I had no idea it would be this much less. Basically, after 2 doses of the vaccine, the overwhelming majority of transplant patients do not have evidence of the same level of protection that people with normal immune systems have. More specifically, half of them have no antibodies detectable after 2 doses which is in stark contrast to every single person with a normal immune system who would have high levels of antibodies, and even the half who have antibodies have lower levels than those in the general population with intact immune systems. So this is highly problematic for transplant patients. They probably have some level of protection if they get the vaccine, maybe they get less severe disease, but assuming they have the same level of protection as people with normal immune systems is a very dangerous assumption.

AM: So this is largely about the medications transplant patients and immunocompromised patients take?

DR. DS: That’s why I found myself as a transplant doctor also studying people with autoimmune diseases because it is specifically related to the medications that we have people take. So anybody who takes immunosuppression, medication that specifically impacts for example the B-cell or T-cell immune systems, is at risk of having a lower response to the vaccine. For example, the typical triad cocktail of immunosuppression for transplant patients is steroids, antimetabolites, and calcineurin inhibitors, and all of those attack certain aspects of the immune system which are necessary for the best immune responses to a vaccine.

AM: Now – it's definitely still recommended for transplant and immunocompromised patients to get the vaccine when it’s feasible for them?

DR. DS: No question, other than very rare cases where someone is not a candidate for the vaccine, the overwhelming recommendation from all the transplant societies and societies that deal with rheumatic and autoimmune disease is for sure to get vaccinated. Because whatever is happening, it is an immunologic journey to go from no protection to, ultimately, adequate or some protection from Covid-19. You need to prime the immune system, get the B-cells and T-cells activated, etc. You need to start that journey as soon as you can and things will start to move around. If you will ultimately need a 3rd dose, for example, you still need to get the first 2 doses anyway. For sure get vaccinated, as soon as possible, with the full series as recommended in the US. And an area of ongoing investigation is what to do next for people who don’t have a response to the vaccine series.

AM: Can people take antibody tests to see if vaccines are working?

DR. DS: There are established quantitative antibody tests, but there are dozens and some are more reliable than others. In our studies we’ve included what tests we’ve used with thousands of patients and there is some reliability there, like the other big JAMA studies, but some others haven’t been evaluated as carefully. If you’re working with doctors and considering a 3rd dose, then an antibody test is a reasonable place to start to see if a patient has antibodies, in weighing risks and benefits of that, in knowing where you are starting antibody-wise - so it can help you make the decision if it may be a right move for you. Another instance where antibody tests may be really important is - say you’re a transplant patient being required to go back to work in a mixed-vaccinated, mixed-mask wearing setting, and it is a high likelihood you don’t have high antibodies, then a test result could show being your employer that you are far safer to work remotely, and that may be some useful quantifiable evidence for that.

AM: We were just going to ask about third doses, so this is an option to consider for some specific people when working with their doctors?

DR. DS: A number of transplant patients with sub-optimal responses to the initial vaccine series have gotten third doses in consultation with their doctors, and careful medical consideration. We’re actually running an observational study, where anybody who has done or is doing that is welcome to check out and join our study and we check their B-cell and T-cell, and entire immune system, before and after that third dose. We did another published on June 14, a 30 patient study to look at the safety and immunogenicity of a third dose of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in solid organ transplant recipients. Here is a link to this study. From our study we saw if you had a very low antibody response and had a 3rd dose, you got boosted to a high antibody response, and if you had no antibody response, even then about 1/3 got boosted to having an antibody response and the other 2/3 didn’t, but we’re still studying their T-cell immunity and deeper immune system. In France, a patient group sent our first JAMA paper to, the French government, who then said anyone taking immunosuppression medication should get 3 doses already. So we’ll probably see a lot of data coming out of France to see if there is a better immune response with 3 doses than 2 doses for these patients.

We have an ongoing observational study, and after careful medical consideration with their doctors, we are welcoming patients to visit/join Transplantvaccine.org.

We are also working with the NIH with to launching an interventional trial where we’ll be able to give people a third vaccine dose under standardized and formal circumstances, while carefully monitoring their transplanted organ. The plan is to start as a pilot study at John Hopkins in Baltimore and to expand to multi-center national trial. For that pilot study, we are awaiting the necessary approvals for that. We hope to get these approvals and then we may be enrolling people this summer if it goes forward.

AM: So due to the medication use, it is recommended that patients taking immunosuppression medication be aware and more cautious after being vaccinated?

DR. DS: Anybody in the US who is taking immunosuppression of any sort that purposely blocks their immune system should be talking to their doctors about efficacy and risk protection, rather than read trying to make sense of the massive published literature on their own, or getting information from other sources. Right now all that is being measured are antibodies, not B-cell or T-cell immunity, so maybe in a couple months we can look on per-drug levels under the surface for other assurances. You should be talking to your doctors and be careful, some medications that people take with autoimmune diseases may have a negative impact to the immune response like transplant patients include antimetabolites – like Mycophenolate or, Azathioprine – like Rituximab - like, Brentuximab, and Tacrolimus, which is a calcineurin inhibitor also taken by transplant patients, and are showing similar issues. There are many medications for autoimmune patients, but this is all still being looked at.

AM: So what can everybody do in the meantime to help people that are transplant patients and those that are immunosuppressed?

DR. DS: The best way we can deal with this pandemic is for everyone to get vaccinated so people with normal immune systems can develop the kind of protection that can reduce the prevalence of this horrible virus in our communities and can help protect the people who have more compromised immune systems who can’t mount that level of immune protection for themselves.

We’d like to thank Dr. Segev, and his colleagues, for the amazing work done shedding light on these issues for transplant and immunocompromised patients. It was interesting to see that all of the studies published so far have been entirely funded through philanthropy.

If people are interested in helping with philanthropic efforts for Dr. Segev’s other studies and trials, they should can contact the doctor directly at Dorry@jhmi.edu.

This work was supported by the Ben-Dov family; grants F32DK124941 (Dr Boyarsky), K01DK101677 (Dr Massie), and K23DK115908 (Dr Garonzik-Wang) from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); grant K24AI144954 (Dr Segev) from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); and by grant gSAN-201C0WW from the Transplantation and Immunology Research Network of the American Society of Transplantation (Dr Werbel).

AM: What kinds of things do you do for leading an active lifestyle in terms of fitness and wellness?

DR. DS: I try to cycle every other day, do water skiing when I can, and rock climb outside or inside at Earth Treks in-between. My wife, Sommer Gentry, a MIT-trained PhD mathematician, and I have been in the competitive partner dance community since 1999, and were competing in Lindy Hop swing dancing at national level, and for 3 years and were in top 5 nationally. I was a musician for most of my life and loved discovering that you can move physically to music, and that swing dancing is improvizational like jazz is improvizational, so improv with a partner in dance as a physical expression in a partnered way was similar to jazz on stage with other musicians, but was more physical.

AM: What kinds of nutrition goals do you have in your diet?

DR. DS: I try my best to eat healthy, lots of green stuff, and avoid carbs and sugary foods. The only dessert I’m willing to eat is 80% or higher Cacoa chocolate, but really try to cut out foods that are chemical reactions versus those you find in nature, and also try not to eat emotionally but only only when hungry. I’m willing to eat 80% or higher Cacoa chocolate, especially by training myself this is my reward, being super healthy, but can have this incredibly delicious chocolate while having some tea, although I’ll admit that this high-level of Cacao is an acquired taste. It’s a great experience while staying fit. Another advantage for this as a sweet is that most people don’t ask for a bite!

AM: What general life aphorisms do you follow?

DR. DS: I follow 2 which are great to share.. My favorite quote from Stephen Sondheim is – ‘wishes come true, not free.’ You can fulfil your wishes, but you have to work hard to do so - I love how he says this so elegantly and efficiently. Another is a life motto of mine is to try something you’re not good at every day, with the goal of reminding of yourself embracing humility, being only human and trying to improve. Sure, others can do many things better than I do, so it’s how to start getting better. When I started dancing I was a terrible dancer, but by being humble and working hard I was able to reach a nationally competitive level. It takes hard work to make changes!

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 134 - 135 Unsplash/Nick Fewings | PG 138 - 139 Unsplash/CDC | PG 140 Unsplash/Elizabeth McDaniel |

PHOTOS COURTESY | PG 137, 143 - 149 Dr. Dorry Segev |

Read the JUN ISSUE #66 of Athleisure Mag and see Get Vaccinated, Act Unvaccinated with Dorry Segev, MD. PhD in mag.

VACCINATE NEW YORK

As we continue to navigate getting our vaccines, make sure to keep an eye out on the updates so you know when you’re eligible here in NY or wherever you’re located.

BACK TO SCHOOL IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

COVID-19 has made the way that we go about our business very different than what we have ever experienced. As we navigate going to work, working from home and for those with children, how they will be able to send their kids to in-person school - the challenges have never been higher! With teachers balancing between in-person, remote and blended learning, resources to make this happen to optimize teaching has come into focus as well.

DonorsChoose conducted a survey of 1,000 public school teachers across the country about their feelings, experiences, and expectations for the upcoming school year and found out that: 

·       67% of teachers said they feel somewhat or very unsafe returning to the classroom this school year 

·       42% of teachers surveyed are expecting to start the year teaching in some sort of blended online/in-person style, 35% of teachers will start the year completely online, 8% are expecting to be in the classroom full time, and 14% are still waiting to find out their school’s plans. 

·       79% of teachers told us that the resources they need most for in-person instruction are cleaning supplies and PPE and the resources they need most for online learning are instructional technology to help them teach remotely.

The survey also uncovered worrying signs that COVID-19 will only widen the inequity gap, hurting our nation’s most vulnerable students worst. And, while online learning is a challenge for everyone, 52% of teachers said that fewer than half of their students participated regularly in online learning last spring. But teachers in low-income communities saw lower rates of student engagement than teachers from wealthier communities. 

Access to technology and the internet is also a greater challenge for students in low-income communities, despite the fact that 92% of teachers reported their districts providing some technology to students to help facilitate online learning. Teachers in low-income communities were more likely than teachers in wealthier communities to report that most or all of their students were struggling with lack of reliable internet access and difficulty using online tools.

This year marks the 20th back-to-school season for DonorsChoose, the nonprofit education crowdfunding site designed exclusively for teachers, which was started in 2000 from a Bronx classroom, before “crowdfunding” was even a word. Since then, DonorsChoose has raised $1 billion to support classroom teachers, funding 1.7 million requests from 600,000 teachers at 84,000 schools. Teachers at 85% of America’s public schools have created a project request on DonorsChoose and 78% of projects funded support schools with students from low-income communities. On September 16, for one day only, DonorsChoose is marking its 20th anniversary by giving a 50% match to all donations to teachers’ project requests.  For example, when a donor gives $20, their donation becomes $30 to help a teacher in need. 

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW WITH GUNNAR PETERSON

This month, we chat with one of our favorite celebrity fitness trainers Gunnar Peterson who has worked with a number of your favorite personalities from Khloe Kardashian, Jennifer Lopez and more. In addition, as the Director of Strength & Endurance for the Lakers, we talk with him about how he has worked with his clients and the team to keep them on their routines. He also shares advice on movements that we can do at home regardless of whether we have equipment or not. He also shares his thoughts on returning to gyms and studios as the country is in various stages of reopening.

ATHLEISURE MAG: We always love being able to talk to you and being able to optimize our workouts and here in NY we have been in since March 13th. Thankfully, we got all of our equipment that we needed and we had no idea how long that we would be staying in due to COVID-19. What did you suggest to your clients in terms of equipment that they should have on hand?

GUNNAR PETERSON: I love that you guys got your equipment right away because it seems to me from what I heard, that the people that didn’t get it right out of the gate automatically had to line up and there was a delay. I have a very strange relationship with equipment – you can call it an addiction or a relationship whatever you want. That said, look whatever you have – even if you have nothing, you can still make it work. I would suggest adjustable dumbbells, a piece of cardio equipment that you enjoy, an assortment of bands, an auxiliary piece of cardio – think jump rope, a utility bench, a stability ball and that is all best case scenario. Worse case, we will get busy with water bottles, soup cans, a broom stick, a stepping stool, a couple of pieces of scrap cardboard. If you have that kind of stuff lying around it doesn’t have to be a mish mash like that, I actually thought those through it’s not grab bag you can come out of this lockdown in better shape. How’s that for a statement on standby?

AM: Love that statement. About a week before this quarantine, we had bands and a few other things, but didn’t really have dumbells, weight plates and other things like that so I was on Amazon and started amassing these items. And once we were in quarantine, you couldn’t get anything. We were pretty well stocked on our end.

GP: I heard it from people that are planners and those that get out ahead of things like this. There were other people that told me that they had nothing and that they had given everything away. Ever since they had started coming to me, they had given everything away as they didn’t need it in their house anymore because they came to me. I was like, “oh I’m sorry – like I’m supposed to be the person to blame for this.”

The household items though the water bottles and the soup cans, broom stick an ottoman – you can fill up garbage bags with laundry because they have the handles built in and scrap pieces of cardboard or a towel. You can use a scrap piece of cardboard if you’re outdoors on the lawn or turf. If not on a towel if you have a hard surface like poured concrete or hardwood floors. Any of those towels can work for leg curls, hip curls, hip bridges, ab extensions, chest flys there are so many movements you can do on the floor with that. People are like, “cardboard?” and I’m like yeah. I actually demo-d that workout online for someone out on the lawn, you put your heels on the cardboard and you do a leg curl in and put your hips up and your hamstrings and your glutes are good to go.

AM: What are 3 movements for abs, and legs, butts and arms that we should include within our routines as we’re always looking at changing it up a little bit and just optimizing that workout?

GP: For abs I would say, think bicycle crunches where you’re pulling left knee into right elbow and you’re up and semi crunched the entire time so that you’re abs which is all about time under tension the TUT Principle. The abs are engaged the whole time and you’re working that transverse rotation bringing the right elbow to left knee while extending that right leg and pulling the right leg in and extending the right leg and the left elbow to the right knee.

Also abs in extension which comes down to you being on your knees, toes in contact with the ground in sort of like a coffee table position and then extend the arms by sliding a towel out or if you’re on a piece of cardboard then you’re on cardboard. You want to extend them and working abs in extension is important and not just working them in inflection and also athletically – a lot of the strain happens when people will go into extension against resistance and they weren’t prepared for it. So you want to work on extension. You can also do that single arm right? You can fly one arm out and bring it back and the other arm up and bring it back just to create an uneven load.

The third one I would say is the hip bridge. So, using that same towel, put your forearm on it, extend your body and think about keeping a straight line between all of the h’s – head, hip, heels – straight line. Lower the hips down, draw the abs in. Your cue is when you pass center line pull your abs in and then bridge up so now you’re working frontal plane abs. So those are the movements for abs.

For legs, I would say squats and you have a number of squat movements to choose from whether it’s a basic squat, a sumo squat, a split squat, kick stands – there are a million ways to do that. But you definitely want to hit a squat and you should do that loaded because you’re working a big muscle group and it can handle an exterior load.

Then I would add clock lunges. Picture yourself standing in a center of a clock right where the hands are right where the hands meet in the middle. With your right leg step to 12 step to 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 which involves a full pivot again the transverse plane. Then bring it back to 12 and then with your left leg, go to 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6 and back.

Then I would say, single leg deadlifts and if you need that, do it next to your dresser, counter or a willing family member so that you can stabilize. You want to hinge at the hip and have something in your hand, something weighted whether it’s the water bottle or a dumbbell – whatever you have and down to your hip and then come up so that you have a stretch in your hamstring. Push through your heel and your big toe as you stand up so you fire the glutes and continue through that – you’re a lot stronger. A lot of people say, “aww my back.” Don’t worry about your back. You’re going to go in that position through your life so many times, you have to strengthen it. You’re doing yourself a disservice to not strengthen it.

And for glutes, I would say a lateral lunge. A deep lunge out to the side and really getting low on that because you want to hit gluteus medius and power through back to the starting position and alternate sides.

I would say a hip bridge, you can do that single leg or double leg. So put one foot up – one foot off the ground. You’re lying on your back, create a triangle between where you’re up from the ground and where your heel is on the ground and then bridge up by driving into the heel on the floor which is a single leg version. The double leg version, obviously both of your heels are on the ground.

Then I would add something explosive and plyometric. A tuck jump and you can do those in place. The goal is not to drop down super low into a squat and jump. Think about when you see someone jumping at a volleyball net or when they’re getting a rebound from a basketball – they don’t drop their hips all the way to the floor, they literally hinge at the hips and explode upward. So think of that kind of jump.

For arms, I would say something in a curl and I would spice up the curl a little bit and do it in a split stance. I like to create the offload, I like to make the core fire even more and do whatever your scheme is half of it with your right leg bag and left leg forward and then you drop down relatively low and then switch the split and repeat the same number of the reps of the curls.

That’s 1 the 2nd one would be a close grip push up. So keeping your hands relatively narrow and more importantly than that, tuck your elbows into your sides so you can feel your ribcage slide down against your forearm on the way down. If it’s too hard to do them on the floor, instead of doing them on your knees – I’m not a huge fan of that, I would say do them off of something. Elevate the hands versus just staying on your knees. So you’re still getting that fully planked position whether you come up and do it on an ottoman or at the end of a bed or on the end of a couch depending on your fitness level right?

Back in the day, Zsa Zsa Gabor did a workout video (Editor’s Note: of course we had to check out this video which is 30 mins of Zsa Zsaisms, working out and is worth watching) and she actually had 2 body builders come out and she just leaned back and did the push up off their chest. So she was still standing at a 5° incline but you can work backwards to any level of fitness. I want to say that she was in her 70’s when she did it so kudos to her for still doing the work.

AM: That’s pretty amazing!

GP: I know, when I saw it, I thought, “you have to give her credit for that.”

The 3rd one would be a press overhead. And that’s not for your arms, biceps, triceps, but it’s for your shoulders. If you look at the side view of the arm, almost half of that is the cap of your shoulder. So overhead pressing of any kind whether you alternate, palms forward, palms in – you just want to make sure that you get the shoulders. Especially since a lot of clothing in the summer time is exposing the shoulder.

AM: I know on your Instagram, that you created quarantine courses for your family to do. How important is it for your to incorporate movement especially with children and what do you suggest to do to keep them engaged?

GP: For us, it’s a priority. It’s not for everybody but it is for us. The kids learn how to move and use their bodies, how to work through things that are difficult and I think that that’s a life metaphor and you get to spend real quality time with them and I would suggest mixing in things that you know that they like as well as things that they need. That’s the challenge of being the parent. You challenge them and then you reward them with something that is good for them. My kids love Propel, they love the electrolyte water and there are 0 grams of sugar and I know that post workout, they need the electrolytes so it’s such an easy reward and sometimes I will put it at the end so right when he comes off the course, they’re there. They can pick the flavor and you’re empowering them with that.

AM: In addition, you have been participating in a number of IG Lives doing various workouts during this time of quarantine, how important is that to you to do those things and let people across the internet to have people workout with you and also engage with you?

GP: It’s important for me because A it keeps me sharp on the selfish side. I like doing anything that I can with the fitness community and the fitness industry as a whole. If I can add to that collective, then count me in. It’s not like I am putting on the Propel fitness stuff in my backyard, but if I am giving something that can approximate that during a time when we may have to push that back in a calendar then I’m all for it – sign me up.

AM: Across the US, we have various levels of openings on city and state levels. A lot of gyms and studios are doing that as well and a lot of people are excited to go back to their favorite spaces, but there is a lot of apprehension to in terms of whether the gyms themselves are actually prepared to be opened. What are your thoughts on how we can return to them safely and what we should be looking for when we enter? Should we be bringing items with us?

GP: You said it first – safety right? Be smart and be safe. Make sure that you’re doing the right thing and if you see someone who isn’t, instead of tattling and being condescending – I would share with them what the right approach is and be open if they share with you. We can all get better together. Remember we all heard a lot of information in the last 5+ months and we all process it differently. There are a lot of beliefs, so it’s better to be open and tolerant until we have all the facts locked down. I know I said lock down, but I said that on purpose!

As far as what you bring, I am a big fan of bringing my towel and water to the gym. I bring my towel and my Propel. You might want to double up and bring gloves, I don’t know the science on that one yet, but I’m OCD enough that I’m taking my towel and Propel with me for sure. I’m not going to be needing water fountains for a little bit if I can help it.

AM: For sure! You’re the Director of Strength & Endurance Training for the Lakers, our favorite team!

GP: Ah I love that!

AM: The Lakers have been our team since the 80’s.

GP: Not a fair weather fan, I like that!

AM: With the NBA completing their season and getting closer to the Playoffs, what has this time been like for you in terms of working with the team, preparing them prior to going to the bubble in Orlando and during this season?

GP: So our Strength Staff, a guy named Chattin Hill (Lakers’ Associate Head Strength & Conditioning Coach), Ed Streit (Lakers’ Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach) and I put together a Fit Kit and we sent the Fit Kits to the players early on. I don’t think that we got the jump on as early as you did, but we were a couple of days behind. We sent those to the players and we also emailed and texted them daily individualized workouts and all that was done within days of the lockdown. We also held and this ended up being great, but there was an element of comedy to it, we held Zoom workouts a couple of times a week to maintain the interaction, to keep the camaraderie up, trash talking – that was the great job of our GM Rob Pelinka and it ended up being great. There were times when the strength staff were a little disjointed and disconnected in doing it all on Zoom, but it created a moment of levity during some of those uncertain times. I’m sure you guys went through it too! There were times when the lockdown felt super annoying and there were times when it felt super scary! Like it was legitimately, “let’s not poo poo this guys. This is real.” Then you just develop a system. I’m sure that there is a psychology there of numerous phases that we all went through and having those workouts allowed those guys to keep connected and also allowed them to keep connected to us allowed them to keep connected to us which was key.

AM: Wow! When we did our last photoshoot it was with Rachel Nichols from ESPN. It was literally the day after the NBA announced that they were postponing the season. We’re literally sitting with her coming off of ESPN, doing the shoot and we’re looking at each other saying, “is this the last time that we’re going to be doing this for awhile?”

GP: I know Rachel and I like her. She’s very smart and she’s not taking any chances. If she did that then she did the right thing and hats off to her! I’m not surprised actually that she did it the right way.

AM: She is amazing and she was an awesome cover for us in March.

Obviously, the word “typical” feels like a very strange word right now, but what is a typical day or week like for you right now in terms of all the stuff that you’re doing?

GP: The only thing typical is that everything changes every day. I make sure to get some kind of workout in for myself, call it selfish, call it self preservation. I use the down time to connect with my family as well as a lot more Face Time calls with my brother, my parents and I think that it’s probably fair to say that our house as well as my sock drawer has never been neater! I have a lot cleaned up – everything is clean!

AM: You’re always working on so many things, is there anything coming up that we should know about or that your happy to announce with everyone?

GP: Lots of irons on the fire, that’s the way that I like it. I’d rather do than talk so let’s see what actually materializes after this. I will say that I have not been idle, definitely not going to sit around and do nothing. There’s definitely good stuff coming up though – definitely! More than just Instagram obstacle courses. Although I did enjoy those I’ve gotta say!

AM: As someone who is working with your clients whether it’s in person or virtually, doing things with your family and you have all of these different projects, how are you taking time for yourself just to make sure that you have the time that you need?

GP: So, I emphasized and the things that I struggle with the most – sleep and recovery. I’ve been working on that for the past 4 years and I’ve really made that a concerted effort to bump those up. I’m far from perfect for sure but it is still a focus and I have been able to improve it. I make sure that I get my workouts in which keeps me sane and it also makes me less of a jackass around my kids and my wife so that’s a priority ha!

AM: Haha I know they appreciate that! So we love asking our changemakers who inspire so many people who are 3 people that inspire you that have gotten you to where you are now?

GP: My parents and I have to put them together. A, for no backlash and B, because it’s the right thing. My parents for just the way that they weather storms. They have been married for over 60 years and I’m sure it hasn’t been perfect, but they just finish what they start kind of thing. My brother who is a super successful business man and all around greatest most generous guy going and I’m going to keep it in the family and say my wife and kids. They really inspire. It’s those days that you get up and go, “I’m getting up today because I know my purpose.” Obviously, you know that it supports your family, but they make me better!

Years ago, I worked for Jennifer Lopez for a long time and that’s not name dropping a lot of people know that. I wrote her a note one New Year’s morning. It just hit me that I was so thankful to have had the opportunity – I was still working with her, but I wanted to acknowledge it in real time. The opportunity to work with her – my working with her made me want to do my job better because I saw how well she did her job and how hard she pushed. I wrote her a note and I just said, “I want you to know I recognize this. I was always going to push myself and I was always going to strive for greatness, but being around you for this many years and watching how you do it has just made me A, be a representation of you at the same level, but also just to hold myself accountable because I see how hard you go and the standard to which you hold yourself.”

IG @GunnarFitness

PHOTOS COURTESY | Propel

Hear Celebrity Fitness Trainer and LA Lakers' Director of Strength & Endurance Gunnar Peterson on our show, #TRIBEGOALS - which is a part of Athleisure Studio, our multi-media 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.

Read the Aug Issue of Athleisure Mag #56 and see Something You Should Know with Gunnar Peterson in mag.

THE ART OF THE SNACK

This month's The Art of the Snack takes us to New Orleans to award winning James Beard Foundation, winner, Food & Wine winner and BRAVO's Top Chef Season 11 runner up and Fan Favorite, Chef Nina Compton. This restaurateur is the chef and founder of Bywater American Bistro and Compère Lapin. We caught up with her to talk about her culinary journey, both restaurants, signature dishes and cocktails and a meal that you can recreate at home. We also talk with her about the challenges that she has faced in running this restaurant while navigating COVID-19 that has effected the hospitality industry.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about your culinary journey and how you came to creating Bywater American Bistro and Compère Lapin?

NINA COMPTON: I grew up in St Lucia and felt the warmth of people coming together over a meal and decided to study at The Culinary Institute of America. Determined to continue learning from the best, I went to work for Daniel Boulud at Restaurant Daniel in New York City. After too many cold winters I decided to move to Miami where I worked under Norman Van Aken and Scott Conant. With the influence of these gifted chefs, I learned technique and flavor combinations that I could use to cook the food I wanted. I participated in Season 11 of Top Chef and was runner up and Fan Favorite. After this experience I decided it was time to open my own restaurant. An opportunity became available in New Orleans and I decided to go for it! I opened Compère Lapin in 2015 and Bywater American Bistro in 2018, all while falling in love with New Orleans, the Caribbean’s “Northernmost City.”

AM: You have a number of accolades including being a James Beard Foundation Best Chef: South 2018 and Food & Wine Best New Chefs 2017 just to name a few. What does receiving these awards mean to you?

NC: These awards mean a lot to me as a reward for keeping my nose down and working hard through the years. It’s kind of surreal to have your name mentioned in the same categories of chefs I’ve respected all of my life as well.

AM: How do you define your style of cooking?

NC: My style of cooking is the result of taking a St. Lucian girl, training her in classical French and Italian cuisine and technique then plopping her in the middle of the farms and seafood and culinary history of New Orleans. It’s a complete mixtape.

AM: As a chef, how is New Orleans infuse your food?

NC: In so many ways: The history of the food and drinks. The camaraderie of the culinary community here. From the corner poboy shop to hundred year-old bastions of Creole fine dining to the great Vietnamese influence, all you have to do is keep your eyes and mouth open.

AM: We loved seeing you in Top Chef on their 11th season. How was it to compete in this show and what lessons did you learn from it?

NC: It was stressful, you could go home any day for a mistake! But it was a nice break from working every day and I enjoyed it very much. When others were high strung, I decided to relax and have fun with it.

AM: Describe a bit about what guests can expect in terms of the menu and the ambiance for Bywater American Bistro and Compère Lapin?

NC: Compère Lapin is a little more refined whereas BABs is more of a neighborhood bistro. Both however are made to make the guest feel comfortable. Our servers wear jeans and rolled up sleeves, but serve you with the tepernets of fine dining. Music and an active bar scene at both places add to the fun and casual yet serious about the food, drink, and service vibe.

AM: What are 3 signature dishes at each of these restaurants?

NC: Compère Lapin: Curried Goat with Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Cold Marinated Shrimp with Jalepeno Jus, and Roasted Banana Zeppole with Rum Caramel Sauce.

BABs: Spaghetti Pomodoro, Roasted Octopus with Smoked Potato Puree and Confit Tomatoes, Curried Rabbit with Coconut Rice and peas.

AM: What are 3 signature cocktails at each of these restaurants?

NC: Compère Lapin: The Copper Bunny: Absolut Elyx/ Tequila/ Ginger/ Pineapple/ Jalepeno/ Champagne. Ramos Gin Freeze: A frozen Ramos Gin Fizz.

Melonious Funk: Bolden Vodka/ Melon Shrub/ Citrus/ Spiced Salt.

BABs: Kentucky Mule: A Moscow Mule but with Pinhook Bourbon and house made Ginger Beer.

Any Punch that we come up with daily.

Unique selections of wine from not too heavily represented regions.

AM: During COVID-19, many restaurants have had to pivot on how they served their guests and neighborhoods with pickup and delivery, what did you do during the initial weeks of quarantine?

NC: Everything at least once. We shut down. We did drive thru pop ups with just my husband and me. We did to go and delivery. When we were able to rehire some staff, but still nervous about safety we opened up BABs for only one table per night. It was fun for the guests and us, but that’s not a great way to make money. In July we brought back a limited staff at BABs and are operating at 50% capacity. We're planning to open Compère Lapin in September.

AM: As BABs is open, can you share information regarding the capacity, rules and systems that you have created to ensure guest and employee safety?

NC: BABs is open at a city mandated 50% occupancy. All tables are spaced at least six feet apart. Guests need to make reservations so their info would be available for contact tracing. Everyone’s in masks, including guests unless they’re eating. All surfaces are sterilized repeatedly thoughout the shift. All of the staff are temperature checked daily and know that they can call out sick any time they don’t feel well.

AM: Looking forward and based on how you have had to navigate the past few months, what are your goals for the restaurant as they continue through the summer as well as the fall?

NC: I think the best I can hope for is to break even. The government has made adjustments to PPP that make it more suitable for restaurants, but we could really use more help as an industry or there will be a lot of hardship. We are watching every penny even closer than before, hoping for the RESTAURANTS Act to pass, and hoping for an effective, safe vaccine.

AM: Many people have been cooking a lot more due to COVID-19 and many restaurants have responded by creating meal kits of their favorite meals that people can make at home OR providing a recipe. I know that you recently partnered with Tabasco. Can you tell us about the dish that you created using their sauce and why using this was the perfect complement to this dish? In addition, what is your go to sauce perthe perfect complement to this dish? In addition, what is your go to sauce personally from the brand?

NC: I love adding spice to my dishes, and one of my recent favorite recipes is Hot Honey Butter Chicken which uses the Tabasco Original Red Sauce. I also make a hot honey butter which makes it extra juicy while adding a tangy, sweet, and buttery taste to the chicken. I serve it with a corn and tomato salad for a soulful, satisfying family meal. You can find the recipe here.

AM: What ‘family meal’ means to you and your community in New Orleans?

NC: Family meal is not only important to individual households but also in the restaurant industry, having people surrounded by each other brought together by food. New Orleans is known for its food and culture and the sense of pride, it is only natural to welcome, friends, family and strangers and break bread.

IG @NinaCompton

@BywaterAmericanBistro

@CompèreLapin

PHOTOS COURTESY | Nina Compton

Read the July Issue Aug Athleisure Mag #55 and see The Art of the Snack in mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW | HARLEY PASTERNAK

COVID-19 has effected every aspect of our lives from our routines, our work, how we interact with one another and more. When it comes to working out at your favorite studios, the impact is felt here as well. We took some time to catch up with one of our favorite Celebrity Fitness Trainers and Nutritionists, Harley Pasternak who has trained Kim Kardashian, Charlie Puth and Ariana Grande to name a few. He shares how we can build our home studios, advice he has given his clients as well as what to expect (as well as what to bring) when we return to gyms and studios.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Here in NY our team began staying at home March 13th and we quickly got our equipment as we had no idea how long we would be staying home due to COVID-19. What did you suggest for your clients in terms of equipment that they should have on hand?

HARLEY PASTERNAK: Home fitness equipment has become a real scarcity in our new normal. The first thing I tell people to do, especially since the weather is nice, is to walk. Walking does not require any equipment and will definitely help you keep track of how much and how intensely you move. Next, I would opt for TRX suspension straps because they are fantastic for training and the posterior chain. Dumbbells are also great, if you can get them, since they are so versatile and don’t take up too much room. A bench, preferably an adjustable bench, also allows for countless strength moves. Otherwise, some sliders, a hip band and a glute ham roller would be high on my list of things that would make working out at home even better and more efficient. On top of that, recovery tools like foam rollers would be great to implement.

AM: Although we were fortunate to get our dumbbells, weight plates and bands - many have not been able to get those items. What would be substitutes for these items to have a productive workout?

HP: Cans of soup and water bottles are great substitutes for dumbbells, and large jugs of water or laundry detergent could work for kettle bells.

AM: What are 3 workouts for abs, 3 for legs and 3 for butts, 3 for arms that we should include within our routine?

HP: Pike planks, bicycle crunches, and twist planks are great to work your abdominals and fire up your entire core. For legs, walk lunges, lateral lunges, and hamstring curls with either sliders or a TRX band are great to do on a consistent basis. To work your glutes, I recommend single leg bridges, hip thrusts, and lower body Supermans.

AM: For those with families, how important is it to incorporate movement with their children and what do you suggest to keep them engaged?

HP: Now more than ever, it is critical to keep kids moving as much as possible since we are spending so much time indoors. Kids are really a product of their environments and respond well to behavior modeled by their parents. If your kids see you working out, working out becomes natural to them. Incorporating them into your workouts is even better and it makes it a real family affair. My family and I go on walks together which is a great way to stay connected and get some moves into our day. My wife and I also do strength circuits together with our four and six year olds. We even let our kids earn credits through doing exercise that allow them to have screen time.

AM: We follow your IG and we like your series on the #2fer. Can you tell our readers about this and why you created these posts?

HP: I created these posts because when COVID-19 hit and people started to quarantine, a lot of people felt frustrated that they could not access a gym or their favorite fitness instructor. Therefore, many fitness professionals created overly complicated fitness programs online and some even charged for it. After seeing this, I thought it would be nice to create a program with just two simple moves every day that require no equipment and are completely free and accessible for everybody to do. The feedback was incredibly positive, and it felt good to help people during a very difficult time. I emphatically believe working out should be accessible for everyone.

AM: We also love your posts that show you and your kids trying different fast foods as a means to show balance. Why is this important and in your tastings, have you found brands in this category that are healthy?

HP: The idea for these posts started with a client of mine ordering fast food to our house. My kids have never tried McDonald’s before, and I wanted to capture it on film. It was a really funny experience and when I posted it, it very quickly got over 40,000 views. I thought it was important to show people that there’s many sides to somebody who lives and teaches a healthy lifestyle. It’s important to allow us adults, and especially kids, a chance to taste everything in this world as well as to practice both indulgence and balance. The problem arises when we indulge too often and it becomes part of routine. We do these fast food experiences once a week and have a lot of fun with them. By allowing my children to try everything, they no longer yearn for these “forbidden” foods because they realize they are not forbidden, and often, they are not that delicious, and often give them a tummy ache.

AM: What are 3 power foods or snacks that you suggest that we enjoy pre/post workout?

HP: I’m not really a fan of pre-or post-workout meals. That’s really more having to do with bodybuilder or high-level athletes dealing with performance. I mainly focus on health and physical transformation. Other than having some caffeine 60 to 90 minutes prior to a workout, I focus more on creating three meals and two snacks a day, and then decide where to fit in my workout rather than the other way around.

AM: What are 3 healthy indulgences that we can enjoy?

HP: I think healthy indulgence is often an oxymoron. Most of the things that I find indulgent are really not healthy. Chocolate chip cookies and french fries are indulgent, but not healthy. However, I do think it’s healthy to indulge sometimes and not think about having to be healthy. I try to live by the 85 to 15 method: 85% of the time I eat clean and 15% of the time I eat what I want.

AM: Across the US, cities/states are in various levels of reopening. Many gyms and studios are reopening and although many are excited to get back to their routines, there is some apprehension amongst those working out and even for gyms that are preparing to reopen. What are your thoughts on how we can return to gyms/studios safely, what should we be looking for when we enter these spaces and are there items that we should bring with us?

HP: That’s a good question and one that is constantly changing. To be honest with you, I think it’s a little too soon to go back into indoor fitness spaces with multiple people huffing and puffing. These last few months where people have not been able to use health clubs, they realize that they’re able to get most of what they need to get done without an elaborate gym or fancy equipment. That being said, a well-equipped fitness facility has a lot more tools for you to train your body in fun and creative ways. There’s also the element of socialization. People really miss being in a group with group energy and a sense of belonging. Unfortunately, this may have to wait a little bit longer. If you do choose to go back to the gym, try to go at non-peak hours. I would also suggest maintaining a safe distance from those around you and making sure to wipe down any equipment you touch before and after use. I also suggest bringing your own hydration so you don’t have to share the drinking fountain. Propel Powder Packs, for example, are packed with electrolytes and easy to throw in your workout bag to make sure you’re properly hydrated.

AM: Via IG, we saw that you and Ariana Grande were doing an in-person workout, what are you personally doing for you and your clients to ensure mutual safety?

HP: I see very few clients in person and do the majority of my training online. For a few clients, we work out together at my studio in my outdoor gym. When doing this, both of us wear masks and keep a proper social distance. We also wipe down all surfaces of equipment that are touched by the clients, have replaced our cable attachments with copper-coated antimicrobial attachments, and have the gym deep cleaned twice a day, which is the same amount of cleaning we utilized before COVID. So far, so good.

AM: You have always stated that we should consume no more than 30g of sugar a day as it can lead to diabetes; however, sugar also has an impact on our immunity. Can you tell us about that?

HP: There are great number of studies that have shown the impact of sugar on our immune system. When we consume a high amount of sugar in either a meal or beverage, it can cause a temporary suppression of our immune system. Chronic consumption of a high sugar diet can also contribute to insulin insensitivity, obesity, and possibly even type two diabetes. These are all three incredibly high-risk factors for COVID complications as well.

AM: What foods can assist in raising our immunity?

HP: Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Zinc are all great to help support a healthy immune system. I like to incorporate Propel Vitamin Boost into my hydration routine because it has 100% of the daily recommended value of Vitamins B, C, and E. It is great to drink to during my workouts to stay hydrated as well as make sure that I get my vitamins in.

AM: As we continue to stay healthy from home, what should we be doing to optimize ourselves?

HP: Managing stress is important. Try not to have too much screen time, especially before bed, and make sure you are getting enough quality and quantity sleep. This will help keep Cortisol levels in check and ensure they don’t get out of whack and suppress your immune system. Staying physically active and hydrated is also very important. And most importantly, please wear a mask.

AM: As someone who is working with his clients whether in person or virtually, spending time with your family and working on a number of projects – how are you taking time for yourself in your downtime?

HP: Good question. I make sure I have breakfast and dinner with my family every day and weekends are all about my kids. As I’ve gotten older, I have realized how important prioritizing family and personal time is. I like to golf every Sunday morning, and make sure I have a date night at least once a week with my wife.

IG @HarleyPasternak

PHOTOS COURTESY | Propel

Read the July Issue of Athleisure Mag #55 and see Something You Should Know | Harley Pasternak in mag.

S2. E5. | #TRIBEGOALS WITH NBA CHAMPION, ENTREPRENEUR, PHILANTHROPIST, CANNABIS EDUCATOR & SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVIST MATT BARNES

On today's episode of #TRIBEGOALS, we talk with Athleisure Mag's June cover for issue #54 veteran NBA Champion Matt Barnes who played 14 seasons in the league. His ability to bring his energy and focus to the court was seen on a number of teams from the LA Lakers, Golden State Warriors and the Sacramento Kings just to name a few. His unapologetic honesty and loyalty to himself as well as who he works with shined through on the court and continues to be seen through his philanthropy, his skincare brand HUE For Every Man, the cannabis industry, as well as his focus on social justice. With the confluence of COVID-19 and the movement of #BlackLivesMatter, he continues to be at the forefront of ensuring that voices are heard and that people understand the importance of voting at the local, state and national level for changes to be made. He has lent his voice to rallies in his hometown of Sacramento for George Floyd as well as Stephon Clark. We talk about this as well as his successful podcast All the Smoke on SHOWTIME, his enterprises and the upcoming NBA season and playoffs and the importance of sports as we navigate challenging times.

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THE OSCARS FOR DOGS WITH MARIA MENOUNOS

There's nothing that relaxes us more than watching a dog show. This year's 4th Annual Beverly HIlls Dog Show Presented by Purina (airing May 17th at 8pm EST on NBC) is a new breed of dog show that allows us to see 1,500 dogs that are represented by 200 eligible breeds and varieties. During the portion that is aired on TV, you will be able to see each group winner walk the show's runway for the Best in Show judge to determine this year's champion. Before they hit the judging floor, they spend time with Emmy Award-winning journalist, author and TV personality Maria Menounos as she interviews the dogs as well as celebs when they hit the red carpet. We took some time to chat with her to find out why she loves being involved in this show, how she prepares for it versus traditional Awards Season shows and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Your career has included so many things as we have been a fan of yours since your days with the WWE and have had a number of WWE Superstars as our cover from Nattie, Naomi and Carmella which has been fun. We also love seeing you host a number of shows, your podcasts, Afterbuzz and more - when did you know that you wanted to work in broadcasting and hosting?

MARIA MENOUNOS: I feel like I have always been kind of, a fan of so many different things. I have been able to be apart of so many different worlds in my career so I am really grateful that I have been in the serious news world as well as the entertainment world, the wrestling world and the sports world – even the dog world. I feel like I always knew that I had a lot of interest, but the fact that I have been able to pursue all of them has been so cool.

AM: Can you tell us about the Beverly Hills Dog Show presented by Purina?

MM: Absolutely, The Beverly Hills Dog Show presented by Purina, will air Sun May 17th 8pm EST/7pm CT and you will get to see beautiful breeds of dogs – over 1,500 actually! They will be there and competing for Best in Show. What's cool about the Beverly Hills Dog Show as opposed to other shows is that you have Hollywood a part of this because it is Beverly Hills of course. We have stars like fashion icon Olivia Culpo to The Office star Brian Baumgartner to Instagram stars like Doug the Pug show up. I can’t get enough.

AM: This isn't your first time being a part of this event. What continues to draw you to this show?

MM: For me, I’m an animal lover. I love my dogs of course so it’s a natural fit for me to work with Purina and the Beverly Hills Dog Show. We’ve done a lot of cool things over the years together. It’s my happiest place on Earth. I literally live to be with all of these breeds. I’m in awe of their beauty and being able to go behind the scenes and see them get ready, it’s like the Oscars for dogs – right? We get glimpses of the stars getting ready for the Oscars and getting their hair coiffed and it’s the same for the dogs. I’m back there with the groomers doing their thing and the trainers getting them ready!

AM: How do you prepare to cover the carpet for this event?

MM: So for me, it does require putting outfits together that are chic and comfortable because I want to be able to on the ground on the red carpet. For most red carpets, I’m usually standing but for this one, I’m usually sitting down and playing with the dogs. So it has to be comfortable so I can play with them and preferably, nothing black so the dog hair isn’t totally apparent. I have to have a little dog roller and I need my allergy medication with me usually as well. I also have a whole different process for a dog awards show versus a celebrity awards show. The same thing applies – you have to be prepared, you have to eat a good meal. I have my nutrition in there and I get to do the fun stuff like squish all the babies!

AM: As a dog lover - have you picked up any tips from the show that you will bring back to your four legged friends?

MM: Yeah. I usually get tips from the trainers in terms of what to use with their eyes. They call it Angel Eyes like when the little white dogs get that stuff here.

AM: What is your favorite part of being involved in this show and what are you specifically looking forward to for this next one coming up?

MM: For me, it would be like someone in your hometown being able to see all of the celebrities. People love that stuff. I feel like that person at the Beverly Hills Dog Show because I’m just goo goo ga ga. My eyeballs are like window shield wipers because I’m like, “Oh my God, look at the poodle – look at the Golden Retriever. Oh my God, look at the little terrier.” I’m a crazy person at this show and that’s why I feel like it’s a match made in heaven.

AM: As we're all staying in during this time due to COVID-19, how are you navigating the past few weeks in terms of staying safe and sane and are there things that pet owners should do?

MM: I had a very famous veterinarian, Dr. Barbara Royal of the Royal Treatment Veterinary Center. She is Oprah’s veterinarian and she was on my show, Better Together early on in the crisis and had a ton of tips.

She explained that if someone is sick with COVID-19, they should restrict their contact with their pets as they would with people. Although there have not been reports of pets or other animals becoming sick with COVID-19, it is still recommended that people that have the virus limit their contact with their animals until more information is made known about the virus. This also includes avoid petting, snuggling and kissing them.

While there isn't solid evidence that animals can carry the virus internally, their bodies may act as a surface that can transmit the disease. In theory, one person touches the pet, another person touches the same area and inadvertently may transfer it to their hand and rub their eyes.

She also suggested that if someone is sick and if it's possible, have someone else in the household care for them while in recovery. If this isn't an option, make sure to wash your hands before and after interaction with your pet, avoid sharing food and wear a facemask if you have one.

She also shared another tip that even she found to be a hard one to do but necessary! For those that are not sick and are going out for walks, it's best to not have people touch your pets. This can be a hard one; however, it's important to maintain social distancing. People want the comfort of getting affection from a pet but social distancing must apply to your pets too.

Finally, she reminded us that if a pet becomes sick and you don't know why and you're concerned, make sure to call and go see your vet.

IG @Purina

@MariaMenounos

Read the April Issue of Athleisure Mag and see The Oscars for Dogs with Maria Menounos in mag.

MCDONALD'S FRANCHISEES SUPPORTING FRONTLINE HEROS DURING COVID-19

We’ve been hearing stories across the world of how people are coming together to support one another as we all navigate COVID-19. .Throughout this time, businesses have also stepped in to do so whether it’s staying open for pick up and delivery, shipping items to those in need and more. We chatted with McDonald’s Franchisee who owns and operates a number of these restaurants, Tanya Lawrence, to see about their initiative that they are doing during this time. From now through May 5th, participating franchisees are providing Thank You Meals to frontline workers which include first responders, health care workers, etc. Here’s what you need to know.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Why is McDonald’s offering Thank You Meals from now through May 5th to first responders, health care workers and those on the frontlines?

TANYA LAWRENCE: McDonald’s has been inspired by the diligent work that our first responders and health care workers have been doing to keep our community safe and healthy during this time. So this is our way of showing gratitude to them for everything that they are doing.

AM: What was the decision behind deciding to offer this for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

TL: We saw a lot of owner/operators doing a lot of things in our different communities and we wanted to get together collectively as a country as a national brand and to be able to offer something to all of our first responders and health care workers.

AM: What McDonald’s locations are offering Thank You Meals and how many times can qualifying frontline guests obtain them?

TL: It’s all McDonald’s restaurants across the nation. Meals are available through our drive throughs or our front counters for pick up orders. It’s one meal per day - breakfast, lunch or dinner whatever time of day is convenient.

AM: What does a frontline guest need to present in order to obtain Thank You Meals?

TL: They just simply need to come in uniform or they can show and ID or badge. They will then get the meal free of charge.

AM: Prior to the Thank You Meal program and after the conclusion of it – how have the franchisees supported COVID efforts with first responders, health care workers and even those that are just living in their community.

TL: We have a lot of great franchisees and a great company where we have been delivering meals to hospitals, fire houses and police stations. We have been working with school districts to provide meals for kids that are underserved. We have been doing it from the beginning and we will continue to do it as long as needed.

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WORK FROM HOME TIPS WE CAN ALL USE WHEN VIDEO CONFERENCING

A number of weeks have passed since we have been Working From Home due to COVID-19 and as we continue we’re all learing tips and tricks to get through this. We connected with Christina Janzer, Head of User Research at Slack to talk about how we can work from home, stay connected with colleagues and partners, what to do about video conferencing while at home and more. You can figure out what works well by checking out Slack’s Remote tips as we continue navigating this part of our lives.

ATHLEISURE MAG: For those who are used to working outside of their homes and those that have flexible workspaces where they work from home, have a number of meetings in other places, go to events etc - being homebound definitely has their challenges for these groups, what can we do to get into a mindset of home spaces versus work spaces?

CHRISTINA JANZER: That’s a great question and I think that you touched on it a bit. It’s really important to at first, establish a routine so that you can maintain your work-life balance. So the main thing is to do the little things like getting dressed in the morning just like you would do when you’re going to work. Figuring out a dedicated work area that’s in your home so that you can be the most productive to get work done. I think that anything that you can do like that, can go a very long way. You also want to make sure that you take breaks throughout the day and making sure that you have a set time that you start work as well as when you end work. It’s important to have that balance as I see peopel who work straight through from the time to get up to the time that they go to bed because they don’t have that me time which is so important. That’s the first thing that I would tell people so that I can have that separation.

AM: What should people do when it comes to not having face-to-face interactions with co-workers or others that you are used to being with in your day?

CJ: When you’re in an office you have that hub of activity, but when you’re remote, people feel like they’re out of the loop and disconnected - ultimately, they feel less engaged. It’s important to create that space whether it’s quick interaction or ways to get that interaction. I think that managers play a huge role in this way whether they’re doing 1-on-1 check-ins to direct reports over video. Over video, there are lots of great video conference solutions that enable that face-to-face interaction that happens so easily in this medium. There’s Zoom, we have Slack Calls - these are great ways to keep that going and to have that space to do so. Erring on the side of communicating and over-communicating -make sure that you’re really clear on what you’re working on and what you’re looking for in your projects. This way you will get the support and help that you need from your colleagues.

The face-to-face interaction helps with the actual work, but I think that it also helps for when you feel like you’re missing on the communal aspects and the water cooler moments. It allows for those informal moments as well that takes place. What we’ve done is that we have created channels in Slack that are social in nature. So we’ll post silly things that are happening throughout the day, what people are eating for lunch, books that they’re reading and what TV shows that they are watching. The other day, we did the push up contest - so it was great to create social ways that we can still stay connected and it’s just as important.

AM: We love using Slack for a number of things from the project aspect as well as having an area to play catch-up. When we were on sets, we could share some #BTS content for those that were back at the office so they still felt that they were in the loop even though they weren’t there.

CJ: The team morale aspect of it is so important. It’s not just about helping people feel good and to have social connections, but it also leads to increased productivity and great team work. Not taking that stuff for granted is so important. We’re planning a virtual game night with my team and I think that that will allow people to have that social connection that they also need with one another.

AM: That’s such a great use and on that point, does Slack have a video component within the platform that can be used?

CJ: Yeah absolutely. We have Slack Calls and you can do both video and audio. We also have a really great integration with Zoom, another video conferencing service out there. There are a lot of great options out there that can be used. With us being home for the last 4 weeks, I have really relied on video to stay connected with my team. It’s not the same as being next to them, but it’s very close.

AM: What tips do you have as we all know or have seen video with kids running into view, dogs barking or various backgrounds. What tips do you have in order to make the best video conference meetings that we can to manage our new envirnoments?

CJ: I’ve been in that situation many times as I have 3 little kids at home! I think we all need to be open about the fact that we are in these challenging situations right now. I encourage my team not to hide those things. When they have their kid around, I ask them to bring them into the camera and to introduce them - whatever we can do to normalize the chaos that we are all living in. It just makes people much more comfortable in this situation because we’re all in this together and it’s not unique to any one person.

But I think that there are also other things to consider in terms of making sure that you have as much of a schedule as possible. If there is a really important meeting where your kids are going to be disruptive, whatever you can do to move it around your schedule to work for you is important. My husband and I have a strict calendar so I’m on kid duty for these hours and work duties on other hours. He also has the same. There isn’t an exact solution, but you have to take the time to try to figure it out because this is no longer a sprint, it’s a marathon. We all just have to figure it out.

AM: In this time where many of us are working from home, some were caught having to turn their spaces into a workplace. Some companies may opt to allow working from home even after this quarantine passes and just in case we may find ourselves coming back to this again due to future waves, what kind of a checklist should we have so that we can build the best office for ourselves?

CJ: I think every individual is different, we all have different space needs. If you have a dedicated room to make an office - that’s amazing. If you don’t, do what you can do to make your space the most productive as possible. For me, I put in a standing desk so I can stand throughout the day and not be seated all day. It’s also important to carve out portions of your time for little rituals like breaks to take a walk and to make sure that you’re getting outside whenever possible. Everyone is different, but let’s just assume that this is going to be happening for awhile and it’s a marathon and not a sprint. We need to prioritize everyone as well as what I need and we need to be transparent about that. By doing this, we will be able to get through this together.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.