#physicalequilibrium

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

It's been another great year at Physical Equilibrium. To make sure you continue to reach your diet and fitness goals in 2015, we're pleased to offer these special holiday promotions from our family to yours. Please purchase before December 31, 2014. Contact Sara Dimmick at [email protected] to purchase. Happy Holidays!

Gift Certificates:  Physical Equilibrium gift certificates are available in any amount and useable for up to one year.

Nutrition: 50% discount ($160 value) on a nutrition session with one of our registered dietitians Massage: 15% off At Home Thai massage with Lauren Ohmer (Manhattan and some parts of Brooklyn only) 60 min ($140)  DISCOUNT $119 75 min ($160)  DISCOUNT $136 90 min ($180)  DISCOUNT $153 Personal Training:

New clients: Buy 5 sessions, Get 1 FREE Current clients: Refer a new client who buys at least 5 sessions, Get 1 Session for yourself FREE.

Physical Equilibrium triathlon client Kristin Tice Studeman writes about Women of Ironman Triathlon in Elle Magazine and her own experience completing the 70.3 race distance.

Tired of gaining weight during the holidays? Diets tend to go haywire from Halloween to New Year's Eve. So to help keep you in tip top shape, Physical Equilibrium is offering a special promotion from now through December 31.

Buy a nutrition session at regular price and get 1 follow up appointment for free. Normally $259, on sale for $195. That's a 25% savings!"

Email our Registered Dietitian Sarah Currie at [email protected] to purchase. 

Another great few weeks for Physical Equilibrium racers!

Amy Merten finished 3rd in her age group at the Whidbey Island Sprint Triathlon in Washington State  

Alec Thomson  completed his first 70.3 at Timberman in New Hampshire, finishing in 5:53:03   Eddie Stern finished 1st in his age group at both the Mighty Hamptons Triathlon in Sag Harbor and the Malibu Triathlon in California, where he also finished 6th overall (with a field of over 2000 athletes!)   Kristin Studeman  successfully completed her first 70.3 at the Princeton Half Ironman

In November, I’m planning on running the New York City Marathon. It will be my third marathon and my third time as a member of the Gilda’s Club NYC Marathon Team. For me, the two things just go together.

In 2012, I gained entry to NYC through New York Road Runner’s 9 + 1 program. My running buddy, Terry Bennett, had convinced me that running the marathon was the next logical goal in our running.

I knew that Gilda’s had a marathon team because I am a member of the club. Gilda’s is a place where people with cancer, as well as their friends and family, can get support services for free. This includes yoga classes, art workshops, support groups, and lectures. I decided to make my run about  more than just my own sense of personal accomplishment. I decided to try to raise some money for Gilda’s as well.

As a team member who faces the continuing challenge of cancer, I knew that I was in a unique position to accomplish this goal. That first year, with the NYC marathon cancelled due to Sandy, Terry and I found a different race to run and I raised close to $12,000 for Gilda’s.

Through the team, I met Coach Sara Dimmick and Coach Claire Shorenstein of Physical Equilibrium, which donates its services to the team. I also made some new running buddies. One of the things I most enjoy about marathon training is the camaraderie and support of fellow runners. We’re all working really hard to achieve a goal. The Gilda’s Team group runs are special for this reason.

Before I started running marathons, I was pretty much just a jogger. It was news to me that I if I wanted to engage in endurance sports, I would need to strength train. I got a great introduction to this from the trainers at Phys Eq. When I finally got my shot at the NYC marathon last year, I PR’ed by 10 minutes (4:32:29).

Running has a very special place in my life. It has helped me physically and mentally weather the storm of six years of cancer treatment. It has shown me that I can still accomplish things even though I have suffered a huge loss. I’m hoping to take another 10 minutes off in November. And I am very proud to say that I have raised close to $24,000 for Gilda’s since 2012. Many of my supporters have given to me each year and I am truly grateful.

Hey, it's Sarah Currie. Did you miss me? I have certainly missed you guys and I appreciate all the inquiries as to when my next update would be sent out. I sincerely apologize for the radio silence but a lot has happened since June.

My life has not had this much drama in it since the 7th grade. I will spare many of the details, but I will share with you that my training partner/coach fired me because of personal reasons. In June he told me to train on my own, and that he would resume training me in September, after taking what he described as a needed break from me. Keep in mind I was, and still am, trying to prepare for an October show. I was devastated, angry, hurt, pissed, annoyed, and even sad when he broke the news to me. You name the emotion - I felt it. At first it didn't even seem real; rather I thought I was being punked or that he was simply trying to motivate me in some mean, twisted way. But as it turned out, he was as serious as a heart attack and really dropped me. This was unthinkable; equivalent to me training a triathlete for a particular race, and then leaving he or she during final preparations simply because I felt like it. Those of you who know me know that I could never be that selfish. So I did what any rational and sane athlete would do. I started working out even harder on my own while I looked for a new coach. Excuse my language, but "F*ck him," is what I thought. I need to back up a little though. Way back when I decided to train for a physique or figure competition, I had already signed up for the NYC triathlon relay, which happens every July or August. In 2012 my team took 2nd place and in 2013 we won it! But this year I did not know what to expect. My original plan had me begin training for the physique competition in September 2013, preparing for a May or June 2014 show. In that situation, I'd be leaner, stronger and lighter for the triathlon relay in August. After the race I'd resume normal civilian life, eating and drinking whatever I pleased, without the fear or stress of a race or the stage on the horizon.

Then my injury occurred, and my plans were dealt a major setback. I certainly wasn't stage ready by May or June and I was hardly training for a triathlon relay, as I was eating low carbs and lifting heavy weights. Endurance cycling requires at least some carbs in your diet and more than 45 minutes of cardio training per day. In the past I'd ride 2-3x's per week, including a long ride on the weekend. None of this was happening. I was solely focused on the competition.

As you've probably guessed by now, training for a bike race and training for a physique competition are two wildly different beasts. But rather than choosing one or the other, I decided to tackle both. During the week I would get in one short ride even though I'd still destroy my legs on Tuesdays with dead lifts and on Saturdays with squats. Sundays I'd complete 30-mile bike rides, most of the time anyways. Then I'd reward myself with a beer, or two. While combining race and physique training, I achieved my lowest weight and my lowest body fat percentage to date.

Remarkably, we took 2nd place! Lost 1st place by 35 seconds! A greatccomplishment for my team considering we all trained minimally this year. We were very happy with our performance; and being lighter and stronger from leaning out all winter and spring really did pay off for me. Now that summer is winding down, I am prepared to hit the gym really hard this fall. It has been difficult working out and staying focused all summer while in the Hamptons, with such delicious food and drinks around me at all times.

But as you can see by the photos, I have a lot of work to do from now until October. My legs are not nearly as developed, as I need them to be. I joke that the backs of my legs look like a queen sheet on a full-size mattress. Yeah, I have some serious leg and glute training to do, but at least those stubborn fat pockets (triangles) finally shrunk. My stomach may not have much fat on it, but there is no visible abs to speak of. And my calves, sheesh; all I can say is that I have some serious calf raises to do. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with my physique, but it's not perfect, there is more potential for me. I have a new coach, and he is intense.

Secretly, I am dreading all the hard work ahead; he already has me on a ridiculous routine. But now is my time to shine. And I wont quit on him like my previous coach quit on me. Finally the news you are all waiting for is that I have not stopped drinking! I got my weight down to 140lbs. and my body fat to 16% without giving up booze. Summer in the Hamptons just wouldn't be summer without Wolffer rose! My goal of 12% is on the horizon, so maybe I'll just stick to vodka since it has zero carbs. Losing my trainer and my injury has made an October show unobtainable for me, so I am going to keep training until I am truly stage ready. Stay tuned - I am getting closer!