Whether your preference is Pilates, yoga, Spinning, or good old-fashioned weight training, these Orange County fitness experts will whip you into shape before you can say “Make mine a double scoop.” Here, they talk about their fitness philosophies, give helpful hints and disclose their innermost vices.
Parker Richard Green
Green is a fighter, mostly for his clients to overcome doubts and unhealthy habits. One of The Sports Club/LA – Orange County’s more respected trainers, Green, an NASM (National Academy of Sports Medicine) certified personal trainer, has always been a fitness addict, and has been training others for just over two years, passing on his passion for health and fitness and respect for the gym. If you want to be bigger, badder and more cut, or just look really good on the beach, Green will get you there. Just be ready to sweat. You can find him at The Sports Club/LA – Orange County or through his Facebook page, Sore Winners Personal Training.
What’s the most important thing a person can do to become healthier?
Think of it as a marathon and not a sprint. This is a lifestyle, not a diet or a fad. Healthy people watch the January crowd come in and go out quickly, and are still there watching them panic on the treadmill in June. All the while, they’ve been in shape.
Stretch or warm-up?
Warm up for sure, on weights or a treadmill, with some foam roller in there. I just like the way I feel better with a short warm up to get the blood pumping.
What’s the one vice you absolutely can’t live without?
Anything salty and starchy. If I’m going to break on eating clean, it’s going to be a huge burger or lots of mashed potatoes and gravy. And I mean lots. One time I made four servings of mash and a 2 lb. sirloin. Gone in ten minutes. We are all human right?
What’s the one thing people would always find in your fridge?
Eggs. If I have missed shopping for a while because I’m busy, eggs are always on the menu.
What’s your “superfood”?
Coffee. Ha! But seriously, coffee is amazing. I like coffee like an old man though. When I get to the bottom, I want to be chewing the stuff.
What’s your go-to motivating music?
Eighties hair metal never fails me.
Favorite place to workout?
Sports Club LA/OC, not just plugging because I work there. It’s a great place to zone into a workout. It’s always clean, there’s equipment available because its huge, and it’s an open space with lots of natural light. If not there, I pummel the punching bag in my garage or go to the Dojo.
Who inspires you?
As far as fitness is concerned I’d go with George St. Pierre. His athleticism and work ethic are legendary. But historical figures inspire me more. People like Lincoln, Churchill, Reagan, MLK Jr. People that were really up against it, had a lot of people they were responsible for, and never quit. I’d have to say my dad as well. He’s been through a lot, and managed to come out on top.
Amanda Walter
A mother of two and competitive triathlete, Corona del Mar’s Amanda Walter spins a pretty fast-paced life – and her energy doesn’t slow down when helping clients whip into their best shape. Her core philosophy is one of balance and she leads by example. Certified by Schwinn Cycling and Spinning, Walter regularly incorporates Pilates and yoga practices into Spinning routines as a way to balance her workouts. Her knowledge, energy and passion have made her Indoor Cycling classes at Equinox – Newport Beach as popular as they are intense.
What’s the most important thing a person can do to become healthier?
Find balance. There are people who are extremely physically fit but mentally or emotionally hurting. Of course, the opposite is also true. The first step is self-awareness. Then, once you’ve identified areas for development, committing to a positive course of action – whether it’s with a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a therapist, a life coach or a financial planner – is the most important (and sometimes most difficult) thing a person can do.
Advice on how to stay motivated and not quit?
Learn to set realistic, incremental goals, and always reward yourself for meeting or exceeding them. Expect to be uncomfortable or unmotivated at times. We are creatures of habit, and changing entrenched habits (whether it’s diet, exercise, attitude, maxing out credit cards, etc.) takes time. The good news is, once you start seeing and feeling the benefits of your efforts, the positive habits replace the negative ones.
What’s your favorite yoga pose, workout routine or club machine?
My favorite yoga pose is probably reverse triangle. No other form of exercise routinely delivers that deep, lateral bend. I feel two inches taller after I do it.
Stretch or warm-up?
I count on Pilates and a consistent yoga practice to take my joints and muscles through every conceivable range of motion and to keep me from tightening up. Between the two, I get longer muscles and strength in areas I didn’t even know existed.
What’s the one vice you absolutely can’t live without?
Absolutely, positively… Chardonnay.
What’s your “superfood”?
I know what my answer “should” be (kale! wheatgrass! organic greens!), but the real answer is… cheese. I know it’s not exactly fashionable to love dairy, but I do. Between spin classes, yoga, Pilates, swimming, marathons, etc. I need protein, and I’m not a meat eater.
Favorite place to work out?
Equinox Newport Beach, Thousand Steps in Laguna Beach and Big Corona in Corona Del Mar to swim the buoys.
Who inspires you?
Athletes with disabilities. A few years ago I started doing triathlons. I remember standing on the beach at Pacific Coast thinking, “I can’t do this!” I looked down and there was a fellow athlete with no legs, ready to go. Every race I do, there are multiple people with varying disabilities that inspire me to work harder, bitch less, keep racing, and have fun.
Katie Osumi
A former ambassador for lululemon and with a trademarked class, CorePlay, to her credit, Osumi has been kicking clients’ butts into shape for over a decade, which is why those clients include everyone from professional athletes to post-cardiac patients. She’s taught all branches of exercise including Pilates, indoor cycling, yoga, aerobics, and strength training, and is certified by Ace, STOTT, Schwinn, LeMond, and Spinning. In addition to personal training, she can be found inducing sweat in her high-energy, fun classes at Equinox, Renaissance ClubSport, YogaWorks, and Villa Pilates & Yoga. Or check out her popular blog: goodniteirene.wordpress.com.
What’s the most important thing a person can do to become healthier?
Fitness-wise it’s to move their body every day, in different directions, planes and angles. My CorePlay classes are never the same routine twice because I think it’s necessary to constantly change up the lines and trajectory of taxing the muscles. And of course, always keeping the joints safe.
Advice on how to stay motivated and not quit.
Change and variety are key. That’s why I will never repeat a single playlist or routine for my clients and students. If they know they’re getting something different each time, they’ll be more inclined to stay motivated. With consistent attendance, results follow; and there’s nothing more galvanizing than the scale moving, clothes fitting better or happier doctor’s visits.
What’s your favorite yoga pose, workout routine or club machine?
My time on the Spin bike. In very little time, with very loud music, I can squash out most of my stress.
What’s the one vice you absolutely can’t live without?
I don’t know if it’s a vice, but I cannot go without the heavy duty, twitch, deep REM, weekend nap. My friends usually like to go outside and play on a sunny, warm Newport Saturday. My mantra is “It’s such a beautiful day to stay inside, draw the blinds and nap.”
What’s the one thing people would always find in your fridge?
Bliss: Baggage Handler Eye Gel. The cold is supposed to help the under eye puffiness.
What’s your “superfood”?
A Restaurant’s Cheese Plate
What’s your go-to motivating music?
Nothing gets me more ramped up than hard-hitting, filthy rap. Stuff I could never play in class. Yet, raunchy, misogynistic lyrics aside, there’s something about the anger, ferocity and driving beat of rap that always produces a great workout for me.
Who inspires you?
I’m most inspired by kind strangers: people on the street, in cars, at the grocery store. I’m constantly fulfilled by a smile, thank you or genuine token of acknowledgement by those whom I have never met, nor will probably ever meet again. With so much ugliness and partisanship in the world I’m reassured daily in humanity with the kindness of strangers.
George Kosmitis
Not a man to do anything halfway – or even 99% – Kosmitis spent the first part of his adult life pounding heavy weights and stressing hard as an equities trader. Then he found yoga – and went for it 110% as well. Now, with over 700 hours in training and certified by YogaWorks and Sculptworks, Kosmitis is a lead teacher trainer at Equinox’s Pure Yoga’s teacher training team, and has been called the “next big thing in yoga.” His classes are high-energy, flowing and fun. Exemplifying the greatest aspects of yoga, they are also all-inclusive: He has 73-year-old clients in the same class as 12-year-olds. You can find him at YogaWorks, CorePower and Equinox.
What’s the most important thing a person can do to become healthier?
Balance themselves. I have met many people who make decisions with only their hearts. They open up too much and get hurt. I’ve met many who make decisions with only their minds; they try not to get hurt and become conditional. With a healthy mind comes a healthy body. With a healthy body comes a healthy mind.
What’s your favorite yoga pose?
Sun Salutations. Rooting down to rise above while connecting with the breath brings my practice internal. It allows me to focus and feel strong, but remain calm.
What’s the one thing people will always find in your fridge?
Vegetables. I garden with my father-in-law and always love to grill or bake veggies with my meal. I once read that if your dinner plate was the Academy Awards, make the veggies the main actress and the meats or poultry the supporting actor.
What’s your “superfood”?
Garlic. When I was an equity trader, I once checked into the doctor due to anxiety. My blood pressure was 148/86. My doctor told me to take a week off and eat a lot of garlic. I went back a week later and my pressure was 126/76. Maybe I didn’t smell so good, but I felt great!
What’s your go-to motivating music?
Hip-hop to trance to alternative rock to dance. If it creates an inner smile, I will play it. Many master teachers are so disciplined to say that yoga is about stillness. But to me it is about expression and if someone is dancing on their mat in mountain or a warrior pose then I am happy they are feeling it.
Who inspires you?
I am truly inspired by the grace of God. I used to envision my future and had an expectation that would most of the time lead to disappointment. When I met my wife, Vicky, I wasn’t ready to marry her, but I finally put it in God’s hands. Now I have two beautiful children, Aleco and Katerina, and feel whatever the future sends, we will flow through it together. Yoga taught me to have the freedom to believe in whatever it is you believe in and honor that being.
Peggy Hall
A former competitive swimmer, in 2002 Peggy Hall founded Yoga for Surfers and hasn’t slowed down since, producing four popular DVDs, books, CDs, and innumerable articles in leading national publications. Combining the two mind- and body-changing worlds of surfing and yoga is an inspiration that works for more than just those who ride waves. Perhaps that’s why Hall has sold more than 125,000 DVDs, appeared on “The Today Show,” ABC News and is a columnist for Oxygen Magazine, among others. She can still be found locally, however, leading classes at YogaWorks and in Women on Waves and Detox/Yoga Retreats in San Clemente. For more, go to yogaforsurfers.com.
What’s the most important thing a person can do to become healthier?
Do what you love; your optimistic outlook is the number one thing you can do to be healthier. You can exercise every day, eat a perfectly clean diet, but if you stress about what you’re doing, none of that will matter. Happiness and well-being cause a cascade of healthy mechanisms in the body to boost the immune system and keep you strong, resilient and energetic.
Advice on how to stay motivated and not quit?
Focus on having fun! I always tell people they should quit “exercising” and start having “fun” instead. Get rid of “have to” and replace it with “get to,” as in “I get to go for a swim/jog/bike ride; I get to work out today, I get to eat delicious, healthy nutritious food.” See how different that sounds than “I have to”? If you hate exercising, then you are doing the wrong thing.
What’s your favorite workout?
I’d rather surf than do anything else. Aside from that, you can’t beat a good old fashioned down dog. Of course, I have my own Yoga for Surfers variations on it. Also, conscious breathing. When you breathe consciously, you begin to live consciously. No more sleepwalking through life!
Stretch or warm-up?
I do a rather quick-paced flowing yoga routine to warm up, get the blood flowing and get my mind focused on having a great session. I leave the deeper stretches for after surfing, to reduce lactic acid build up and recover faster so I can get back in the water the next day.
What’s the one thing people would always find in your fridge?
My own blend of “Fat Burning Fiber” with flaxseeds, dried greens, seeds, nuts, and some secret ingredients. It’s great for energy, fat burning, immune boosting, and brain food. It will be on sale at peggyhall.com soon.
What’s your “superfood”?
I start the day with my Chocolate Cherry Shake with Life’s Basic vegan protein powder. The secret ingredient is a handful of mixed baby romaine lettuce. Greens are the best thing for quick energy, and the antioxidants in the cherries help protect your skin from the inside out.
Favorite place to workout?
The beach
Who inspires you?
Jack LaLanne, may he rest in peace. Also my husband, my mom who is still going strong and most of all, life itself.
Brigitte Garten
Don’t let her infectious giggle and petite frame fool you: Brigitte Garten will make you sweat. Hard. And with a degree in nutrition, she’ll also give you some great advice on how to fuel up for the next session. Perhaps that’s why her Pilates classes have been filled for over a decade, her clients the most loyal. She’s also earned the credentials to back her up, with certificates from Aline Studios, BASI and the highly respected Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). Find her at Dana Point’s Reform Pilates Studio and Renaissance ClubSport in Aliso Viejo, or at ipmpilates.com. You can also read more about her and Pilates at tloose.com/painonapilatesmat.html.
Advice on how to stay motivated and not quit?
Gradually build up to working out, especially if you have never worked out, or if you haven’t worked out in a few years. If you have worked out and are at a plateau, changing your routine and cross training would be beneficial. I tell my new Pilates students to do one mat class and one equipment class a week to start, then if they want to add classes after a few weeks, great. Trying to do it every day right off the bat sets you up for failure.
What’s your favorite Pilates pose?
Leg pull front, also called plank, is the best overall exercise. It is challenging and works the core as well as the entire body. Add in side plank to challenge the body even more and you have a great exercise you can do pretty much anywhere. Do three sets of 10 breaths and you have a better core workout than doing 100 crunches!
What’s the one vice you absolutely can’t live without?
Peet’s jasmine green tea, which I have every morning with agave nectar.
What’s your “superfood”?
Cashew nut butter. Add a banana and I’m ready for the morning.
What’s your go-to motivating music?
Anything I can dance to. The class I’m teaching determines my music selection. If I’m teaching my bootcamp mat class or a cardio equipment class, I need some up-tempo lively music to get everyone’s energy up; if I’m teaching a more classical Pilates class, I will have some mellow music mixed in with some upbeat music to keep people moving, but not over-power the workout.
Favorite place to workout?
Renaissance ClubSport in Aliso Viejo. Aside from being a beautiful club, there are so many classes to choose from, as well as a pool, spa and huge state-of-the-art gym.
Who inspires you?
My great aunt, who is in her mid-80s and is still dancing – amazing! She is definitely an inspiration.
