Social Workout

Snapshot

Meret Harbors Stuntwoman Fantasies and Swears By Her Heart Rate Monitor

Meret!

Every day, we give you a snapshot of one fellow striver in fitness. We ask personal questions, he or she boldly answers. Today's snapshot: Meret, aka msh258.

• What's your number one workout spot? Usually, I'm at Crunch Union Square, and I'm obsessed! But, since I've signed up for the marathon-that-goes-straight-uphill-for-15-miles, I've been running outside a lot — in Central Park, over the bridges, along the water... 
• What's the best thing in your gym bag? My heart rate monitor. It's seriously been the best fitness investment I ever made. It doesn't matter how I feel, if I'm tired and lacking motivation, or absolutely ready to go 150%, this little guy keeps me completely honest about how hard I'm actually working. I guess, the Vibrams are pretty awesome too! And, they're definitely conversation starters!
• What's the healthiest thing you eat? I'm a generally a healthy eater (uhm...though I seem to indulge in "open meals" EVERY time I'm around the SW crew! Figure that...). Since switching to Paleo, I've been able to stick with it probably about 90% of the time — which means I eat meats & seafood, veggies, fruits, and nuts. No processed anything. No grains or flours. No legumes. No dairy (but this is mostly where the 10% comes in!). It's been a huge switch for me (who ever thinks they can give up Greek yogurt!?!?), but I've never had a more positive relationship with the food I eat. No more sugar roller-coasters, cravings, or confusing emotional attachments to any foods. And, when I do decide to indulge, I do so without any guilt or anxiety. A current favorite: the giant dark chocolate cookie from Max Brenner. 
• What's your secret (fitness-related) sin? Whenever I lack inspiration or motivation for the gym, the first thing that goes is the strength training because I actually have to THINK about it. OH NO!!! I'll just do some cardio and be done with it. Of course, that should be the last thing to go. Luckily, with Trainer Mike, I know I'll do resistance training at least once a week...I also try to get to bootcamp with Ariane H. once a week. Those resistance band kick my behind! 
• What do you wear to the gym? Black dry-fit capris, a ridiculously supportive sports-bra, a tank top and my Vibram Five Fingers. I actually just got my first pair of Bikilas....they're purrrrdy (ok, yes, and weird). Please don't think I got the orange/pink ones. I couldn't handle that much awesome.    
• What's your go-to workout? When it was colder out, I really liked to experiment with new classes. But, these days, with the nice weather, I can't get myself to go from my indoor desk job to spend more time indoors at the gym. So, I'll usually head outside for comfortably-paced run and then a full-body strength circuit back at the gym (yes, I choose my own adventure too!). 
• What would you do (fitness wise) if you had all the time/ability in the world? I'd be one of those crazy people who decides to bike cross country, or to scale the 7 tallest peaks in the world, or become a speed rock climber. I can't think of any one particular activity really. I just like to try as many different things as possible, while really pushing the limits of what I think I can do. Ooooooh!!! I'd wanna be this guy!!!! 
• What are you just never going to try? Any kinda of "cleanse" or "diet aid." I'm all about reaching a maintainable balance...for me that doesn't mean filling my body with crap and then "cleansing" the mess I created or "burning" the fat away with some pills. Our bodies have everything they need to function properly and efficiently as long as we lead lives that are generally conducive to good health. Natural foods, physical activity, plenty of sun and sleep, and good stress management...that's all you need! 
• What superhero (real life or fictional) most inspires you? At the risk of sounding cheesy, I'd have to say my mom. She grew up in the former Yugoslavia and at the age of 23 decided to leave everything she knew, a secure job, her family and friends, because she needed to see what else was out there for her. The courage it must take to take a leap of faith like that, never having been anywhere but your home country, is incredibly inspiring to me...Her courage and sense of adventure brought her an amazingly rich life and even at 60, she's still the same way!