1.  How long have you been working out?
I've been athletic off and on for my entire life. Lately it has been more off than on. I put on 25 lbs in the past five years for a variety of reasons. Mostly due to a lack of discipline on my part. I took Sonki's class about a year ago that shed 5 lbs ... then went back to living a busy life where fitness was not a priority. Disgusted with myself, I joined Sonki again in June 2005 and have lost about 12 lbs as a direct result of changing my diet, playing lots of tennis and most importantly -- Sonki.

2.  What is your current exercise routine?
I take a Sonki class 3 or 4 days a week. I consider this the foundation to my fitness. I also try to do a yoga class and do a run or two on my own on non-Sonki days. Time and injury permitting, I try to play 3 or 4 games of tennis a week. During the ski season, I'll try to ski 4 days a month. I hate gyms. Much rather be outside.

3.  What is your motivation to stay in shape?
My motivation is really simple: staying in shape enhances every aspect of my life--mental, physical and spiritual. At 40 I find it noticeably more difficult to get into and stay in shape. So, there is a sense of urgency to fitness that will escalate to as I get older. "If I don't do it now, I never will." I'm blessed with some great examples of people who are still super fit in their 70's -- especially my father. The payoff is huge -- a longer, healthier and (most importantly) happier life.

4.  What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape?
It is a Herculean effort to get out and exercise on a day that I am down, stressed out or feel I have no time. But these are the days that I get the biggest benefit. I feel that Sonki's class justifies itself because it forces me to show up. Once I'm there, I'm out of my head and into my body.

5.  What is your key to success?
It's not about a goal or success...fitness, like life, is a process. If I were 20 years younger, I would have competitive fitness goals oriented to sports, etc. At this point, my only goal is to get the most out of life by staying healthy (and not getting hurt).

6.  How long have you been doing Sonki Fitness Boot Camp?
I'm starting my fourth 5-week session this year.

7.  What do you like about Sonki Fitness Boot Camp and how has it affected your life?
Sonki's program imposes structure regarding when and how I will work out. It assures me that I will exercise even when I don't want to. I love Sonki's approach -- it's all about being the best you can be without being competitive with others. This allows everyone to be a winner.

8.  What advice would you give to others about fitness?
Just do it. There is no question that dedicating 3 or 4 hours a week to fitness will increase the quality of the other 160 hours spent doing other things. That's a hard deal to beat. Personally, I feel that being fit empowers me to do more with my life.

9.  Any other comments?
Keep a journal that records when you worked out, your perceived effort and what you've eaten. You can even guess at calories burned and track weight loss (if that's important to you...but only weigh yourself every week or so). It is amazing how creating this record of you lifestyle will help form good habits (like eating more regularly) and eliminate bad habits (like drinking 2 beers when you come home from work). Also, get a dog. They offer unconditional love and force you to take long walks that allow you to contemplate the important things in life...like why are dogs always happy?