The Blitz Family(Shana, Larry, Sarah)

Larry Blitz (father to Sarah & Shana)

AGE:  57

PROFESSION:  Marketing of Conveyor system for solid bulk materials

HOMETOWN:  Born in Oak Park, IL but now live in Thousand Oaks, CA

COLLEGE:  Purdue University

FAVORITE FOOD:  Hamburger and Fries (but I can’t have it that often, now)

FAVORITE PLACE VISITED:  Australia

PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT:  China

FAVORITE MOVIE:  High Noon

FAVORITE SINGER:  Barry Manilow, Neil Diamond

HOBBIES:  Golf, yard work around the house, reading, playing the piano

BACKGROUND:  I have always been athletic and involved with school team sports (mostly basketball).  I ran 10K’s in my 30’s and early 40’s.  However, my keeping in shape had gone by the wayside over the past 10 – 15 years until Sarah got me involved with Sonki Fitness a year ago.  Now, I am feeling much stronger.  And I recently ran a 5K in Topanga Cyn State Park (up and down mountains) and came in first place for my age group.

What is your current exercise routine?  I do Sonki Fitness 3 – 4 times per week.  That way I can spend some quality time with my twin daughters -Sarah in Santa Monica for 2 days and Shana in Studio City for 2 days.

What is your motivation to stay in shape?  I want to feel good and flexible.  I see older people who can’t even bend over to tie their own shoes, and I refuse to be like that.

What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape?  I always feel good at the end of a workout, so I stay focused on that to overcome any challenges.

What is your key to success?  Stay in a routine to make small accomplishments every day.

What do you like about Sonki Fitness Boot Camp and how has it affected your life?  It’s great to work out outdoors, even on those extreme cold mornings (by California standards).  Plus, the view of the ocean in Santa Monica is just spectacular and relaxing to me.  Sonki Fitness keeps me in top shape and gives me a positive outlook on life.

What advice would you give to others about fitness?  Everyone should keep their bodies fit.  We all go to work that keeps our minds up to speed (hopefully!), so why not do the same for our bodies?  It just helps with one’s overall makeup.

Sarah Blitz (daughter)

AGE:  29

PROFESSION:  Teacher

HOMETOWN:  Encino, CA

COLLEGE:  University of Michigan  GO BLUE!

FAVORITE FOOD:  Blackberries

FAVORITE PLACE VISITED:  Costa Rica

PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT:  Cambodia & Vietnam

FAVORITE MOVIE:  Old School

FAVORITE SINGER:  Jack Johnson

HOBBIES:  Traveling, snowboarding, camping, hiking, biking, hanging at the beach…anything outdoors 🙂

BACKGROUND:  Although I had been an athlete all of my life, the motivation to work out had started to become a challenge for me as I grew older.  So about a year ago, I joined Sonki Fitness after noticing my co-workers participating in Sonki fitness and seeing how much fun they were having.  Upon joining, I couldn’t agree more with their telling me how motivating and fun Sonki Fitness Boot Camp is!  In just a year, I have improved in my mile time (I actually enjoy running now), sit-ups, and push-ups significantly.  My goal was to tone up and make fitness a regular and enjoyable part of my routine again.  I know that I have met both goals and look forward to continuing to work hard and set new ones.  Most recently, I placed 3rd place in my age group in a 5k race.

What is your current exercise routine?  I do Sonki Fitness 3 times a week.  On off days from Sonki Fitness, I do anything from spinning, yoga, running, to working out with a video at home.

What is your motivation to stay in shape?  I am really competitive.  I’m always working hard to stay as fit as my husband or just do as many push-ups as my sister Shana can do.

What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape?  Motivation is tough at the end of a long work day.  I am super tired after teaching all day and usually just want to go home and relax.

What is your key to success?  I like to keep my workouts fun and social.  I always like to have a workout buddy and someone to chat with while I sweat, and that’s certainly helped me.

What do you like about Sonki Fitness Boot Camp and how has it affected your life?  I like how Sonki makes workouts fun and effective.  He pushes me to work my best without being mean or yelling at me.  I love having the group to work out with too.  Even though it is usually really hard to get out of bed when it is cold and dark at 5:30am, I know people are expecting me to be there.  Sonki Fitness has added some needed routine to my life and an appreciation for what goes on in the world before 7am.

What advice would you give to others about fitness?  Just do what you enjoy.  Staying in shape is a way of life, so have fun and integrate it into your existing routines.  Don’t try to do too much all at once, but setting reasonable goals is a good thing.  Plus, the rewarding feeling of meeting those goals is unbeatable!

Shana Blitz (daughter)

AGE:  29

PROFESSION:  CPA

HOMETOWN:  Encino, CA

COLLEGE:  University of Southern California

FAVORITE FOOD:  Strawberries, Italian food

FAVORITE PLACE VISITED:  Hawaii

PLACE YOU WANT TO VISIT:  Italy

HOBBIES:  Working out, reading, skiing (yes – I’m a 2-planker), tennis, cooking, and shopping

BACKGROUND:  I have always been athletic.  As a kid, I was a competitive gymnast for years and then moved on to playing and competing in any and all sports possible (tennis, soccer, volleyball, basketball and swimming) throughout high school and college (club and intramural only).  After college and moving on to focusing on my career (where I sit at a desk most of the day), it was important for me to find a workout routine that could keep me in shape.  Over time I grew tired of going to the gym, being fearful of using weights, doing cardio and not feeling like I was getting a good workout in.  I was looking for something that provided cardio and strength training, is challenging, fun
and inexpensive.  And then my sister introduced me to Sonki Fitness a year ago.  Now, I feel like I’m in amazing shape and stronger than ever!

What is your current exercise routine?  I exercise 3-4 times a week regularly: two Sonki Fitness workouts per week, one hour a week with a personal trainer and 30-45 minutes of additional cardio.  When possible I like to add in a local hike, run, spinning class, yoga class or a game of tennis.

What is your motivation to stay in shape?  Looking and feeling great!

What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape?  Getting enough sleep has been my biggest challenge.  I have been taking a week off all my workouts (or limiting to just one) during the week-long breaks between Sonki Fitness sessions.

What is your key to success?  Keep a routine, have realistic goals, and make your workouts a priority; calendar them in just like you would any other personal or work-related appointments.

What do you like about Sonki Fitness Boot Camp and how has it affected your life?  I love that it has given me a solid routine for the timing of my workouts, is outdoors, and is continually challenging.  It has taught me that working out first thing in the morning is the best way to ensure I get a good workout in – there are too many excuses at the end of the day!!!

What advice would you give to others about fitness?  It’s a way of life, and you have to do it for you and you only.