JP: How long have you been at Nimble?
IS: I have been training at Nimble for a little bit more than two years.
JP: What does Pride mean to you?
IS: Pride is fairly simple to me– it is about just living authentically and fearlessly as whoever you want to be, and realizing that you are serving as an example unknowingly to hundreds, if not thousands, of other people. I hope to inspire people to do the same. I am 33 years old, married, and able to have a kid on the way by surrogate/egg donor. The fact that we can do that now, without really much legal or social questioning, is truly remarkable, and not lost on me.
JP: At Nimble we know you take pride in your fitness and wellness. Tell us your secret to staying motivated?
IS: Working out, feeling good, and being able to move without pain have become literally the most important things for me in my life since joining this gym. I am a busy real estate broker, and find that without my time in the gym, I am less patient, less intelligent, and overall just feel worse. The motivation comes from the fact that it affects every other part of my life.
JP: Is there a deeper meaning about Pride for you that we could share?
IS: I have so many happy, vibrant, incredible, successful gay friends who live right here in Manhattan (many right here in the Village), that I almost don’t even consider the difficulties that we all faced and the generations before us faced to get us here. Pride for me is a time to reflect on this– we can’t forget it. I live literally at what was the global center of the AIDS crisis, and so many people fought and died just for me to be able to live as authentically and well as I am able to do now. That’s not lost on me, particularly given where we live, work, and play.
JP: How do you show your Pride?
IS: I try to lift younger gay people up, I try to be as loud as I can about my comfortability with myself (whether that’s on social media, or just verbally), and I try to study my history.
JP: Favorite workout routine or program?
IS: Favorite is a strong word. I love the feeling after an incredibly hard Jason or Kaz workout, with a big pump!
JP: How has fitness helped you improve your life?
IS: Discipline, mental health, physical health, business drive, connections, time management, interest in nutrition, sleep, I could go on and on. It is the central driver of everything in my life.
JP: Do you have a fitness goal you are training for?
IS: I want to be pain free, which is a battle, but one that I am winning. Also, to be shameless, I want a great aesthetic body! When I fix my issues in my body (hips), I’d love to complete an IronMan or something of a super race. It’s always been a life goal of mine.
