LiveWell Louisiana

Life-Changing Results

When two friends opened the doors to the Cypress Fitness in April 2012, it was in an effort to bring something new to New Orleans.

When two friends opened the doors to the Cypress Fitness in April 2012, it was in an effort to bring something new to New Orleans. “Brandon and I were both doing training sessions around the city, and had private clients, but had a shared vision of a gym that didn’t really exist in New Orleans,” says Brian Adams, co-owner of the gym. “It has evolved from the beginning quite a bit, and we are always fine tuning it to better serve our clients. We also have two of the best trainers in the city who work with us. Caroline and Jamie are the toughest, fittest, strongest, most motivating, cool, caring and passionate trainers in New Orleans, and we are lucky to have them.”

At Cypress Fitness, Adams and Brandon Bergeron (the other co-owner) offer four services that all incorporate a specific style of training that’s focused on strength training combined with cardio. Those services include personal training; group classes; program design (trainers write a program specific to a client’s goals and the client completes the workouts on his or her own; and open gym (clients pay a monthly fee to use the gym space and equipment). Adams describes the offerings as "functional, results-driven fitness … for increased strength and fat-loss.”

ON STAYING MOTIVATED

“I’m motivated by two things,” Bergeron says. “First, I want to be an example for my clients. I don’t ask anyone to follow advice that I can’t or don’t follow. Secondly, I love to travel and spend time outdoors. Staying on top of my fitness allows me to always be ready for whatever activity that I decide to take on. “

“Have a real goal with a time deadline, and write it down,” Adams says. “It has to be real and meaningful to make you stay on track during the tough times (like when the drinks and king cake are in front of you over Mardi Gras). I love events, races or weddings because there are set dates that people can tangibly set their sights on.”

THEIR FUEL

“I definitely have some staples in my diet: Greek yogurt with berries; giant salads (be careful with the dressing) with a lean protein; and veggie omelettes, to name a few,” Bergeron says. “I do a food prep day every Sunday that includes cooking plenty of veggies for the week, and something like a turkey meatloaf or bison meatballs for protein. For a more starchy carb, I opt for potatoes or rice. My guilty pleasures include cheeseburgers, sushi and cinnamon rolls.”

“I like slow cookers because it’s easy and you can throw a bunch of good, healthy ingredients in there, and set it and forget it,” Adams says. “I like bison as a lean-meat protein source; I put dark leafy greens in about everything.Almost every day I eat Greek yogurt (low sugar) with blueberries. I also add chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax seeds to a lot of dishes for extra protein and Omega 3 and 6 fats. My guilty pleasure is a huge bowl of popcorn with coconut oil instead of butter.”

SUCCESS STORIES

“Someone I've been training for a few years comes to mind,” Bergeron says. “While she's made significant progress with weight-loss and strength-gains, I'm really proud of how her training has allowed her to shift her mindset toward health and fitness. When this happens, a person begins solidifying his or her new habits for the long-term. I'm a huge believer that the lessons we learn in the gym can help us outside the gym too.”

“We had one of our clients start doing Tai Chi with me because she was very overweight and couldn’t move that well due to related knee problems,” Adams says. “She would see our workouts (which can include some intense cardio and heavy weight lifting) before Tai Chi class and decided she wanted to try working with kettlebells. She started coming consistently to the classes, really put in some hard work, and started getting a lot stronger and losing weight. She went through our eight-week Precision Nutrition program, and so far has lost about 50 pounds, and looks like a completely different person.”

WISE WORDS

Start where you are, and even small progress is still progress,” Bergeron says. “Too often we go all-in and start a regimen that's impossible to maintain. If you're not 99 percent sure that you can stick with whatever change you're about to make, then set a different or smaller goal. Choose something you enjoy. While there are ‘better’ and ‘not as good’ options for certain goals, consistency is still king. Finally, be sure there is accountability. This can mean paying a gym or trainer so there is money on the line … or having someone simply check in with you each week to see your progress.”

“We have a saying that the best exercise is the one that you actually do,” Adams says. “Eventually, for best results, you will have to start picking up heavier things besides your body weight to build muscle (which doesn’t mean getting bulky). Building muscle means sculpting, shredding, cutting, burning, ripping, toning. Strength training is important as you get older to keep bones, joints and connective tissue healthy. Also be patient with yourself. Real change happens over time

Find out more info at 625 Celeste St., Suite 400, (504) 484-9422, livecypressfitness.com.