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ALYSIA REINER, PATRICIA MORENO, YOUR EDITOR

Photos by Casey Steffens

Fans of Netflix’s Orange is the New Black know Alysia Reiner as the assistant prison warden, Natalie “Fig” Figueroa, one of those antagonistic characters you love to hate on a show. Though probably most recognized for this role, this busy actress and producer has a plethora of other current roles to her credit as well. Alysia stars as Sunny on the new F/X show Better Things; District Attorney Wendy Parks on How To Get Away With Murder; and Lilian Izikoff on Rosewood, just to name a few. She was also one of the stars and producers of the acclaimed 2016 Wall Street film Equity. Other television and film appearances are far too numerous to list, but reading her IMDb page, it kind of seems like she’s been in everything. And to top it all off, she just launched a new fashion line, Livari.

So how does this over-achieving actress, producer, designer, wife, and mother find the time to workout? For Alysia it’s a daily priority and has been since she was a teenager. We first met at SoulCycle, where she is a regular, but HIIT classes, yoga, and Patricia Moreno’s IntenSati are a part of her weekly fitness rotation – the latter to which she brought me for this installment of “W.O.W! Working out With”.
 

Patricia Moreno is a legendary instructor who has been on the forefront of the fitness industry since the late 1990’s. She started her career at the famed Jeff Martin Studio, and then made her home at Equinox for over 20 years. Patricia’s story deserves a feature in itself, but to share it succinctly, despite being one of the most popular, successful, and well-known fitness instructors, she struggled with her weight and an eating disorder her entire life. On every crazy diet from the age of 10, she became an expert at losing weight, but was never able to maintain it. It was in one devastating moment, outed for her weight gain by the producers of a morning television program on which she was the fitness expert, she realized if she was unable to succeed, how could anyone else? She made it her mission to figure out what was missing and how to create sustainable change.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY MICHAEL WILLIAMS 

On January 31^st of last year, day 31 of my 31 Days of Fitness challenge, I worked out with Bob Harper for the grand finale. Bob is one of the most famous trainers and personalities in the fitness industry, having starred on “The Biggest Loser” for 17 seasons. The workout did not disappoint. Bob lived up to his all-star billing, pushing my body beyond what I thought it was capable of in a high intensity circuit workout that kicked my butt after 1 round. Relentless but nurturing he kept me going for 3 more — dropping my time with each round.

12 days later Bob suffered a massive heart attack on the floor of that very same gym.

Bob calls it “the heart attack heard round the world”. It was the top story on every entertainment program, morning television, and the evening news. The last thing you ever expect is for one of the world’s most famous trainers to have a heart attack. Bob had what is known as a “widow maker”, which usually has about a 6% rate of survival. He credits the doctors who happened to be at the gym that day. and the AED (defibrillator) on the premises, for saving his life. He has since said he won’t ever work out at a gym that doesn’t have one.

When Bob woke up from a coma in the hospital two days later, he had no recollection of what had happened, nor anything about that day. He confessed recently he didn’t remember our workout or how we had met, as his short term memory was affected by the heart attack. Since then, however, he has been making steady progress, documenting on social media what has been both a physical and emotional journey back to health. Confronting his mortality and the realization that despite his physical fitness he could not avoid his family history of heart disease has been extremely challenging. His mother died of a heart attack and his priorities have shifted dramatically. He doesn’t sweat the small stuff, and he doesn’t sweat the big stuff either.
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LUCY SYKES AND YOUR EDITOR, CLAUDIA LEBENTHAL, GETTING OUR SWEAT ON AT FLYBARRE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAGGIE MANN

Fitness Junkie is an irresistibly fun novel set in the fitness landscape of NYC, that takes a hysterical look at our body obsessed culture. Written by fashion veteran Lucy Sykes, and award winning journalist Jo Piazza, bestselling authors of The Knockoff, the book tells the story of Janey Sweet, CEO of a couture wedding dress company, whose fat-phobic business partner gives her an ultimatum to lose weight or lose her job.

On a mission to drop 30 lbs. fast, Janey throws herself into the boutique fitness scene: sweating it out at “Soarbarre”, primal screaming at “The Workout”, and going topless at “Nipple Yoga”. Though the comparison to many popular workouts may seem obvious, Lucy Sykes swears the similarities are purely coincidental. Nevertheless, the spoof leaves readers speculating about who’s really who, and makes Fitness Junkie a page-turning romp through the crazy landscape of our weight consumed society.

We caught up with Sykes at an “Abs & Arms” class at FlyBarre, her go-to workout of choice, for a special Fitness Junkie class. Wearing Fitness Junkie tees made for the occasion, we sweated together through this fast-paced, body-sculpting barre class that incorporated weights, resistance bands, and core balls. After class, with Sykes rushing to the next stop on her promotional tour, we jumped in a taxi and found the nearest brownstone steps to chat about her inspiration for Fitness Junkie.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY JAIMIE BAIRD

 
If you are a fan of Bravo’s “Odd Mom Out”, you hate, but kind of love Abby Elliott. The character she plays, Brooke Von Weber, the entitled young wife of your stereotypical NYC hedge fund CEO, is fairly detestable, but Abby does it with such deadpan and oblivious humor, it’s hard not love her for playing it so well.

Abby is third generation comic genius and third generation “Saturday Night Live” alum. She was a cast member from 2008-2012. Her father, Chris Elliott, probably most recognizable for his regular sketches and guest appearances on “Late Night With David Letterman”, was also a cast member from 1994-1995. Her grandfather, Bob Elliott, one half of the famed comedy duo, “Bob and Ray”, made a guest appearance on the show in 1978.

Abby is currently filming the eagerly anticipated third season of “Odd Mom Out”, Bravo’s foray into scripted television. Set in Manhattan, it is a satirical peek at the outrageous lifestyles of the extremely rich wives and mothers who live on the Upper East Side. Abby’s character Brooke is most definitely the odd mom IN. She is the leader of this pack — foe of writer and creator Jill Kargman’s character, Jill, the series “odd mom out”. Both spoof the opposite ends of the spectrum at the other’s expense and the result is pure laughs.
 

For this installment of “W.O.W! Working Out With”, I met Abby at The Bar Method in Soho, her go-to workout of choice. While I kept waiting (and kind of hoping) for Brooke to appear, Abby is far from the character she plays. This fresh faced and unaffected cheerful young woman blended in with the crowd of regulars there for the packed morning class. With long hours on set, typical of any filming actor’s life, it’s been hard to workout lately as much as she would like, but with her first day off in while, this was her first stop. I, a HUGE fan of the show, was beyond excited to join her, although slightly dreading the torture I knew was in store.
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DUKING IT OUT AT SHADOWBOX WITH MSNBC ANCHOR, STEPHANIE RUHLE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAGGIE MANN

Stephanie Ruhle is the eponymous host of “MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle,” which airs every weekday morning at 9 am. If you watch MSNBC regularly you will also see this busy newswoman pop up on your TV screens at other points during the day — especially now, when political developments are non-stop and there is never a dull moment in our nation’s news.

Previously a banker at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, Stephanie got her start in business television as an anchor and managing editor for Bloomberg Television. There she co-hosted “Bloomberg GO,” Bloomberg’s flagship morning show. Among many other industry leaders, she regularly interviewed such financial titans as former Goldman Sachs President, Gary Cohn, now White House Director of the National Economic Council; Wall Street mogul, Wilbur Ross, now Commerce Secretary; famed “corporate raider” and Wall Street activist, Carl Icahn, now special adviser to the president on regulatory overhaul; and billionaire real estate tycoon, Donald Trump, now the 45th President of the United States.

Like many of those she has covered, Stephanie has shifted from business into political news in what has to be one of the most exciting times to be a reporter. It requires a lot physical and mental stamina. “It comes with a great responsibility,” she says, and you have to be “fitter than ever.” Given the time demands of her job; role as a wife and mother of three kids; and active involvement in women’s leadership development, having founded the Corporate Investment Bank Women’s Network and serving on the board of trustees for Girls Inc., how does Stephanie stay in such obviously good shape?
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AL ROKER, YOUR EDITOR, AND DEBORAH ROBERTS AT CITYROW

Photography by @Imagista

Al Roker and Deborah Roberts are just like any married couple raising a family, except a little more high profile. He is the jovial weatherman known to more than 30 million viewers as one of the stars of the Today show; and she is the venerable ABC News journalist and 20/20 correspondent, regularly making her own appearances on morning television as a reporter for Good Morning America. With sixteen Emmy Awards between them, Al Roker and Deborah Roberts are the first couple of television news.

Been There, Done That: Family Wisdom For Modern Times by Al Roker and Deborah Roberts is the new book this powerhouse duo have co-authored. Presented in a back and forth, “he said, she said” format, with stories told by each, the book gives an inside look at their daily lives as a couple, as parents, and as a family — that off camera are not much different from our own. In a funny, heartfelt, and honest collection of personal anecdotes, Al and Deborah share the life lessons learned and wisdom gained facing the challenges of a busy professional couple, raising kids in New York City, while focusing on maintaining a successful relationship of their own.

With two distinctive personalities, what makes the book a fun read is Al and Deborah’s different ways of looking at the same thing. This holds true when it comes to fitness. They have opposite body types, and while Deborah, naturally slim, loves working out and running in Central Park, Al, now half the size he once was, will tell you “I hate it.” Regardless he gets it done at 4:45 every morning before he goes on air.
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AT FLEX STUDIOS WITH MODEL CHRIS RYAN, SOS EDITOR CLAUDIA LEBENTHAL,

WILHELMINA CEO BILL WACKERMANN, AND MODEL CJ KOEGEL

PHOTOGRAPHY BY @IMAGISTA

Bill Wackermann is the CEO of Wilhelmina International Inc, having recently taken the helm at the famed modeling agency at the end of January. Although our paths had not crossed previously, Bill and I have common bond, having both spent many years at Condé Nast – he on the business side, most recently as the publisher of Condé Nast Traveler and Glamour, and me on the editorial side at Allure, Womens Sports & Fitness and Self.

Bill is someone who clearly takes his workouts very seriously–not just for the physical benefits, but also the spiritual ones. For this installment of W.O.W, we decided to try something new, a workout neither one of us had done before. Imagine my disappointment (not!), when Bill’s publicist asked if he could bring along two of Wilhelmina’s male models to join us — especially when I checked out the portfolios of CJ Koegel and Chris Ryan. All I can say is these are the days when I really do love my job.

We met up early Monday morning to check out the Flex 90 class at Flex Studios, a jam-packed 90-minute combo of TRX, Barre, and Pilates (30 minutes each). Taught by Jessica Cadden Osborne, coincidentally a Wilhelmina fitness model herself who we featured last summer in a SUP Yoga story, she put us all through our paces in one relentless, supercharged workout.

PART 1 OF FLEX 90: TRX

While we both spend a lot of time working out, TRX, Barre, and Pilates are workouts you can’t fake your way through. On their own, they’re challenging enough, but together they are a brutal. They force you to use those little muscles that the big ones usually compensate for — in addition to a whole lot of core. Bill and I had our fitness put to the test, and I’m proud to say we held our own against the young studs. We chatted the next day about the workout, his new job, and how his approach to fitness is very much in tune with his philosophy on professional success:
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