Tom Bruno, Jr (Oct 2007)
AGE: 37
PROFESSION: Senior Character Animator (Sony Pictures Imageworks). Credits include “Monster House”; “Men in Black 2”; “The Polar Express”; “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”; the forthcoming “I Am Legend” starring Will Smith, and “Speed Racer” starring Emile Hirsch, Matthew Fox, & Christina Ricci.
BACKGROUND: I’ve always been someone who achieves more under pressure. The more responsibilities I have, the more responsibilities I can handle…not sure why that is. This has become even more evident in these past couple of years having had great career success since becoming a Sonki Fitness Warrior:
10/01/2005: 185 lbs, 35’’ waist
Four 5-week sessions, an Xtreme Training session, and one marathon later…
10/01/07: 161 lbs, 30’’ waist
Last session, I topped out on the fitness assessment with 69 push-ups in one minute, 76 sit-ups in two minutes, and 7:12 on the mile run.
What is your current exercise routine? I’ve been attending Sonki Fitness M/W/F at 6:30am religiously and a mix of cardio on Tu and Th with a distance run on Sunday (6-8 miles). The extreme hours of this latest project, however, resulted in an occasional exchange of exercise for an hour or two of sleep (even still, I twice arrived at Sonki directly from working all-night to get my morning workout in).
What is your motivation to stay in shape? I’m a single guy. Need I say more? Seriously though. Hahahaha. No, really. Maybe it WAS my motivation in the beginning: To get back into shape, because I’d quit smoking and put on some weight and wanted it back off, feeling less attractive. So the initial motivation WAS weight loss. After months of boot camp and training for the L.A. Marathon, I completely forgot about the weight loss aspect of it. Rather, I began to realize that staying in shape not only helps me to feel good (mentally AND physically), but maintaining a program of fitness translates into all aspects of life: Self-discipline, motivation, setting and achieving goals…you learn these things in boot camp, and they become reinforced into your day-to-day life.
What is your greatest challenge to staying in shape? My art/occupation requires me to work often times 12-15 hour days, especially near the end of a project. When you string together a month or so of doing that, it begins to take a toll on all aspects of your life, including your exercise program (See answer to next question).
What is your key to success? I think consistency is the secret to exercise success. That’s why I choose to work out in the morning. There are very rarely scheduling conflicts at 6:30am, and therefore fewer opportunities to rationalize missing your workout. You have to just decide that no matter what there’s no excuse to miss it and then don’t, despite how sore you are, or tired or whatever… Set two alarms minimum. Try your best not to miss a single day because simply put, it’s a slippery slope. When you miss one, you’ll let yourself miss another. “That feeling” you have at the end of each workout, remember that. It should be motivation enough to get you out there. That said, a single mistake should never dismantle a program. If you accidentally miss a day, get over it and get back on that horse. Ride it harder that next time. Giddyup! Okay, end of cheesy metaphor.
How long have you been doing Sonki Fitness Boot Camp? This is my fourth 5-week session plus an Xtreme Training session.
What do you like about Sonki Fitness Boot Camp and how has it affected your life? There are so many reasons to like Sonki Fitness. The camaraderie of gathering with a group of like-minded others to do something positive is a big draw. The friendly competition is extra motivation to push yourself further. I’ve only ever attended the 6:30am Playa Vista class, so I have to mention just how great Katie (Sonki Fitness Playa Vista instructor) is. She leads by example, is tough in a very positive way, and has such a warm personality. You can tell she truly cares about each of us and our fitness success. When you attend the same program for awhile, there’s a certain amount of accountability that I think helps with motivation. When your co-boot campers and instructor know you, then they know when you’re not putting in a 100% some days…and maybe you’ll get an earful for that, or if you miss a workout. I think that’s a great thing! Finally, I love the Sonki theory of relishing that “good pain” and the patented ” up an inch, down an inch, up a foot, down a foot, etc.” The longer I’m with the Sonki program, the more I realize how well it targets so many different parts of the body, and how much that benefits “the machine.” I guess I shouldn’t underestimate the motivational factor of working out amongst more than a handful of beautiful, athletic women. Did I just say that out loud?
What advice would you give to others about fitness? I’m not sure I’m really in the position to give advice to others, but one thing that has really accentuated my training at Sonki Fitness has been to take an interest in educating myself about my health in general and putting what I’ve learned into practice. Fitness is a lifestyle-choice that doesn’t just begin and end with exercise. It’s about making choices of what you do and don’t put into your body (i.e., how you feed ‘the machine’). It’s so beneficial to understand how refined foods like white bread and rice, those high in glycemic index, negatively affect the body. That protein is so important to the muscle building process. How crucial it is to keep hydrated. The benefits of Omega 3s. The value of a high-fiber diet. And my favorite: That having one or two glasses of wine per day is good for your heart! Don’t take my word for it. Do your own research! But believe me when I say that all these things take what you do at boot camp and increase its worth. It valuates all that sweat and makes working harder, easier. Next time around, you’ll succeed in achieving that extra push-up, those final sit-ups, or reaching “up an inch, down an inch, up a foot, down a foot… hold it! 5, 4, 3, 2, aaanndddd… One… Very good! Okay! Next exercise…”