“Your fitness is your richness,” Ulrick says, “because your health is your wealth.”

Meet Ulrick Bien-Aime, whom I like to call “Ulrick the Ultimate”. He’s Atlanta’s president of personal training, or at least I like to think so. Bien-Aime has more than 30 years of training, education, and experience promoting health and wellness which all comes together under one roof at Bien-Aimè Strength & Stretch Studio.

Ulrick is a native of Chicago. He went to Whitney Young High School, Chicago’s first magnet high school with famous names including classmates Michelle Obama and the Wachowski brothers from “The Matrix”. Ulrick came to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College where he discovered his passion for fitness and training. A former football player, he graduated with his undergrad and went on to achieve his Master’s in Nutrition Science from Georgia State. He’s also a strength conditioning specialist certification through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA), Bien-Aimè has worked with some of the city’s top executives and entertainers maintaining the philosophy that healthy bodies and minds should be maintained in the gym and in the boardroom. But as he says, none of the money matters if you’re not taking care of yourself.

Ulrick Bien-Aime’s philosophy for life & fitness

“Your Health is Your Wealth” is printed in bold letters behind his desk, and it’s his mantra. For all new clients, before starting your exercise program, Ulrick will conduct a two-hour detailed wellness assessment of your current fitness levels. This includes family history, your physiology, current diet and exercise regimen, among much more to get your “body age”. This way, his team will have the proper blueprint on how to design a new you! It’s a better way to customize a regimen based on each individual’s needs.

When I told Ulrick about my goal for #15in15, he gave me a few key pieces of advice for helping to lose those 15 lbs in a healthy way.
 

• Before you jump out of bed or after you hit the snooze, take 5 minutes to breathe deeply and meditate on your activities for the day to get your mind right. Then drink 8 ounces of room temperature water to help get your body’s system going.
• Take a walk on your lunch hour to combat those afternoon slumps and gain some enthusiasm and focus to power through your day
• Stretch after every three exercises while working out. This will help to bring more oxygen to the working muscles, aiding in recuperation.
• Plan your meals. When you know what you’re going to eat this removes stress and prevents going through the drive through. This is coming from a man who gets up at 5 a.m. every day and starts with chicken, brown rice, and a vegetable because he knows his body will need good fuel for his day of training clients.

During my first hour of training, he and his assistant “Autumn the Awesome” had me doing it all! Rowing, stepping, stretching muscles I didn’t have, working my arms, abs, glutes, legs…there isn’t one part of me that wasn’t sore! But gosh does it feel good. The proof is in the sweat. If you want to seriously get in shape, Bien Aime is the place to do it.

For more information about fitness assessments, visit Bien-Aime’s website and make an appointment. Keep up with them on Facebook, and let us know your tips for making sure “Your Health is Your Wealth” in the comments section below.
 
 

Cody Williams picture far left above and right below

The New York Daily News made a pretty big error in fact checking today by mistaking Broadway star Cody Williams with the late Robin Williams son, also named Cody. The young performer, originally from Kennesaw, Ga., got quite the surprise this morning when the print edition of the New York Daily News had his photo on the front page.

“I woke up before my alarm went off because my phone kept buzzing. Tons of friends had texted and emailed me about the mix up,” this Cody Williams said. “The mix up couldn’t have come at a more coincidental time because the NY Daily News was actually at my apartment yesterday doing a Valentine’s themed article about my girlfriend and I. I’m so sorry for everything that the Williams family has gone through, and I hope they have a good laugh every time they see my picture photo-shopped in with theirs.”

Will the real Cody Williams please stand up?

Cody Williams is currently performing in the Broadway revival of On the Town along with his girlfriend, Alysha Umphress. We’ve kept up with Cody (including seeing the show during our recent trip to NYC) since he graduated from Cobb County’s Center for the Performing Arts at Pebblebrook High School. His Broadway credits include the revival of Cinderella and Memphis.

In a search for “Cody Williams” in Getty Images it’s understandable how this mistake could have happen, but it should have been caught before being plastered on the front page of the print product. The online version of the story has been corrected.

What do y’all think about the mix up? Keep up with Broadway’s Cody Williams on Twitter for more.

Whew! What a workout. I love my spin classes but Cyc Buckhead takes it to a whole new level. I was excited to hear about the new Cyc Fitness studio opening because I love spin class. One thing I really like about Cyc compared to other cycle studios is you get access to the entire gym! Cyc Fitness is located in The Forum Athletic Club (in Lenox Mall – it shares a parking deck with Macy’s). The gym itself is a really cool facility, so overall Cyc is a bit more bang for your buck because after your ride you can lift weights or strength train.

“I think what we’re doing here is pretty special,” said Stephen Nitkin, CEO & Founder of Cyc Fitness. “We chose The Forum Athletic Club because we wanted to open up at the best gym in town. It feels authentic to come here for an awesome workout.”

The studio itself is stocked with amenities – fresh towels are waiting on every bike, and there are KIND bars for snacks pre/post ride energy. The staff are all super helpful and show true Southern hospitality. Cyc is also cheaper than other spin studios. Available now is a 7-pack of classes (5 classes + 2 bonus to celebrate the opening) for $120, averaging to roughly $17 per classes compared to $25+ at FlyWheel or Soul Cycle.

“We’re a little less expensive, Nitkin said. “We made that shift trying to give our clients more bang for their buck by giving them access to all of the amenities of The Forum. You can ride the treadmill, stretch, or take a sauna after your Cyc class.”

Another aspect of Cyc that I really like is the social engagement piece. When you sign up for a class, you can find your instructor on Twitter and Instagram. My “Cycologist” Annie Czarnecki and I were Tweeting before class, and she Tweeted the lovely picture above after we worked up a good sweat.

“Cyc is all about the socially active lifestyle,” said Nitkin. “People need to fee comfortable caring about their fitness. Our riders have active social lives, so we’re trying to help them say ‘Let’s go for a class instead of straight to the bar.’ If they want to get a drink after that’s fine too.”

Cyc is a great option for anyone who loves to spin, or is a newcomer to the world of studio cycling. I’m already looking forward to my next session with a “cycologist”! Be sure to keep up with Cyc Fitness on Facebook and #CycBuckhead. Sign up for classes at Cyc Fitness – Atlanta now.

Lauren Patrick is a native Southerner, UGA graduate, and the editor of Pretty Southern.com. Y’all can find her writing, wining, dining, and working out in Atlanta. She’s a member of the Atlanta Blogger Network and Atlanta Food Blogger Society. Keep up with her & Pretty Southern on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

If 2014 set any precedent for this year, then 2015 is gonna fly by!”

This is a big year for me. I’m turning 30 this July and it’s kind of freaking me out a bit. My 20s were awesome. I’ve had a blast writing, traveling, got married, bought a house, paid off my debt, and did all the things grown ups are supposed to, right? I even launched this website and with the help of you, dear reader, have kept PrettySouthern.com going strong for four years! But my body has paid the price.

Me on my honeymoon in 2010

When I got to college, the world of late nights drinking, eating Pokey Sticks from Gumby’s, and the 3 a.m. trips to the Pita Pit packed on 20 lbs over four years in Athens. I was able to lose some of that weight after graduation (I dropped 15 lbs my two years out of school) plus I got “wedding skinny” where a gal stresses herself out so badly she drops weight during the last few days before the wedding. After getting married, the weight from “happily ever after” came back. Launching a food blog hasn’t helped for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

I’m not posting the obligatory before and after pictures because I’m not unhappy with the way I look, quite the contrary actually; what I’m not happy with is that I can’t run a mile in under 12 minutes, and I’m stuck at a desk most of my day (the curse of being a writer is you have to keep your butt in a chair). My routine now doesn’t factor in 30 minutes of cardio each day.

The jiggly bits have got to go.

Therefore, over the first six months of 2015, I’m on a quest to lose 15 lbs before my 30th birthday. I’m calling it my #15in15. That’s about 3 lbs a month, and to burn a pound of fat takes roughly 3,500 calories. For all your FitBit users out there, y’all know it’s a lot of steps.

The good news is, I have friends to help me. PrettySouthern.com is going to shift gears a bit. We’ll continue to post our food blogger adventures with a few helpings of fitness. I’m going to get my butt kicked by personal trainers, check out some classes at Cyc and Pink Barre turn, plus try more healthy recipes. I’m also going to try and get at least 15 more minutes of physical activity in every day.

If anyone else out there has fitness resolutions for 2015, please share your story in the comments section below. Let us know your tips, tricks, successes and “opportunities”. We’re all in this together. After all, as my new friend Ulrick Bien-Aime says…

“Your health is your wealth.”

Lauren Patrick is a native Southerner, UGA graduate, and the editor of Pretty Southern.com. Y’all can find her writing, wining, dining, and working out in Atlanta. She’s a member of the Atlanta Blogger Network and Atlanta Food Blogger Society. Keep up with her & Pretty Southern on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
 

In honor of the 75th anniversary of “Gone With the Wind”, our pal and fellow journalist Abby Westcott designed this amazing illustration. This iconic scene is when Rhett Butler sweeps Scarlett O’Hara into an embrace although she’s mourning the death of her first husband, Charles Hamilton. “You should be kissed often, and by someone who knows how,” he tells her, but he doesn’t actually kiss her. No, Scarlett and Rhett don’t actually spark that magic until after she’s gone through her second husband, Frank Kennedy. This is an image that will truly stand the test of time. As much as we love “Gone With the Wind” over here at Pretty Southern, we’ve started a Pinterest board dedicated to all things #GWTW. Thanks to Abby for sharing her talent with us! Here’s a bit more about our designer:

Abby Westcott is on a quest to design 365 daily illustrations in 2015. Follow her on Twitter @abdub29 using #designaday and #project365. She’s worked for Gannett for the past five years with roles including design editor at USA Today, news designer for Asbury Park Design Studio, and currently a news designer at Gannett’s Louisville Design Studio. You can find her work daily in the Cincinnati Enquirer. You can find her portfolio here. Abby is a Ball State University graduate with a degree in journalism graphics.