A Balanced Life

Every Breath Is a Gift

By Lisa Burwell

In a world where you can be anything, be kind.

There is a lot of talk about people taking better care of themselves lately. Exercising, reading motivational and spiritual books, and meditating are part of the health and wellness revival sweeping through segments of the population with the means to invest in themselves. We all know that exercising is good for your mental and physical well-being, but what the retail industry has learned as a result is that the athleisure style niche is great for their business model. People want to look good while they stay healthy. It’s taken root in start-ups like Carbon 38 and Lululemon and in mainstream retailers such as Free People. They’re doing a great job harnessing the fitness-wear craze with amazing merchandise that caters to cross-trainers, runners, Pure Barre–goers, yogis, cyclists, and everyone in between. Athleisure is the new streetwear in suburbia and cities alike! Take a look at some of our favorite pieces in the spring 2019 fitness style edit, “Gym Chic!”

I thought I had always taken good care of myself to some degree—some years better than others. I have also paid attention to my spiritual walk, tending to my soul—the real person deep inside—with the belief that if all is well with my inward being, then everything else will organically flow outward. This has been a centric goal in my life and, God willing, it will continue to be. We’re beings made of mind, soul, and body, so to be healthy and truly live a balanced life means that all three need to be simultaneously nurtured.

A few years ago, I was feeling unusually tired and worn out no matter what I did to combat it. A former employee of many years serendipitously came back into my life and suggested that we publish an article about her friend and personal trainer in Destin, Florida. She mentioned he was helping her and others to become the best they could be by teaching them how to eat well, get proper rest, and exercise faithfully. Following his guidelines would become life changing for them and, later, for me.

We published an article by Lisa Ferrick, “Chasing the Dream,” in January of 2017 on her friend Zoltan “Zoli” Nagy, owner and founder of Destin Athletic Club, and the rest is history. I started training with Zoli, hired him to teach my employees at our office a few days each week, and introduced him to countless friends and acquaintances. I experienced a shift in my attitude toward exercising, eating well, and understanding how important it is to maintain this new approach to living for the rest of my life. It is challenging to convince someone to think differently, but Zoli has been able to do this for me and hundreds of others. He’s well educated as a guru of health and wellness. He is tough: that is what you need in a trainer. He pushes you to become better for life with the mantra that prevention is the best form of medicine and it’s something you can gift to yourself.

I have changed my health and wellness regimen thanks to Zoli, and I not only understand how good this new way of life is for me, but I also appreciate it. What it has done for me mentally to alleviate stress and build my strength for conquering the world almost outweighs how physically good I feel. I have learned that the two are inextricably connected and that you need both to live a truly balanced life.

If all of these praises are not enough, let me add another. Zoli treats everyone equally and truly cares for each of his students and clients. I was in his gym one day and saw a varied clientele: a sea of muscle-bound, hard-core athletes, people with disabilities, middle-aged women, teenagers, and elderly gentlemen. Watching these people from all walks of life as they exercised, I noticed that Zoli paid special attention to just about everyone—and definitely anyone who particularly needed it that day. It’s his passion and mission in life to educate people so they become stronger, better, and healthier. That might be his best attribute. Read all about our cover guy as he shares his health lessons in “Become Fit for Life.” Zoli rules!

To Life!

—Lisa Marie

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