Lana Pepper
Founding managing director, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
Pepper didn’t realize that she was out of shape until taking her first TRX class. “It was the hardest workout ever,” she says. “It’s what I had been looking for my whole life.” TRX—short for total body resistance exercise training—is focused on building core strength, balance, and flexibility through the use of gravity and body weight to power through different types of workouts. Pepper’s workouts are never the same—and never easy. Personal trainer Val Strang leads her through 30 minutes of sheer intensity and strength-building three times a week. When she’s not with her trainer, the 70-year-old switches up her workout routine with boxing, stair-climbing in Forest Park, even tango from time to time.
Photo by Matt Marcinkowski
Photo by Matt Marcinkowski
Michelle Beisner-Buck
Features reporter, ESPN
Beisner-Buck maintains a healthy lifestyle despite traveling constantly for her job. How? “It’s about consistency and boosting your metabolism,” she says. Beisner-Buck avoids processed food and packs Lärabars and peanut butter made with organic almond milk. When not on the road, she does yoga at Yoga Six and pedals through SoulCycle classes—ways of not only getting fit but also finding peace. “Even with the blaring music, I find ways to quiet my mind,” she says. “To me, it can be very cathartic.”
Photo by Matt Marcinkowski
Photo by Matt Marcinkowski
Lana Pepper
Founding managing director, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
Pepper didn’t realize that she was out of shape until taking her first TRX class. “It was the hardest workout ever,” she says. “It’s what I had been looking for my whole life.” TRX—short for total body resistance exercise training—is focused on building core strength, balance, and flexibility through the use of gravity and body weight to power through different types of workouts. Pepper’s workouts are never the same—and never easy. Personal trainer Val Strang leads her through 30 minutes of sheer intensity and strength-building three times a week. When she’s not with her trainer, the 70-year-old switches up her workout routine with boxing, stair-climbing in Forest Park, even tango from time to time.
Courtesy of Natasha Kwan
Courtesy of Natasha Kwan
Natasha Kwan
Owner, Frida’s Deli and Pedal Pedal
“I know a lot of badass women,” says Kwan, who starts each day around 5:15 a.m. “When you want to be healthy, you make the time.” In the course of a day, Kwan often leads classes at her cycling studio and oversees operations at her University City restaurant, touted on its website as “St. Louis’ premier vegetarian destination. No sugar. No butter. No bull.” Sounds about right.
Photo by Matt Marcinkowski
Photo by Matt Marcinkowski
Jasmine Huda
News anchor, KTVI (Channel 2)
Some women are afraid that strength training will cause them to bulk up. Not Huda, who frequently lifts weights, and does cardio and yoga. “What people don’t realize about weightlifting is that you’re burning calories,” she says. Huda works out five or six times a week and eats healthily. “You can’t be fixated on the numbers on the scale,” she says. And yoga helps her “feel stronger and at peace,” she says. “Everyone is so distracted and imbalanced. Focus a little bit each day—it calms the mind and gives you perspective.”
On June 17, St. Louis Magazine will present Be Well STL Boot Camp, the ultimate fitness event for women. We’ve lined up instructors from across the region to teach classes on yoga, HIIT & core, Cyclebar, and more. Visit the event’s website to purchase tickets and for more information.
