Fitness enthusiasts check out Lakewood Ranch health event

Echo Lake resident and Crunch Fitness general manager Kory Balog echoed the thoughts of many, that 2020 was a weird year.

Living in Miami at the start of the pandemic, Balog said he lost access to the indoor studio bikes he used for triathlon training. He said that cost many cyclists problems.

"You don't want to ride outside all the time because of crazy drivers," Balog said.

Similar to other participants at the Jan. 9 health and fitness open house hosted by CryoXL, a Lakewood Ranch company that offers cryotherapy, Balog said he sees 2021 as a year to get back on track. For him, that means getting back into triathlon shape by taking cycling classes at the Off the Handle cycling studio in Sarasota and working with a trainer at Crunch.

"I'm trying to get back to where I was pre-COVID, before they shut down the world," Balog said.

F45 Training owner Lamar Miller also got off track during the shutdown. He owns two gyms, including a Lakewood Ranch branch located near University Parkway and Honore Avenue.

Miller said he gained about 15 pounds while his gyms were closed for nine weeks during the COVID-19 shutdown. Since then, however, he has lost it all and then some. His 2021 goal is to keep the momentum going by regaining a six-pack for the first time in 18 years, when he was 25 years old.

The key to achieving his goals, according to Miller, is consistency. He said it's OK to have one or two bad days as long as he gets right back to his healthy habits, such as staying away from processed foods and working out at the gym.

"We do 45-minute HIIT workouts, which is a great full-body (workout)," Miller said. "But to get a six-pack, I'm probably going to have to add some core work on top of that."