The following is a sneak peek from our January 2018 issue, on newsstands now.
“Literally lift your butt cheeks up,” explained (and demonstrated) Cassi Niemann, one of our fitness coaches. During her September master class on the rowing machine, a ragtag group of Richmonders you may know shifted their pork-belly-soft derrières properly onto the rower. “Cassi just inspired a new favorite hashtag,” quipped Brittanny Anderson, chef/co-owner of Metzger and Brenner Pass.
And it went like this, twice a week, for months.
A study in the European Journal of Social Psychology declared: “On average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact.” In August, a dozen restaurant-industry lifers set out to fundamentally alter their behavior by fitting a fitness regimen into their crazy-busy, high-stress, often-nocturnal and frequently decadent lives. We chose Richmond Balance, a smaller gym where we wouldn’t get lost in — or discouraged by — a sea of spandexed eye candy. “This gym,” said our head trainer, owner Hunter Rhoades, “is about doing things properly. Functional movements and strength for your whole life in that battle versus gravity as we get older.”
By December, the 12 had been reduced like veal stock to a robust five who stuck with their regimen religiously. There are no dramatic infomercial photos of an RVA chef standing Bowflex–thin inside an oversized pair of trousers. Before and after shots of turkey arms and body-fat indicators will never surface. “Besides,” said one restaurateur, “when is someone going to point out that fat is where the flavor is?”
Instead, you’ll notice around town a quiet shift in priorities, portion sizes and the client base at Pedal Power Bicycles. In an industry known for grinding its professionals into chronic pain, habitual hangovers, mental health issues and addiction, a number of Richmond’s chefs, bartenders and restaurateurs forged a beneficial habit; not in the name of bikini bods, but for the sake of extending careers and quality of life. Isn’t it time that the people who nourish us finally nourish themselves? Maybe, as the saying goes, we’ll still never trust a skinny chef. Yet, from now on, we should all sure as hell insist on a healthy one.
BETH DIXON
Bar Director at Comfort and Pasture
“I joined because I am overweight, and I wanted to be healthier,” Beth Dixon says. “My main goal was to stick with it and get a routine going.” In three months, she missed only two workouts and went from zero exercise to three or four times per week. She loves dead lifts, loathes split squats, and bikes to and from work when she can. “Everything is down in the basement at Pasture. I used to just give up. Now there are nights when we start talking gym and end up doing squats in the restaurant.”
Dixon’s go-to snack is a cheese stick and fruit. For lunch, she aims for high-protein salads and avocados. “I did really well for a while cutting calories. Then I fell off and climbed back on.” In a notoriously unhealthy industry, while surrounded by all the pisco sours and pimento cheese a girl could want, Dixon shed 12 pounds and added a new dimension to her life. She’s an industry leader, a working mom and easily our Chefs in Shape 2017 MVP.
BRITTANNY ANDERSON
Chef/Co-owner of Metzger Bar & Butchery, Brenner Pass, Chairlift
Overseeing two restaurants, a cafe and scores of employees takes its toll. Brittanny Anderson’s goal wasn’t necessarily to drop weight, “but to get some kind of activity that doesn’t involve lifting bags of food,” she says. “I lost 15 pounds, tightened up and hung out with really cool people.” For Anderson, the group approach worked because “I’m best when I’m held accountable.”
Anderson focused on bench-pressing and dead lifts. “I feel strong. After I work out, I’m stoked and hungry.” Her new routine also includes lunch. “That’s my biggest meal of the day,” she says. “I love the healthy Mediterranean vibe at CAVA. Lentils, pickles and yogurt are my favorite after a workout.” Anderson is drinking less and reaching for wine or cocktails instead of beer. “When you’re consistently working and working out, you can’t afford to feel shitty.”
People are noticing. And more than compliments, Anderson hears an opportunity for change: “When one person does something healthy, everyone follows suit. My sous chef worked out with me the whole time, and we’re a little more thoughtful about what we cook here. It brought our relationship closer, and it’s great to support each other in a way that’s not at work.”
JAY BAYER
Co-owner of Saison, Saison Market, Flora
A personal challenge — that isn’t work-related — got Jay Bayer started. “Self-improvement and camaraderie” is what kept him in. Bayer didn’t aim for a specific goal beyond getting healthier via low-impact exercise due to bad knees. Emphasizing the bicycle and leg strength, he lost eight pounds and greatly improved his fitness on the bike.
“My mom noticed that my face is slimmer. And some male friends said, ‘Have you been lifting?’ It’s all about progressive change over time,” Bayer says. “Being around food all day, it’s too easy to score pieces of bacon or knock down a few tacos. Now I’m more mindful of snacking.” And then there’s the mental benefit. “Headspace. Getting out on the Capital Trail with no traffic, I set a goal for pace or distance and just let my mind unwind. That’s when I creatively conceive ideas.”
JASON ALLEY
Chef/co-owner of Comfort, Pasture, Flora
“I’m sober 10 months today,” says Jason Alley, speaking in late November. For him, this was the next step toward getting healthy. “I was ready to add that as a necessary part of existence.” He didn’t love the gym part — “a little too repetitive” — but found solace on his bike. At first, he used a pedal-assist motorized bike, but he quickly moved on to self-powered. In no time, Alley was putting in 20 or 30 miles at a clip. “Besides the exercise, it’s time for myself to focus on something that’s not work.”
Even as a father of four, including a brand-new baby, Alley is sleeping better and feeling less stressed. “Beth has a child, too. And Sarah and I are hitting an age when these things are more important. We’re not in our invincible 20s anymore.” Alley believes we’re on the verge of a profound shift. “Because the way it’s been is unsustainable. This lifestyle has been dangerous and bad for us for a long time, but we don’t have OSHA telling us you can’t run your business like this.”
SARAH GASKIN
Manager/server at Pasture
“When Beth mentioned it to me, I thought, ‘Why not?’ ” Sarah Gaskin says. “I’m older and I’m really afraid of not getting stronger as I age. I don’t want osteoporosis. I don’t want to fall down.” Like Dixon, Gaskin’s goal was not to miss a class. Drawn to the rowing machine — “and I weirdly like squats” — Gaskin found herself thinking about form, posture “and how I pick up everything.”
Immediately, her massage therapist noticed. “And my husband noticed,” Gaskin says, smiling. “I don’t know that my lifestyle has changed much, but I’m listening more to the angel and not the other voice telling me to skip class and have another glass of wine.” Gaskin still eats mainly coffee for breakfast, but she’s also embraced the big lunch with lots of protein. “Arugula and something crunchy. Though, when I’m working, family meal is hard to resist.”
WHAT’S NEXT?
In such an insular industry, change has to come from within. Bars and restaurants are powder kegs indeed, and influencers such as Anderson, Bayer, Dixon, Gaskin and Alley are spark enough to light a movement, at least here in town. “This should just become another aspect of restaurant life,” says Alley, who’s aiming to be successful and healthy. “Forget vanity. My intention is to eat more mayonnaise sandwiches longer.”
