Volleyball supremos Jen Bily and Cristin Alexander are coming off a recent high with their fifth place finish in Costa Rica at the Continental Cup, Cayman’s best finish to date.
However, the training only intensifies as the pair set their sights on an improved ranking on the NORCECA tour and an even better finish at the home NORCECA event next month at Public Beach.
Both players, like many competitive athletes on the island, have to juggle work and play, training and travel. Training nights and weekends around their work schedules requires organisation and good time management. Alexander works at the Government Pension Board, and JB recently opened Life Extension Sports & Fitness Studio on Seven Mile Beach.
“As a competitor with a chiropractic background, it’s in my nature to take a holistic approach to life, work, and fitness, making sure that the mental and physical are in sync,” says Bily. “Cristin and I work on visualisation and meditation a lot.”
JB is a familiar face on the beach, but she has also cultivated a niche in the fitness community, dedicating time with local kids and adults. She approaches the studio and her clients with passion and care, just as she does with the beach volleyball partnership.
The new studio is a welcome base for JB, who has been working as a mobile personal trainer for several years. “I hope the studio becomes a place where people of like-minds can feel safe and treasured, while knowing they will be challenged physically and mentally as they get pushed through a unique and fun workout. The studio is a place where we exercise daily, but also a place to socialise and revitalise.”
Members like the intimacy, personalised service and the professional staff. With the help of Cayman Sports, the studio recently added more group classes to the schedule, such as yoga with Nicole Frolick and Chantelle Cooper, box-fit with Tamer Soliman and ab blast and power circuit training with Harriet Britton, in addition to the existing long and lean low-impact toning class that JB leads, Physique.
“We are dedicated to helping our community create and sustain a healthy and active way of life. From losing weight to getting stronger after an injury, we help clients feel and perform their best.”
When it’s not being used by members, the new studio provides a convenient way for JB and Cristin to train and keep up with their workouts. JB says: “We focus on sport-specific training, to improve our performance on the court, but general exercise, I feel, is the best medicine for a long, happy, injury-free and fit life.
“The intention in life is to feel great. There are many ways to achieve this. But in my experience, you have to keep exercise at the forefront of your to-do list. It has to be a priority up there with family and work.
“The key, I think, is to eat smart, think positive and take action until your workout becomes a fun time-out. We take our fitness seriously, but we like to keep the workout environment light and fun.”
Bily and Alexander will have plenty of support when the 2012 NORCECA beach tour opener kicks off at Public Beach from 21-25 March. It is a free event.
For Jennifer Bily’s group fitness schedule and private training availability and rates, contact her on: [email protected]
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