The Roanoker - January/February 2021 - 47

city's greenways, where London and Lynsey enjoy walking, jogging or biking.
For Tamalyn Tanis, trainer and owner at Roanoke Valley CrossFit, a
favorite spot is Smith Mountain Lake, where she regularly escapes with
family to paddleboard, kayak and run.
" For somebody that's local, Roanoke is so full. We've got access to
the Appalachian Trail with Dragon's Tooth and McAfee Knob, " Tanis
says. " [There's] the Star Trail around the mountain ... Roanoke has a
lot to offer! "

4. FIND YOUR

that she's incorporated that into
her latest modality offering,
" therapeutic rewilding, " in which
she guides clients to find " the
foods, the forms of movement,
the forms of therapies that our
bodies most resonate with, " she
explains.
" Find something that's just
you - the expression of who you
are, " says Ittah. " [Then] you're
like, 'This is going to bring me
joy and I'm going to be looking
forward to doing it ... So that's
what I'm going to do.' "

3. GET OUT(SIDE.)
If the pandemic of 2020 taught
fitness folks anything, it was
to find new, flexible ways of
working out, out-of-doors.
Maybe that's why just about
every pro on our list had a
favorite outdoor spot for staying
fit, meditating or centering ...
from Kennedy Park, where
Diane Simmons of Simply
Fitness by Diane has held
popular fitness parties, to the

TheRoanoker.com

COMMUNITY.

Even the best-laid plans for getting healthy tend to fail if you go it
alone.
That 's the message shared by Gabriel Villarreal, a Licensed
Professional Counselor and strength coach at his gym, Lost Boys Strength
and Conditioning.
" I'm sure you've heard, 'you are the average of the five people you
surround yourself with,' " says Villarreal. " Spend your workout time with
people that build you up... The echo chamber of the five will reinforce that
it is what is right and what you want for yourself. "
Not sure where to find your five? The right community might be closer
than you think.
Ittah discovered like-minded people at the Roanoke Co-op. Simmons
found inspiration and encouragement on fitness-focused Facebook groups.
And as a Roanoke newcomer, Ray-Dykstra met health-focused folks at
Earth Fare, Downshift, and the city's favorite outdoor-living festival:
" One of the first things that I got to experience when I moved here was
GO Fest, " she says. " And I thought, wow, this is such a cool thing that
Roanoke does... Those are people who care about moving their bodies...
Finding stuff like that is really important. "

5. TAKE IT

ONE STEP AT A TIME.

Just starting your journey? Diane Simmons remembers that well.
Before she became a trainer, she was working as a respiratory therapist
when she came to an uncomfortable realization:
" I decided, listen, you've got to lose some weight. You can't go in a
patient's room, trying to tell them how they should live their life, and
you're over 200 pounds, " says Simmons, who is five feet tall. " It inspired
me to start going to the gym, start taking inventory of the things that I
was eating, and change that up, a lot. I lost over 80 pounds. "
That journey taught her something important: " Don't try to change every
single thing ... You just set yourself up for failure, " she says.
Instead, make one intentional shift after another. It's a strategy that can
have powerful impacts.
" I'm seeing people that wouldn't normally work out come try a session,
and then try another, and then something clicks in them, " she says. " You
see them get stronger, but they also become more confident and go after
more goals - go back to school and go for management positions. "
That's strength, inside and out. I
WANT TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE HEALTH-ANDWELLNESS PROS FEATURED IN THIS STORY? READ ABOUT SOME OF
THEIR FAVORITE PLACES AND COMMUNITIES FOR HEALTHY LIVING
AT THEROANOKER.COM.

JAN/FEB 2021 47

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The Roanoker - January/February 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker - January/February 2021