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experiencelifemag.com
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Smart Play
Volleyball legend Gabrielle Reece blends fitness, family, fun - and an abiding
mission: helping others embrace a healthier way of life.
By Laine Bergeson |
September 2008 |
Former professional beach volleyball player and model
Gabrielle Reece believes in staying fit as a couple — just not necessarily in
doing it together. “I’ve been with my husband for over 12 years, and he is a
great person to get inspiration from,” says Reece of surfing legend Laird
Hamilton. “But we seldom work out together. I think we innately know it wouldn’t
work. We’re both too bossy!” They both value fitness, she explains, and they
both enjoy being active with their daughters — Reece, 4, Brody, 9 months, and
Hamilton’s daughter from a previous marriage, Izabella, 13 — but for this
particular pair, working out together works against romance. “I like our
together time to be more as people and not as training partners,” says Reece.
“When we’re trying to be husband and wife and training partners it can get to be
too much: It’s hard to switch gears from being all sweaty and saying ‘Good job,
good job,’ to saying ‘I love you’ and being all romantic. In our case, not
working out together keeps us happily married.” Which is not to say that
Reece believes fitness is best pursued as a purely solo effort. On the contrary,
she knows from experience that having a healthy, active community around you can
make all the difference. “I have a great group of friends in Hawaii — we do our
circuit training together,” says Reece, “so even on the days when I’m not
feeling fired up, I have accountability. That sense of camaraderie is key for
sustaining focus and motivation.” Reece, 38, came to competitive sports
relatively late in life. “I grew up in the Caribbean and organized athletics
wasn’t such a big deal,” she recalls. When her family moved to Florida during
her junior year of high school, volleyball more or less discovered her. “I was
6-foot-3 and it was a really small school.” Turns out, she had an aptitude
for the game. But the sport brought her more than just the thrill of
competition. “Once I got into volleyball, I had a real sense of enjoyment. Also,
at age 15, it gave me a group — a tribe. Which is really critical at that time
in one’s life.” Several colleges recruited her for her volleyball skills. She
chose Florida State University, where she set two records that still stand —
solo blocks (240) and total blocks (747). After college, Reece joined the
professional beach volleyball circuit, where she was twice named Offensive
Player of the Year (in 1994 and 1995); led the league in kills (from 1993 to
1996); and, as captain, led her team to the Beach Volleyball World Championship
in 1997. Today the half-time California, half-time Hawaii resident stays busy
as the creator of gotogabby.com, a Web portal of health information and advice,
and co-creator with personal trainer Mike Monroe of Train 360, a daily program
of 30-minute online workout videos. (She also has a DVD, Gabrielle Reece Fit
& Healthy: The Complete Pregnancy Workout, coming out this
month.) Reece’s goal is to reach people where they are. “Train 360 is a way
to say to people, ‘We understand that you don’t have time, and don’t know what
to do, or don’t have room at your house to work out,’ or whatever the roadblocks
are. We wanted to break down those barriers.” So Reece kept the exercises
effective but simple: “We only use dumbbells and a ball — and on eight of the
moves there’s
a step — so it’s doable at home or at the gym. And the
exercises are easily modified so it’s appropriate for people at an array of
fitness levels.” Reece emphasizes the critical role that variety plays in
creating a sustainable workout regimen. “The minute you catch yourself doing the
same thing over and over, it’s time to change,” she says. Which is why, in her
own life, Reece makes a point of allowing her physical and mental condition
to dictate her workouts. If she has time, she’ll go to the gym or do an
outdoor workout with friends. When she feels tight and tired, she does Pilates,
which she finds “a little more restorative.” If she’s wound up, she swims. When
she has all day, she gathers her daughters and drives to the sand dunes (to run
and play) near their California home. The important thing, she says, is to
make your health and fitness a life priority — and to not get too attached to
perfection, because sometimes, life gets in the way. “I’ve always been
pretty good about being what I call ‘good-selfish’ — about trying to protect
that time for myself,” says Reece. “But then there are some days, like
yesterday — I was walking around in gym clothes all day, but I never
actually worked out. It was a bust the whole day. And it was also kind of
funny.” Laine Bergeson is an Experience Life senior editor.
Check out "Behind the Scenes with Gabrielle Reece" at experiencelifemag.com/videos.
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Smart Play
Volleyball legend Gabrielle Reece blends fitness, family, fun - and an abiding
mission: helping others embrace a healthier way of life.
By Laine Bergeson | Coverage Department,
September 2008 |
Former professional beach volleyball player and model
Gabrielle Reece believes in staying fit as a couple — just not necessarily in
doing it together. “I’ve been with my husband for over 12 years, and he is a
great person to get inspiration from,” says Reece of surfing legend Laird
Hamilton. “But we seldom work out together. I think we innately know it wouldn’t
work. We’re both too bossy!” They both value fitness, she explains, and they
both enjoy being active with their daughters — Reece, 4, Brody, 9 months, and
Hamilton’s daughter from a previous marriage, Izabella, 13 — but for this
particular pair, working out together works against romance. “I like our
together time to be more as people and not as training partners,” says Reece.
“When we’re trying to be husband and wife and training partners it can get to be
too much: It’s hard to switch gears from being all sweaty and saying ‘Good job,
good job,’ to saying ‘I love you’ and being all romantic. In our case, not
working out together keeps us happily married.” Which is not to say that
Reece believes fitness is best pursued as a purely solo effort. On the contrary,
she knows from experience that having a healthy, active community around you can
make all the difference. “I have a great group of friends in Hawaii — we do our
circuit training together,” says Reece, “so even on the days when I’m not
feeling fired up, I have accountability. That sense of camaraderie is key for
sustaining focus and motivation.” Reece, 38, came to competitive sports
relatively late in life. “I grew up in the Caribbean and organized athletics
wasn’t such a big deal,” she recalls. When her family moved to Florida during
her junior year of high school, volleyball more or less discovered her. “I was
6-foot-3 and it was a really small school.” Turns out, she had an aptitude
for the game. But the sport brought her more than just the thrill of
competition. “Once I got into volleyball, I had a real sense of enjoyment. Also,
at age 15, it gave me a group — a tribe. Which is really critical at that time
in one’s life.” Several colleges recruited her for her volleyball skills. She
chose Florida State University, where she set two records that still stand —
solo blocks (240) and total blocks (747). After college, Reece joined the
professional beach volleyball circuit, where she was twice named Offensive
Player of the Year (in 1994 and 1995); led the league in kills (from 1993 to
1996); and, as captain, led her team to the Beach Volleyball World Championship
in 1997. Today the half-time California, half-time Hawaii resident stays busy
as the creator of gotogabby.com, a Web portal of health information and advice,
and co-creator with personal trainer Mike Monroe of Train 360, a daily program
of 30-minute online workout videos. (She also has a DVD, Gabrielle Reece Fit
& Healthy: The Complete Pregnancy Workout, coming out this
month.) Reece’s goal is to reach people where they are. “Train 360 is a way
to say to people, ‘We understand that you don’t have time, and don’t know what
to do, or don’t have room at your house to work out,’ or whatever the roadblocks
are. We wanted to break down those barriers.” So Reece kept the exercises
effective but simple: “We only use dumbbells and a ball — and on eight of the
moves there’s
a step — so it’s doable at home or at the gym. And the
exercises are easily modified so it’s appropriate for people at an array of
fitness levels.” Reece emphasizes the critical role that variety plays in
creating a sustainable workout regimen. “The minute you catch yourself doing the
same thing over and over, it’s time to change,” she says. Which is why, in her
own life, Reece makes a point of allowing her physical and mental condition
to dictate her workouts. If she has time, she’ll go to the gym or do an
outdoor workout with friends. When she feels tight and tired, she does Pilates,
which she finds “a little more restorative.” If she’s wound up, she swims. When
she has all day, she gathers her daughters and drives to the sand dunes (to run
and play) near their California home. The important thing, she says, is to
make your health and fitness a life priority — and to not get too attached to
perfection, because sometimes, life gets in the way. “I’ve always been
pretty good about being what I call ‘good-selfish’ — about trying to protect
that time for myself,” says Reece. “But then there are some days, like
yesterday — I was walking around in gym clothes all day, but I never
actually worked out. It was a bust the whole day. And it was also kind of
funny.” Laine Bergeson is an Experience Life senior editor.
Check out "Behind the Scenes with Gabrielle Reece" at experiencelifemag.com/videos.
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August 31, 2008
Karen Wiacek says:
Hello Gabrielle, I've been a fan of your for years, admire your lifestyle, & have a request for you. Feb 2007 after my daughter's high school volleyball game we were hit by a drunk driver, 2nd offense. He walked away, but witnesses pointed him out to police. Our injuries were substantial. I think you would be a fantastic celebrity promoting the Friends Against Drunk Driving and being responsible. Especially since you are a parent - we need more sports celebrities in commercials talking about the hazards of DUI, just a short, less than 3 minute message. MADD has been very supportative and this is my therapy to support MADD and to show my children I am making a difference. Please reply-Thank you. Karen Wiacek