Alex Federico (May 2009)

In case you haven’t noticed all the positive themes here in The Sunshine Club, we Celebrate Life,  Love, Laughter, Inspiration, Achievement; on days like today….we Celebrate Results.

My good friend and frequent Sunshine Club contributor, Mike Walter, often says… “There’s two things you can make in life: results, or excuses.”

My new friend, Alex Federico, is all about the results…   Even though the odds were stacked high against the successful entrepreneur, (owning 22 ice cream trucks), he took control and made it happen.  Breaking up with his girlfriend also proved to be a powerful motivator.

Could you imagine yourself being 100 pounds heavier than you are right now? Alex can, because he was.  Last May, he weighed in at 296 lbs. If he didn’t show me this photo from a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed him either.  Today, ‘the new’ Alex weighs in at about 200. If pictures are worth a thousand words, feel free to look at these ‘after’ shots and write a few of your own in the comment section below.    I’ll start…  1) Wow! 2) Holy lifestyle intervention Batman! 3) I’m proud to be Italian.

Like our other dynamic guests here in the Sunshine Club, Alex was kind enough to share his success story and sage advice with all of MMP’s readers.   Enjoy!

mp: I’m always curious about the “trigger.”  Describe the moment you decided to change your life.

Alex Federico (Summer 2010)

AF: “Believe it or not, the quest to lose weight began the day after me and my ex-girlfriend of 6 years broke up.  May 9, 2009, I joined the gym and weighed in at 296lbs with 24% body fat.  Today, I weigh somewhere in the area of 200 lbs. and maintain a body fat percentage of well under 10%.”

mp: What adjustments did you make to your diet, lifestyle, etc.?

AF: “My lifestyle has not seen very many drastic changes in the way of dieting- mainly because I don’t diet.  I eat whatever I want but I am just extremely conscious of portion control and the times at which I eat.  I have a saying that I tell everyone looking to lose weight: “eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.” I do however workout for about an hour a day at 5am before I go to work with p90x, which is largely responsible for a majority of my weight loss.”

mp: Tell me more about the ice cream venture.

AF: “I started my ice cream truck business when I was 18 years old with one truck; currently I own 22 and have exclusive distribution rights to several large venues and park systems throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties.  Over the last 7 years of business, I have had extreme highs and dramatic lows but still manage to maintain order amongst chaos currently employing a little over 40 employees and managing about 30 or so national accounts. Although the ice cream business has been good to me over the years it is time to move on.  At the conclusion of the 2010 season I will be putting the ‘for sale’ sign on the door and moving on to my next venture in life which will be joining the family business out in Staten Island.“

mp: Now that you’ve dropped the weight, what goals are you currently working towards?

Life is good!

AF: “My personal goal since I was 18 has been to purchase a home by the time I’m 25. I am currently under contract and scheduled to close July 31, 2010 on a condo in Red Bank, NJ.  In business,  although the recent focus has been redirected from the ice cream industry to the family business which is plumbing supplies,  my goal  has always been to strive to lead the industry in sales and my goals shall remain the same as my career transition begins this fall.”

mp: When people see your photos, they’ll want to know what you learned throughout your journey.  What advice would you give them?

AF: “I’ve been offering the same advice to everyone I run into over the past few years in business, life and now in fitness.  Write down your goals and NEVER, no matter what anyone else says, GIVE UP!!!”

Thanks Alex, the Celebrate Life Team wishes you continued health, happiness and success.

Special thanks to my good friend, Gabe Savarese, for introducing me to Alex a few weeks ago.  He told me about Alex’s story and set up a quick lunch down the shore.  Gabe told me that in addition to Alex having a great story to tell, he was an awesome cook as well.   A few weeks later, Alex invited us both back to his beach house for a delicious barbeque lunch.   Life is good. 

Marcello Pedalino is a 3-time National DJ of the Year, ADJA Leadership Award Recipient and Health and Wellness enthusiast who believes that life should not only be lived, it should be celebrated.

If you have a Sunshine Club story you’d like to  share or know a person who should be on our radar, please submit an e-mail, photo or link for consideration.

What makes you happy?

The Birthday Boy, Artie Evans

There are a lot of reasons why I still drive 30 minutes to workout at the West Morris Area YMCA when there are plenty of gyms much closer to my house.   Like a lot of things in life, the people who you surround yourself with make all the difference.

I met Artie as he was coming out of the locker room a few years back.  He must have had a great workout because he had a nice spring to his step and said, “good for another 1000 miles!” as he passed by.

It was one of those When Harry Met Sally moments when you say to yourself, I’ll have what he’s having.”

Artie has a lot of fans at the YMCA.  That was evident by the large group of friends and staff who stuck around this morning for a little birthday celebration in his honor.  Being a fan isn’t too hard.   Artie seems to have plenty of  positivity and charisma to share with everyone.

I had the chance to chat with Evans today about his thoughts on life and his secrets to longevity.  He credits his wife of 60 years, Ruth, as being his foundation and thanks her for keeping him “in line” and “out of trouble.”  “She is the most wonderful wife in the world.”

mp:  What were some of the most challenging experiences over the years?

AE: “I made it through the war and the depression… I remember putting cardboard in my shoes when the soles wore out.” Then we both agreed..  “What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”

Since Artie looks like he is only 70 instead of 90, I figured he drank juice mixes like Jack Lalanne or something…  but his actual drink of choice took me by surprise;

“A Manhattan!  With 2 cherries.  One with the stem and one without the stem.”

When I asked Artie if he wanted to share any health and wellness tips with my fellow fitness enthusiast readers, he answered without hesitation.  “The Jacuzzi!”

The Artie Evans Fan Club

After warming up with cardio and hitting the weight machines, Evans and his pals talk about the stock market  while treading water in the pool and then cruise over to the jacuzzi to flirt with the ladies who just got done with their aqau-aerobics class. 

Finishing up his routine with a hot shower and shave, you might catch Artie on the way out saying, “good for another 1000 miles.”

Happy Birthday sir.  The Celebrate Life Team wishes you continued health and happiness! -mp

“When you discard arrogance, complexity, and a few other things that get in the way, sooner or later you will discover that simple, childlike, and mysterious secret known to some: Life is Fun!“ – Benjamin Hoff   The Tao of Pooh

This article was tailor-made for the Sunshine Club! Mike and Kelly turned me on to Michael Franti last year. His music, lifestyle trends and positive vibes found a new home here at the Celebrate Life headquarters. 

The Response by Adidas

Maybe I got lucky, but the young salesman from Dick’s Sporting Goods actually knew what he was talking about and recommended a great sneaker. Did I mention that he was also friendly and not texting his girlfriend during the sale? Like Whitney, I still believe that children are the future and as scary as that notion seems sometimes; we just might be ok.

I told Justin what I wanted… “a sneaker that could handle about 15 miles per week and be worn on the road and the trail… It should also be able to be worn as a cross trainer for my circuit training workouts.” Without hesitation, he showed me the The Response by Adidas and said this is just what you’re looking for. He read about the sneaker in Runner’s World and already had two pair himself.

"Dr. J" Julius Irving

After six months of workouts and epic mileage in the mountains of Costa Rica, on  the strip in Las Vegas and all over the local country roads of Sussex County, NJ; it’s safe to say that this is one of the most versatile and comfortable pair of sneakers I’ve owned.

p.s Don’t forget the stylistically-hip and functional “no show” socks.

Old school white tubes will seriously throw off your mojo unless you’re going for the Dr. “J” retro vibe.

Have a great workout! -mp

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/05/19/pkg.elam.happy.locations.cnn

The Giro De Cielo, Sussex County, NJ (Frosted Flakes View)

How cool is it to wake up on a beautiful spring day  and watch some of the best riders in NJ Jersey while you eat your Frosted Flakes on the front stoop?  Very cool indeed. The Giro De Cielo, sponsored by Skylands Cycling and the Somerset Wheelmen; raced through our scenic country roads this morning.  It was a pleasure meeting Joy and Nick Curry, they were both race officials working hard to keep the 60 cyclists in the peloton safe from any on-coming cars.  Ride on!

Encore Gallery:

The 35 mile casual ride features some site-seeing, great food, entertaining conversation, stress relief and, of course…  a nice little work out.

If you want to be on the contact list for next year, let me know.   All you need is a bike and a positive attitude; …the ability to take off from work on short notice might come in handy too.

The Life Is Good Tour starts with breakfast in Randolph, NJ and then a park and ride rendezvous up in Fort Lee.   The group rides down though Weehawken and takes the path train form Hoboken to Christopher Street in NYC.   We cruise down the West Side Highway past Ground Zero, South Street Seaport and hop on the  Brooklyn Bridge.

My favorite part of the ride is our lunch break in Brooklyn.  We stop at Grimaldi’s and pick up a couple of Margarita Pizzas.  There is a reason why there’s always a line out the door. Delicious!  It was nice to see tax dollars being put to good use; workers were putting the final touches on a beautiful river-side park right down the street.   It was a perfect spot to mangiare and soak up the sunshine.

We take the Manhattan Bridge to the 6th Street Foot Bridge over the FDR and, this time,  invited ourselves to the big party picnics going on at Union Square and Tompkins Square.   The next stop is a little slice of heaven called The Tea Garden which is on the way to Madison Park.   25th Street takes us back to Chelsea Piers on the West Side and it’s a straight shot up the river to the Little Red Light House and the George Washington Bridge.   We cross the GWB and take in our final sights, sounds and smells of the city before crossing back into Jersey.

What a day.  This year, I brought my camera.

Like our new friend in the Tea Garden said… “It’s a beautiful ‘freekin’ world, man.”   

Encore Gallery:

Corey Crawford leaps into the #2 spot- Photo Credit: Jerry McCrea/Star Ledger

If you are a fan of great moments in sports, delicious pizza, Indian Hills High School or Oakland, NJ, here’s a story you might enjoy…

How would you feel as a high school athlete if the only person in the country that was stronger, better, & faster (for now) was Olympic superstar, Carl Lewis?…  Exactly! Pretty damn good about yourself and ready to take on the world!

Corey Crawford, Indian Hills High School track & field phenom soared 25 & 1/2 feet in the long jump last Friday to earn the number 2 spot in the state and the number 2 spot in the nation for the best of all time. As a competitor, your natural instinct is to be happy at first and enjoy the moment, but the inevitable curiosity will always kick in…  who is number one?  I’d have to think that for a nice suburban kid from Oakland, NJ, the next thought would be… One of my idols?! Carl Lewis?!  This is awesome!  It’s like a basketball player finding out that Michael Jordan is the only one with better stats.  (for now)    Kudos and congrats to Corey!  Onwards and upwards.  Best wishes with your career.

Special thanks to my good friend, Vincent Velasquez, for bringing this story to my attention and  for sharing his video interview.  (also for the title prefix) Vincent travels the state every week to cover, re-cap and produce video productions of  major sporting events for the Star Ledger.  Velasquez has a cool tradition of finding a local pizza joint near every shoot that he works on.  His latest stop on “the quest for the best slice in NJ” was at Oakland Pizza- one of my all time favs’.    He had a “balsamic, roasted red pepper slice” that was “very good.”  I’ll join you on that quest anytime Vincent.   -mp