Andrea Metcalf

Health and lifestyle expert | Owner, Fitness Studio and Weight Loss Center | Author, Naked Fitness (out in Spring '10)

Media maven Andrea Metcalf knows a thing or two about fitness. She got her start in college, back during the Jane Fonda Jazzercise era of “no pain, no gain.” Since then, Andrea’s seen the fitness industry grow up to be more of an integrative science. “We look at body alignment, body chemistry and even hormones. It’s not just about doing the exercise, but about understanding why we’re doing it.”

“We look at body alignment, body chemistry and even hormones. It’s not just about doing the exercise, but about understanding why we’re doing it.”

She recently took time out of her busy schedule to talk with lucy.com about her workout philosophy, bouncing back from pregnancy and her favorite lucy looks.

What is your workout philosophy?

Bottom line: you always feel better after working out. AS little as 10 minutes a day can reduce your risk for diabetes and heart disease. It doesn’t have to be a lot, but it has to be for you. The thing is, you can fit it in at any point in your day. I’m a ten to 30 minute gal. That’s what fits in my schedule. What works for me doesn’t work for everyone, though. You can exercise anywhere: if you’re at the grocery store, you can push and pull the weight of the cart while you’re waiting in line. You can do squats in elevators. You can even use your wheelie chair at work: sit in the chair, put your feet out on the floor and lift your butt, dig your heels in and walk forward. You’ll get your hamstrings working and ultimately prevent back pain.

That’s what you did after your three pregnancies, right?

I think pregnancy sometimes gives you a setback. I had one 10 lb baby and two 9 lb babies, and I gained 43 pounds each time. This is before the “Mommy and Me” fitness classes. So I worked out with my babies; I’d use them as aprop so to speak. I’d lift them up and down, I’d press them, I’d squat them, I’d use them as my weights! Because like it or not, they were always with me. Whatever’s going on in your life, you tend to incorporate in your fitness routine, and that’s just always been what I’ve done. As modern women, we have families, parents, work, we have so much more that we’re responsible for than our mom’s moms were. Even when you think you can’t find time…well, remember: you’re more important than that. Find it for yourself. You need to think about what YOU are doing to be healthy.

And don’t limit it to just exercise. No dream is too big. For years, I was writing in my journal that I wanted to be on the Today Show, and guess what? I’ve been a fitness expert on the Today Show over a dozen times. Anything that you can dream you can do it. If you told me ten years ago, the things I’m doing, I’d never believed it. The message is that the more you do, the more you can do. This spring you’ll see my first interactive book to get anyone up and able to move: Naked Fitness.

What is your favorite lucy style or look?

The line is technical and livable at the same time. I like the styles. I like being able to move from Starbucks to the grocery store to my workout to a business meeting. My favorite piece right now is the Gazelle Seamless Half Zip. They’re fantastic: The feel, the thumbholes on it, the bright color. I also love the Vital Pant—they have a bit of flare to them; they’re more than just exercise pants.