Client Spotlight: Kenny Farnsworth

Kenny is the President of Rhodes Bake-n-Serve, which he says requires a lot of time behind a desk.  However, that doesn't keep him from staying active!  Kenny grew up in SLC doing a lot of skiing and waterskiing, and later became an avid cyclist.  About 11 years ago Kenny got into kiteboarding, and still kiteboards about once per week.  He does this all year round boarding on the water in the summer and on the snow in the winter (can you believe these pictures?  That is Kenny!)  Kenny started doing Yoga about 4 years ago, and most recently added Pilates into his workout routine about a year ago.

Why does a man who has been active and fit his whole life do Pilates?
Kenny says it's for two reasons:  1-- He likes that Pilates focuses on the core muscles "...because having a strong core is vital in any activity that you do."; 2--  Pilates exercises the stabilizing muscles, which are the muscles that are most often ignored.  So, instead of just working your major muscle groups, Pilates works your whole body.

Kenny has noticed a real difference in his other activities since he started doing Pilates.  "A good example is that I can ski with my 13-year old son, and while my son gets tired after a couple of hours, you know, I still have tons of energy."  Kenny says it wasn't always this way--he used to wear out just as fast as his son did!  In addition to finishing his ski day with energy,  Kenny says he is finishing WITHOUT a sore back, and he doesn't seem to have the aches and creaks he used to get after activity; instead he feels GOOD!  Kenny said he used to get upper and/or lower back pain after rigorous exercise, and he no longer experiences that since adding Pilates to his routine.

In addition to attending the group Pilates and Yoga classes offered weekly at his office, Kenny also does a weekly private Pilates session at IPTC.   Kenny says he likes adding a private session into his routine because it helps helps him focus on his alignment and the mechanics of each movement better than in a group class, plus it helps him to learn the apparatus better.

Kenny continues to do Yoga and Pilates every week, and he feels they really complement each other.  He says that in Yoga he is working on a lot of balancing postures that require a lot of core strength, however, in a typical Yoga class you might not focus on strengthening the core as much as Pilates classes do.  He also says it's good cross-training, "...It's optimal to do 3 or 4 different types of exercise.  For one thing, it keeps your curiosity level high, and it's also good for your body to mix it up--your body should never get too used to doing one thing."  (Did I mention that Kenny does TRX, too!?)

Kenny shared his 3 goals for 2011 (all yoga poses):
1)  He wants to achieve the Yoga pose "Hanumanasana" (The splits!)
2)  Handstands
3)  Hip openers
After working with Kenny, I can vouch for his strength, and I think it's great that he's working on increasing his flexibility as well!

Kenny lives in Sandy with his wife of 10 years, Becca, and he has 3 children and 4 step-children.  They love to ski and snowboard as a family, and he and his wife also do a lot of Yoga and Pilates together. In addition to his love of outdoor activities, Kenny loves to cook and does all the cooking at his house.  He was kind enough to share one of his favorite recipes with us!

Recipe – Tea –Smoked Salmon

This is a great method for creating a nice smoky salmon on your gas bbq.  This dish has an Asian flare, the star anise and cinnamon stick in the smoke packet endow the finished salmon with a distinctive flavor.  It is a family favorite in my home.  I adapted the recipe from one published in Fine Cooking Magazine.

Ingredients:

Six 6 – 8 oz. Salmon Fillets

1 t Sesame Oil

For the Marinade:

¼ cup Soy Sauce

2 T Rice Wine Vinegar

1 t Brown Sugar

1 t sesame oil

¼ t Red Chili Flakes

For the smoke packet:

Aluminum foil square 12” x 12”

¼ cup White Rice

¼ cup Black Tea

1 T Brown Sugar

1 T Sesame Oil

4 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

Tartar Sauce:

¼ cup Mayonnaise

Juice from ½ lemon

1 T Dill Relish

1 T Dried Dill

Directions: Combine the ingredients for the marinade in a large mixing bowl, place salmon (flesh side down) in the marinade.  Allow salmon to marinade for 30 - 45 minutes at room temperature or for up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.  Heat the grill to medium high.  Dry salmon off and brush with sesame oil.  Place the ingredients for the smoke packet in the center of the foil sheet (no mixing is necessary).  Fold the sides in to form a  4” x 4” packet.  Place the smoking packet 10 – 15 minutes directly on the gas grate, prior to grilling.  Prepare Tartar Sauce by combining tartar sauce ingredients in a bowl and stirring until well-combined.  Once the grill is smoking, place the salmon skin side down on the grill.  Grill for 4 minutes, flip and grill for another 3 – 4 minutes.  Serve immediately with tartar sauce.  Nice sides to this dish are Jasmine Brown Rice, Rhodes Crusty Roll and steamed broccoli.