People

FIT FINESSE

For the health & wellness gurus you’re about to meet, working out is an artform — one that requires the perfect mix of intensity, dedication and sweat. If you’re willing to put in the effort, the physical fitness strides you’ll achieve are endless.
Text by Stacy Wynn, Photos by Antonio Eli | June 3, 2018 | People

Alex Cure
Cure Fitness
1800 SW 1st Ave.
786.286.2480
Cure-Fitness.com

“It’s extremely fulfilling to see a client’s body transform and know that they put so much effort into seeing results. It’s a very rewarding experience to know that you help people change their lives!”

As a young boy growing up in Brazil, Alex Cure was always very active in sports. When he moved to the U.S. at 8, he continued to be very active. As he grew older, he went to college where he started to study cinematography, then tried architecture, then moved on to explore advertising. “It was 2 years after that that I realized my true passion was what I had been doing all my life…and that is fitness,” he says. He has since studied Exercise Physiology at Florida International University and has been in the fitness industry for almost 12 years now, with the last few years at Cure Fitness establishing a new way for locals to work out and stay healthy. “When I started Cure Fitness in 2009, I wanted to create a unique environment where people can come in and feel that they belong to something different, not just an ordinary gym,” he explains. He wanted to establish a place where people feel motivated to come and get away from their daily stresses — where clients could get personal training that’s specifically designed for them. It’s a unique place that has a very different approach than other gyms. “One of our clients who is a well-known TV personality tweeted before he came in for his session,” he reports. “Needless to say, the paparazzi followed him and waited outside of the gym during his session.” During the celeb’s cardio routine, the cameras expected him to go a certain direction but Cure and his client had other plans. “Of course the paparazzi started following and couldn’t keep up with us because of their cameras,” he quips. “Some of them even got tangled up and fell!” Definitely not a typical day at the average gym. For now, Cure says he’s going to continue what he’s been doing. “Don’t be too surprised if a few more Cure Fitness locations pop up around the city,” he says. “We have fun while we train. We keep the atmosphere light — and humor is a big part of that.”

William Cameron
Cure Fitness
1800 SW 1st Ave.
508.409.8781
Cure-Fitness.com

“I love training and all the aspects surrounding it, but the freedom to create effective exercises and instruct with your own plan is a blessing. I have a great connection with conditioning and with people!”

“We are a serious private training facility that strives for long-term progression to increase sport economy or activities of daily living (ADL’s) for athletes and the general population,” William Cameron, “Coach Cam”, Strength & Conditioning Specialist/Personal Trainer, says of Cure Fitness. “We’re not a quick fix like some of our competitors. We take the time to identify deficiencies and the needs of the athlete/client and strive to keep them injury-free.” Several factors led Coach Cam to a fitness career in addition to being involved in sports from childhood. He began training himself intensely his senior year in high school and then over that summer. “Attending the University of Rhode Island in September 2000, I met Jay Souza,” he recalls. “He was the director of Fitness & Wellness as well as a fitness competitor. He quickly became my mentor and an inspiration who influenced me in changing my major from Pre-Med to Kinesiology. To this day, he’s the foundation of my training which incorporates attention to detail and perfection in techniques.” After graduation, Coach Cam moved to Miami to be closer to his newborn daughter and worked in several corporate offices. “I realized that wasn’t where I fit,” he says. “I had too much energy to be sitting at a desk looking at a computer screen and listening to customers or bosses complain about who knows what.” He soon fell back into training by combining his educational background and techniques from his mentor. He practiced, continued to learn, and now uses it all to create new ways to assist athletes/clients to perform better in sports and life. “Cure Fitness works on power/speed/quickness, strength/endurance/flexibility, using compounding, complex, contrasting, open-close chain, circuits and unconventional training methods,” he explains. “We train movement and not just muscles — we understand the human body as a whole and not separated segments.” As such, he works with all ages, athletic or not, fit or unfit, to improve their ability to function in their daily activity or sport. The focus is on flexibility, muscle imbalances, balance, system connectivity and everything in between. “I see myself as a regular person, learning everyday and keeping up with the changes of the body as it continuously transforms,” he says.

Bernadette Bassiouni
Pilates Center By Bernadette
260 Crandon Blvd., Ste. 36
305.365.8171
PilatesByBernadette.com

Pilates Center By Bernadette is celebrating a landmark 10th Anniversary in their current space, with events throughout the year to honor classical, authentic Pilates.

Bernadette Bassiouni’s dream during her formative years in Melbourne, Australia, was to become a ballet dancer. “With great determination and drive, I was accepted into the Australian Ballet School and won admission into the Australian Ballet Company,” she says. During her 6 years of performing ballet around the world, she turned to Pilates to help her stretch, strengthen and recover from the highly physical demands of dancing. She found it prevented the common over-use injuries that dancers suffer, and it helped her with endurance and overall performance. She left Australia 17 years ago and moved to New York to pursue her Pilates certification, training with the late renowned Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates’ distinguished protégé and disciple. “Under the guidance of Romana, I worked in New York for 6 years in many different studios alongside wonderful teachers,” she says. “I then moved to Miami in 2002 to start a new adventure.” Two years later, she opened Pilates Center By Bernadette and hasn’t looked back since. In fact, she recently opened a second studio in Brickell with her business partner Kerri Bender. “We’re applying the successful Key Biscayne blueprint over there. Who knows? We may even open a 3rd studio,” she hints. One of the things she likes best about her career is the difference she can make. “One of my dear clients from Key Biscayne has been with me since she was 64 years old,” she says. “She has maintained a dedicated Pilates schedule 3-4 times a week for the last 12 years. Due to her consistent practice, she has the strength, flexibility and vitality of someone who is decades younger. People are often shocked when they realize her real age and they quickly understand the benefits of regular Pilates. For her 70th birthday, she created a video montage of her workout set to the Rocky theme song. Now, we’re gearing up for her 80th birthday and it’s going to be bigger than ever!”

Michael Faddis
Thrust Health, LLC
2 S. Biscayne Blvd., Ste. 3760
974.584.7878
ThrustHealth.com

“Thrust is like an all-natural Viagra for men and women with exercises and meals proven to supercharge your body’s performance — both in and out of the bedroom — heighten libido, lose fat, build lean muscle and enhance sexual performance.”

It’s no secret that many of us strive to maintain healthy lifestyles and intimate relationships. Michael Faddis, Executive Director of Thrust Health saw the opportunity to create a comprehensive wellness package designed for both men and women to lose fat, build lean muscle and enhance sexual performance. “On a daily basis, our society is fully exposed to the benefits of high-powered pharmaceutical solutions to sexual dysfunction,” says Faddis. “Unfortunately for women, there’s no pill.” He’s setting out to change the way we perceive preventative care and personal health maintenance with Thrust Interactive Guides for fitness, diet and intimacy. “With the assistance of a team of experts in exercise science, nutrition and sexual health, we’ve created the most scientifically advanced exercise and lifestyle system ever,” affirms Faddis. After 8 years of building a wellness enterprise to deliver preventative healthcare and chronic pain management, Faddis shifted his business focus to better sex & health. Under his management, the company completed its first round of financing, and is ready to deliver a cutting-edge lifestyle program with interactive technologies for video, social media and apps across all technology platforms in the 4th quarter of 2014. “Our core values are healthy, sexy and fun,” he says, mentioning that Brenda Lowe, a former Dolphin’s cheerleader and Survivor contestant experienced the benefits of Thrust first-hand. “During Thrust filming, she was concerned she couldn’t continue due to her pregnancy. Not only was she able to complete filming, she also continued the program throughout her 2nd and 3rd trimester. She’s now the proud mommy of a beautiful baby boy — Eren.” Faddis loves hearing the success stories from the coaches and test groups regarding relationships, pregnancy and health improvement. “They are living proof that we’re not just another fad — we’re making a difference in real people’s lives.” Pre-order of the entire program and registration for an invitation to the Thrust Detox Weekend and Launch Party on Nov. 14-16 is available at ThrustHealth.com.