Men on a Mission

Kanha

While their lifestyles, jobs and goals in life are different, these five locals do have one thing in common: their desire to stay fit and active. These guys are passionate about their health and have different ways of getting their hearts racing.

Don Carll
CEO of Natural Health Atlanta

Don began his career selling real estate, and before long, he was renovating and managing apartment complexes across the southeast. Now he is active in a diverse group of companies, dealing with everything from commercial food service equipment to naturopathic medicine. He combines his work experience and personal enthusiasm for wellness into his role as CEO of Natural Health Atlanta.

What is your favorite way to stay fit and active?
Golf would normally be my favorite way to stay fit, but time constraints allow only for occasional golf anymore. To be time/result efficient, I rotate biking or swimming into my weekly routine. For me, staying fit requires constant motion, and that’s good because I’m no good at sitting around. I also lift weights and do various fitness machines for one hour three times a week.

What is one healthy habit that every man should have?
The most important health habit by far is to eliminate deficiencies. If you have deficiencies in your body you need to fix them. By deficiencies I mean vitamin, mineral, thyroid, HDL (good) cholesterol and hormone deficiencies. Our environment is loaded with forces that constantly attack our bodies: pollution, genetically modified foods, pesticides, herbicides, and the list goes on. If your body has deficiencies it cannot effectively fight these forces.

What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
In the past it was Little League baseball; I was a coach for 15 years at Frankie Allen Park in Buckhead. I also like to travel and visit my three wonderful and incredible children.

What is the last book you read?
“Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia” by David Lamar Cook.

What is the best place in Atlanta to relax and unwind?
The Silver Comet Trail.

What challenges you?
I’m a perfectionist, or so I am told. My challenge is to constantly improve in everything I do. Making mistakes is expected, but making the same mistake twice is something I find unacceptable.

What motivates you to lead a healthy lifestyle?
Competition, I guess. I don’t need to be the fittest person in the room, but I don’t want to stray too far from the top.

Who are the people that help you be your best self?
I am lucky in that I work with a lot of medical professionals who have tremendous knowledge of the human body. When it comes to making yourself your best, knowledge really is power.

What is your favorite place to visit?
I like the ocean, probably because I was born in a small coastal town in Florida, and sometimes it calls to me. A close second would be Italy. Historically speaking, there’s nothing quite like it.

What is a quote that inspires you?
I have lots: “Lead, follow or get out of the way” – Ted Turner, and “You want to be successful? Hang out with successful people.” – Terri Savelle, just to name a few.

What is a fitness goal you have?
My goals are simply to continue my fitness routine with enthusiasm and to test for and eliminate nutritional deficiencies in my body.

Name one thing you are looking forward to doing before the summer is over.
I have a new invention. It took the past three years to get my first patent on a better designed food service product. I am looking forward to launching it!

John Sloan
General Manager at High Country Outfitters

John was born in the outdoor industry, beginning his quest at High Country from the time he could crawl through the front door. He has been the acting general manager of High Country for over five years, parlaying his business degree from Auburn University into his current position. For John, this is not just a job, but a family business that he runs with integrity and passion.

What is your favorite way to stay fit and active?
Stand Up Paddleboarding is my new passion. It challenges me from head to toe. Not only is it fun, but it keeps me fit without the monotony of a treadmill!

What is one healthy habit that every man should have?
Every man should break a sweat at least once a day. Turn your passions into your workout. I call it “earning your dinner.”

What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
Free time to me means time to get on the water or in the mountains. With proper planning, you can turn one day into an adventure.

What is the last book you read?
“No Easy Day” by Mark Owen. These guys are the epitome of healthy.

What challenges you?
Surrounding myself with other positive and active individuals. Your peers can motivate you to be the best.

What is the best place in Atlanta to relax and unwind?
The Chattahoochee. The river is the reason I love Atlanta. When you’re on the water, you totally forget your busy surroundings. Peace and serenity are only a few miles away.

What motivates you to lead a healthy lifestyle?
My motivation is my youth. I want to feel like I’m in my twenties forever. Health and strength make everything in life more enjoyable.

Who are the people that help you be your best self?
I have to say my dad. He will be 63 this year but can still hang with the best. His energy, drive and positivity are truly inspiring.

What is your favorite place to visit?
Jackson Hole, Wyoming is like a second home to me. The adventures there are endless.

What is a quote that inspires you?
“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he’s always doing both.” – James Michener

What is a fitness goal you have?
My goal is to race on my standup paddleboard in 10 different events this year. By spending my free time doing what I love, this will be an easy goal to reach.

Name one thing you are looking forward to doing before the summer is over.
I’m excited to get back to Southern California and spend a week traveling down the coast, surfing at every beach from San Diego to the tip of Baja Mexico.

Harry Wood
Founder and CEO of Six Figure Hairdresser

Harry Wood IV is a leading stylist and educator for Van Michael Salons, and has been in the business for over 20 years. His book, “Six Figure Hairdresser,” offers practical steps for stylists to take their business to the next level. Although his target audience is stylists, his formula works for anyone in the beauty industry.

What is your favorite way to stay ﬁt and active?
I like to go to the gym and swim, bike and run. I was an avid triathlete for 12 years, now it’s for ﬁtness.

What is one healthy habit that every man should have?
Make sure you stay on top of your diet and exercise. Most successful men have an element of balance with work versus leisure, but most enjoy disconnecting from life for a few hours a week to work out and decompress.

What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
With my daughter. I’m very glad she’s old enough now so that we can ride bikes and live a healthy lifestyle together.

What is the last book you read?
“The Thank You Economy” by Gary Veynerchuk, a great read about social media and the art of appreciation.

What challenges you?
Having a goal of some sort. Whether it’s a triathlon or to ﬁnish reading a book in a certain time frame, it’s good to have short term and long term goals to reach your full potential and keep from getting complacent.

What is the best place in Atlanta to relax and unwind?
Going for a bike ride or walk with my daughter at the Chattahoochee River park.

What motivates you to lead a healthy lifestyle?
Knowing that I want to be around for a long time for my daughter. I am also a hairdresser at Van Michael Salon in Buckhead, and you can’t be unhealthy if you want to perform at the highest level for your clients.

Who are the people that help you be your best self?
My mentor, Van Council, an avid mountain biker, and my best friends and personal trainers Jeff Wolfson and David Nassick, who help keep me on track. If you want to be healthy, surround yourself with healthy people.

What is your favorite place to visit?
I enjoy going to the Caribbean and just chilling, completely relaxing and working out and getting some sun, good food, music and fun.

What is a quote that inspires you?
“Spectacular results are preceded by spectacular preparation.” – Coach Troy Jacobson

What is a fitness goal you have?
I’d like to do the Tugaloo Triathlon in September again. It’s the best and hardest USAT-sanctioned race of the year.

Name one thing you are looking forward to doing before the summer is over.
My 9-year-old daughter is training for her ﬁrst triathlon and I am looking forward to being by her side every step of the way, especially when she crosses the ﬁnish line. I hope I don’t cry.

Freddy Bensch
Co-Founder of SweetWater Brewing Company

Freddy Bensch is the co-founder of SweetWater Brewing Company, the second largest craft brewery in the southeast. After numerous kayaking adventures on SweetWater Creek, Bensch, along with co-founder Kevin McNerney, landed on the name SweetWater Brewing Company and they opened the doors in 1997. Bensch is an avid fisherman, outdoor enthusiast, environmentalist and family man.

What is your favorite way to stay fit and active?
Anything that involves the outdoors…paddle boarding, surfing, fishing, golfing and diving are some of my favorites.

What is one healthy habit that every man should have?
An activity or a place to get away and release. For me, it’s fly fishing. It allows me to collect my thoughts while also hopefully outsmarting a couple fish.

What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
Drinking beer, fly fishing, surfing and hanging with my friends and family, including my wife and two children.

What is the last book you read?
“Life” by Keith Richards.

What challenges you?
Personally, my biggest challenge is myself. I guess you could say I am wired to constantly strive to do better and do more. I like to win!

What is the best place in Atlanta to relax and unwind?
Hands down, the Hooch.

What motivates you to lead a healthy lifestyle?
Keeping fit has always been one of my core values. I stay fit for myself, which in turn spills over into my work, my family and all other facets of life. I want to be able to stay young and enjoy as much of life as I can, while I can.

Who are the people that help you be your best self?
I’d have to say my wife and the people I’m surrounded with at SweetWater. We all seem to be self-motivators, which fuels an incredible energy and desire to be the best.

What is your favorite place to visit?
Anywhere that has waves, tarpon and beer.

What is a quote that inspires you?
“We’re not here for a long time, we’re here for a good time” hands down nails it. Live by it, and you will lead a fantastic life.

What is a fitness goal you have?
To me it’s not really about specific fitness goals; it’s an overall healthy lifestyle perspective applied to everyday life. I live a pescatarian lifestyle and have been for 22-plus years now, alongside keeping active and having fun.

Name one thing you are looking forward to doing before the summer is over.
Going on a safari in Africa with my family and watching the kids’ eyes get really big when they see their first lion – sweet!

Jeff Wolfson
Owner of Lone Wolf Fitness

Jeff Wolfson is a health professional with a background in nutrition and biochemistry who started an in-home personal training business called Wolf Training Systems in 1999, and later renamed it Lone Wolf Fitness. In addition to being a persional trainer, Wolfson opened hCG Weight Loss Atlanta in 2010. This medical weight loss center focuses on helping people lose weight and stay healthy.

What is your favorite way to stay fit and active?
A combination and plethora of cycling (both mountain and road), trail running and resistance training.

What is one healthy habit that every man should have?
The 80/20 Rule. Eighty percent of time you eat perfectly and exercise regularly. The other 20 percent of the time you can get away with doing pretty much anything you want.

What is your favorite way to spend your free time?
Riding my bike in the North Georgia Mountains.

What is the last book you read?
“Inside a Dog” by Alexandra Horowitz.

What challenges you?
Trying to beat my mom in Scrabble.

What is the best place in Atlanta to relax and unwind?
Teela Taqueria.

What motivates you to lead a healthy lifestyle?
The way it makes me feel – young, energetic, sharp minded, sexy and alive.

Who are the people that help you be your best self?
My best friend and wife-to-be, both of whom happen to be the same person.

What is your favorite place to visit?
Costa Rica.

What is a quote that inspires you?
Jimmy Valvano’s acceptance speech at the 1993 ESPY Awards when he received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. “There are three things you should do every day – laugh, think and cry.”

What is a fitness goal you have?
The Great Wall of China Marathon. My preparation will consist of stair repeats up and down any high rise buildings I can find.

Name one thing you are looking forward to doing before the summer is over.
I’m looking forward to taking my boat out on the Beaufort River to attend Water Festival in Beaufort, S.C.