Husband and wife duo George and Jamie Hess spend their days working high-powered jobs in music marketing and lifestyle PR respectively, but share a passion for fitness that drives their relationship. George proposed to Jamie on a treadmill at Barry’s Boot Camp, and from there, they began documenting their fitness journey on social media. They share daily #fitspo on their Instagram account, @NYCfitfam.

1. What
Running
My
First
Half-­‐
Marathon
Taught
Me
About
Business

2. If
you
had
told
me
five
years
ago
that
I
would
have
any
desire
to
run
around
the
block
-­‐ let
alone
a
half-­‐marathon!
-­‐ I
would
have
said
you
were
completely
nuts.
While
I
liked
working
out,
I
didn’t
like
running.
I
had
old
injuries
that
would
flare
up,
but
mostly
I
was
terribly
fearful
to
try
something
that
I
wasn’t
sure
I
could
accomplish.
I’m
a
perfectionist,
so
if
I
can’t
do
something
perfectly,
my
brain
tells
me
I
probably
shouldn’t
try
at
all.

3. After
discovering
a
love
for
Barry’s
Boot
Camp,
where
short
treadmill
intervals
made
running
less
overwhelming,
I
eventually
felt
strong
enough
to
give
outdoor
running
a
try.
At
first
it
truly
seemed
impossible,
but
after
some
persistence
I
got
the
hang
of
it,
and
even
started
to
like
it.
I
began
participating
in
5k
and
10k
races,
and
eventually
decided
that
I
wanted
to
try
a
half-­‐marathon.

4. In
training
to
run
a
13+
mile
race,
I
discovered
more
about
myself
then
I
ever
even
intended
to,
including
four
valuable
lessons
I
have
carried
over
into
my
professional
life.
Here
they
are:

5. Raise
your
eye
level
Distance
running
is
more
mental
then
physical.
Often
times
your
brain
wants
to
take
over,
convincing
you
to
walk
or
give
up
altogether.
I
found
a
very
effective
tactic
to
combat
this
is
to
simply
raise
my
eye
level
from
the
ground
to
the
horizon.
By
taking
myself
out
of
the
nitty-­‐gritty
of
the
moment
and
seeing
the
bigger
picture,
my
entire
psyche
shifts.
All
of
a
sudden,
I
see
things
differently
– it’s
a
beautiful
day,
there
are
trees
and
nature,
I’m
running
alongside
other
like-­‐minded
people,
I’m
blessed
to
have
two
legs
on
which
to
run,
etc.
The
same
tactic
works
in
my
professional
life.
Sometimes
getting
caught
in
the
minutia
of
the
moment
can
be
paralyzing.
Raising
your
eye
level
to
see
the
bigger
picture
can
reframe
the
situation
and
help
to
scale
your
actions
accordingly.

6. Preparation
is
90%
of
the
game
Whether
in
running
or
in
business,
preparation
is
the
key.
My
biggest
accomplishment
in
completing
my
race
was
that
I
felt
truly
prepared.
I
had
followed
a
training
regimen,
researched
and
acquired
the
necessary
support
gear,
followed
a
targeted
nutrition
plan,
etc.
The
same
goes
for
business,
where
the
key
to
success
is
PLANNING.
Achieving
a
professional
goal
-­‐ whether
it’s
completing
a
client
project
or
moving
up
the
corporate
ladder
– takes
thoughtful
preparation,
including
building
out
a
manageable
timeline
with
deadlines
and
deliverables.

7. Encouraging
others
helps
bolsters
my
own
motivation
I’ll
admit
it…
I’m
an
unsolicited
high-­‐five
giver.
Yup,
I’m
that
girl
on
the
race
course
high-­‐fiving
strangers
on
the
sidelines,
and
yelling
words
of
encouragement
to
my
fellow
racers
who
may
be
struggling.
Why?
Because
by
sharing
the
enthusiasm
of
the
moment,
I
boost
my
own
morale.
So
why
wouldn’t
the
same
carry
over
to
the
professional
realm?
Enthusiasm
is
contagious,
so
be
the
office
cheerleader
and
you’ll
find
that
pretty
soon,
you’re
hyping
yourself
up
as
well.
For
example,
help
your
team
reframe
negative
feelings
about
a
client
(“she
is
so
difficult,
requesting
so
many
time-­‐consuming
research
projects!”)
into
opportunities
to
encourage
positivity
(“this
research
will
give
us
a
great
chance
to
learn
more
about
the
competitive
landscape,
and
with
all
the
hard
work
we
put
in,
think
of
what
a
great
case
study
this
will
make!”).

8. There
is
no
better
feeling
then
completing
something
that
is
hard
to
do…
Being
complacent
is
easy.
Challenging
ourselves
is
hard
-­‐ but
being
brave
and
reaching
for
big
goals
reaps
life’s
biggest
rewards.
Each
day,
look
at
your
to-­‐do
list
and
identify
one
thing
that
seems
overwhelming.
Now
put
that
thing
at
the
top
of
the
list
and
do
it
first.
This
is
called
“eating
the
frog
first,”
meaning
you
get
your
toughest
task
out
of
the
way,
and
then
everything
else
seems
manageable
by
comparison.
By
accomplishing
the
most
challenging
task
first,
you
empower
yourself
and
diminish
that
all-­‐day,
underlying
feeling
of
dread
that
comes
along
with
procrastination.
As I learned,
whether
you’re
running
or
working…
the
journey
of
a
thousand
miles
begins
with
a
single
step.

9. ABOUT:
Jamie
Hess
is
a
lifestyle
publicist,
wellness
enthusiast,
and
one
half
of
the
husband-­‐
and-­‐wife
Instagram
duo
@NYCfitfam.
Shortly
after
her
husband
proposed
to
her
on
a
treadmill
at
Barry’s
Boot
Camp,
the
couple
began
sharing
their
#fitspo
with
others
on
social
media,
including
Jamie’s
pre-­‐natal
fitness
journey
leading
up
to
the
birth
of
their
son.