Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 29, Number 9, 1 September 2012 — FINDING YOUR FITNESS [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

FINDING YOUR FITNESS

By Mary Aliee Milham

East meets West is nothing new in Hawai'i, where divergent cultures have intermingled for generations. But for personal trainer Mike Tengan, the exploration of this intersection heeame a life-changing experience and the foundation for his holistic approach to heahh. Of part-Hawaiian and partOkinawan ancestry, the 1997 Kamehameha graduate found inspiration in the Okinawan way of life after venturing to the city of Yonabaru, the home of his great grandfather, to teach English at Chinen High School in 2002. Raised on plate lunches with white rice and mae salad, the lifestyle change wasn't easy. Being a high school athlete helped, but things changed quickly in college, where long hours studying and a diet fueled by convenience eclipsed

his formerly active lifestyle. Weighing 190 pounds when he started, Tengan gained 25 pounds his freshman year and weighed 238 by graduation. Two things happened that summer to change his path - starting with a journey to Okinawa, where healthier eating habits, more fruits and vegetables, eame with the territory. Tengan had also recently read of the Okinawan Diet based on a 25-year study of the renowned lifespan of indigenous Ryukyu Islanders. "Something clicked," says Tengan. "I never really thought of heahh as mueh as I did about fitness." Tengan began to change his lifestyle, walked "everywhere," found a gym close to home, built his eulinary repertoire with healthier foods and even meditated. Then, in the midst of his personal

transformation, his Hawaiian unele passed away at the age of 50 of a heart attack. "He was still young," says Tengan. "He had diabetes, he wasn't taking care of himself and all those factors, whieh are highly preventable. It really put a spin on my own perspective on things." Tengan began a self-study program focusing on physiology, kinesiology and anatomy. By summer's end, he was certified by the Nahonal Strength and Conditioning Association. While working for 24-Hour Fitness, he launched Move Fitness, a mohile personal training service, and two years later made it his fulltime oeeupahon. Recently Tengan tumed his attention a new venture, Prime Fitness, maintaining his fundamental concept of "finding your fitness" and holistic approach to heahh, while adding organizations to his client base. His three-tiered approach includes: cognition - recognizing how one views fitness within

the framework of one's life, and identifying goals, motivation and obstacles; aehon - steps to address perceived obstacles; and behavior - daily changes, based on preferences, that lead to attaining identified goals. Supporting its priority of heahh, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs recently hosted brown-bag presentations by Tengan for its employees on goal setting and accountability and fhness programming. Attendee Makana Chai, staffer for OHA Trustee Peter Apo, has been training with Tengan weekly since April. In addition to being able to get into her "skinny pants," Chai now has more endurance, strength and muscle definition in her arms and thighs. "I was so impressed with how mueh he knows about the science and the latest research on exercise, nutrition and strength training," says Chai, a former pilates and yoga instructor. "Every time I read a new article about the latest research, he's already doing it."

Working whh Ruby Hayasaka, director of nutritional services at Castle Medical Center, Tengan is developing a nonprofh, Sweet Annie - named in honor of Hayasaka's granddaughter - to target childhood obesity. Beginning in Waimānalo, Sweet Annie will partner with other nonprofits in a cooperative where members work 15 hours a month in exchange for locally grown produce and access to classes ranging from exercise programs to professional development. "Our mission," Tengan says, "really is enabling communities to ehampion a healthier life style together." Prime Fitness is at 250 Ward Ave., Suite 210, in Honoluhi. CaII (808) 372-0804, email mike@real izemyprime.com or visit realize myprime.com. I Mary Aliee Kaiulani Milham, a Portland, Oregon-based freelance journaIist, is a former nev,'spaper reporter and coIumnist from California's Central Coast.

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