Noam Tamir, president-founder of TS Fitness here in New York City, met Dr. Emily Kiberd at a Functional Movement Systems (FMS) seminar in Pennsylvania back in 2013. They bonded over their desire to get clients moving better and smarter, rather than the traditional approach of pushing them through extremely difficult training routines. Their shared goal was (and still is) to train their clients to take care of themselves and getting them to work out pain free. Urban Wellness Clinic was able to catch up with Noam recently to ask a few questions about what motivates him, how he got started, what inspires him, and more. Stay tuned for Part 2 of this interview, which will be posted later this week!

Urban Wellness Clinic: How do you take care of and nourish your body while balancing a busy life in New York City (movement exercises, eating habits, mental nourishing, mantras, etc.)?

Noam Tamir: I condition my mind and body by practicing what I preach to others. I normally circuit train 3 times a week and get 2 days of heavy strength training in. I warm up with myofascial release (MFR), mobility and stability work before moving on to power and strength movements. Over the past 2 years I have become increasingly aware of my asymmetries in my body, mainly because they have caused me limitations and pain. I don’t accept having pain as part of my daily life. I tell my clients that pain is not something you should just accept because it will get worse over time.

I am blessed with a fast metabolism, but I am definitely sensitive to what I eat.  When I eat nutritionally dense foods like dark, leafy greens and foods without pesticides, I feel so much better than when I consume empty calories. I always encourage my clients to make changes one at a time when it comes to diet. I also preach nutrition timing, meaning when it’s ideal to eat after a workout, when to drink protein shakes, etc. 

My mental nourishment comes from my travels. I love to travel to new places and experience different cultures. I also get a lot of mental nourishment from being with my family. I have my parents come to my studio once per week to keep their health in check. It’s important that the people closest to me prioritize health and fitness.

UWC: What kinds of exercises are you playing around with now? 

NT: Right now, I love using cook bands to do corrective exercises. When I can correct a pattern, it makes the progression of exercises more seamless and fun. I also like segmental rolling and especially barbell squats- it gets the whole body working and I can see weakness in my form that I need to work on because the whole chain is being put to work.

UWC: What is your favorite restaurant?

NT: My favorite place for a quick meal is Whole Foods. It has all the cuisines that you can think of, it’s healthy as long as you know what to choose, and it’s two blocks away from my fitness studio (in NYC, it’s all about close proximity!). If it’s a sit-down situation, I go to Bare Burger. It’s all organic and it’s right under my apartment.

UWC: What’s your morning ritual? 

NT: I’m an early riser, getting up at 5:00am on most days. After a few stretches, I chug a glass of room temperature water (I hate being dehydrated), and grab an Isagenix share with more water. It takes me no more then 20 minutes to get ready and on my way to work. I always think how happy I am to be able to go to work in workout clothes.

UWC: What’s your go-to shoe to run around the city and work out in?

NT: I love minimalist shoes. If I didn’t have to wear shoes to protect my feet, I wouldn’t. The New Balance Minimus line with Vibram soles are my favorite.

UWC: What are your tools or mantras to get you through tough times?

NT: Everything happens for a reason and I just need to figure out what that reason is. I usually use exercise to get through hard times. Doing a race such as a half marathon really keeps me focused. When I was in the process of opening my fitness studio, training for the Miami Triathlon really kept me focused on the task at hand.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of our interview with Noam later this week! Follow Noam on Twitter or on Facebook for more information.