Celebrity Fitzness Report: Professional Skater Ilia Kulik

Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.

My guest this week has something many of us have dreamed of having; Olympic Gold and a successful professional career traveling the world as an athlete. Russian born skater, Ilia Kulik, is living the dream and spent some time with me to chat about it. Ilia endured many grueling years of competition which lead him to win an arsenal of shiny medal, including some heavy gold in Nagano, Japan in February 1998.

It was fun hearing of the ease in which Ilia prepares and performs magically on ice around the world today. He's now enjoying his work on the Smuckers, Stars on Ice tour. This father of two shares some unique insight on the lifestyle and fitness habits of a former world champion. Has he maintained the ability to perform jaw-dropping jumps? Has he gained weight from a decrease in training? Read on to find out!

Fitz: What goes through your head while actually skating for the Gold Medal during the Olympics?

Ilia: You know, I worked very hard on only focusing on techniques and my skating routines. Nerves can kill you, so the most important rule about competition is to conquer nerves. I didn't have time to be nervous, I had to focus on every detail of what I was doing.

Fitz: That is really hard to do! Were you actually able to do that?

Ilia: Yes! In fact I was perfect in concentration. That's why I had success.

Fitz: What was going through your mind when you were standing on the podium being awarded Olympic Gold?

Ilia. Ahh! I was exhausted! I was trying to relax, but it was very hard to do and I was very tired. It wasn't until a couple of days later that I really got a grasp of what I had actually accomplished. In fact, my wife won two Olympic Gold medals. She too, was overwhelmed with her first victory. She says she enjoyed the second win much more though. She was able to relax and absorb it all.

Fitz: Now you skate professionally and are currently with the Smucker's Skaters on Ice tour. How does this experience compare to your past experience with competitive skating.

Ilia: Oh Gosh! I love it now. Training for competition is relentless. I trained for many hours every day and only had a couple of weeks of rest each year. Now, I can rest a lot and then spend a month before a show preparing. This is a much less strict regiment.

Fitz: Have you maintained all of your advanced skills?

Ilia: Yes. I teach a lot of seminars, and I teach a lot of children. It is most fun for them to see the advanced jumps, and I love to see their reaction to them. Plus...I also enjoy the advanced skills.

Fitz: What are your workouts like now?

Ilia: I love playing tennis and play it all the time. I find that it really keeps me in great shape. I also skate in preparation for and during shows.

Fitz: Tell me about your eating habits.

Ilia: Fortunately I don't gain weight. I can basically eat anything my heart desires, because I move my body a lot. I do try to balance things though. My wife loves to cook. We choose quality food like fish, meat, veggies and fruit. We also eat a lot of Russian foods.

Fitz: What's your favorite healthy food?

Ilia: I like so many; I couldn't pick one.

Fitz: What's your favorite not-so-healthy food?

Ilia: Ice cream. I don't view it as unhealthy though, because we consume it in moderation.

Fitz: What's on your mp3 player?

Ilia: It's very eclectic. Classical, pop, rock, and more. Because of skating, I grew up learning to enjoy all types of music. Music plays a very important role in my sport.

Fitz: How many push-ups can you do?

Ilia: Ha! Ten years ago, I used to get bored on tour so I would do push-ups. I even started doing one-armed push-ups. I think I could do 52 on my right arm and 48 on my left. I'm not in that mode now, but I think I can still do 20 one armed push-ups on each side.

Fitz: You have two children. How do you promote fitness at home?

Ilia: My 15 year old daughter Daria skated for a couple of years, but now she's playing high school volleyball. My wife and I don't care what sport she chooses. We just want her to stay active and keep her body moving. Our six year old daughter, Liza, is skating now. We'll see. They both eat very healthy as well.

Fitz: Favorite vacation spot? Do you exercise while there?

Ilia: Definitely Maui, Hawaii. It's a great place to relax and just turn off. We play a lot of tennis while we're there.

Fitz: Have any advice for the regular Joe or Jane just trying to become more fit?

Ilia: Take it slow. It can't be done in one day, one week or one month. Fitness is a lifestyle and you shouldn't try to accomplish to much too soon. That leads to pain and misery, which is why people quit. Enjoying a fit lifestyle gets both your mind and body working better.

To find out when Ilia will be performing near you with Smucker's Stars on Ice, click here.

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