Florida Trend | Florida's Business Authority

Extreme hobbies for Florida executives

Adam Ogden, 36
Founder/CEO, JuiceBlendz and YoBlendz
Orlando/Weston (stores statewide)

Adam Ogden not only trains rigorously six days a week, but he’s also a competitive bodybuilder. “Training gives me the strength and energy level needed to be successful and has improved my ability to stay on top of the business,” he says. Ogden created the Capital City Bodybuilding & Fitness Championship during his college years in Tallahassee, when his passion for health and fitness first blossomed. “After training for over 15 years, it has become more of a lifestyle for me rather than a burden. It’s the first thing I do in the morning, which sets a positive tone for my day.”

To His Credit: Ogden won Mr. Tallahassee at age 19 in 1995 and Mr. Northwest Florida at age 20 in 1996. In 2011, he won the Superman Challenge at the BB3 Personal Training & Performance Center in Sunrise, where he regularly trains.

Next on the Horizon: He’s training for this year’s Superman Challenge then a triathlon after that.

Nicole Vassilaros, 31
Vice president, Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Global Commercial Real Estate Services
Miami (offices statewide)

A friend introduced Nicole Vassilaros to CrossFit nearly three years ago. It was love at first fight, and today she trains five to six days a week for the program, which includes a combination of gymnastics, powerlifting, rope climbing, sandbag lifting and more.

Vassilaros competed in the 2012 CrossFit Games Open over five weeks, hoping to earn a spot on the team that would represent her affiliated gym in the Southeast Regionals. She placed 222 of more than 1,100 women who competed and fourth on the team; unfortunately, only the top three can actually compete. She has also competed in three local competitions — Summer Crush, Clash of the Fittest and Wodapalooza.

The Regimen: “Ironically, those things that I find myself constantly struggling with are actually some of the reasons why I love CrossFit — the fact that it seems as though no matter how much time I put into training, I am always chasing after a new goal or trying to overcome a weakness.”

Motivation: “For the most part, I am genuinely excited to get to the box (gym) so I can go hard and kill it, if it involves my strengths, or give it my all in the hopes that I can overcome a weakness.”