News & Articles

I write for a number of national magazines, and one of the first rules of writing is that you should read several issues before pitching. Last February, the editor of Cooking Light approached me. She said that she was looking for a Midwest food writer, and I came recommended. Would I like to write something for her? This is the type of magazine where a 1/3 page ad costs $86,000, which is more than some houses here in Superior where I live, so you can probably imagine I was pretty eager to impress. If I did a bad job, well...there’s nothing quite like making a bad impression on 1,660,000 readers all at once.

This meant I would need to read a few back issues to get the Cooking Light style nailed down. And while reading those back issues, I learned a few important things. First, people actually eat spinach (can you imagine?). But second, there was a woman getting paid to write a column called “I Tried It”, where she tested out various fitness routines like Zumba or kickboxing and then reported back on them.

It was a bit of a revelation. After five years of getting paid to write about restaurants, I knew there was a market for that. But the other end? Getting paid to write about LOSING all that body fat–most of it from those restaurants? That, I thought, would be a blast.

I proposed this to the publisher of the Reader Weekly, Bob Boone, who initially thought it was kind of lame. I’m used to people thinking I’m kind of lame, so this didn’t phase me much and I insisted he read some of Cooking Light’s articles. It was a revelation for him, too, and now here we are.

So, to make a long story short: I’m coming to your fitness class.

Maybe not this week, and maybe not next. But I plan to make a grand tour of the Duluth and Superior area fitness classes on offer. I’ll flop and sweat and keep my heart rate up, all in the name of journalism. I’ll talk a little about the science behind the program and give my experience. Finally, I’ll leave you with class times and prices so you can decide whether or not you’d like to give it a try yourself.

So, what’s my fitness background?

2/3 of Americans are overweight or obese, and I’m one of them! At 28 years old, I’m 170 pounds, much of it fat, and 5 foot 7.
But I’m working to change that. I’ve run two full marathons, spent a memorable season as the worst player on the men’s rugby team at age 26, and can do around 12 clean pullups in a row. I’m training to run four full marathons this summer and lift weights two or three times a week.

In other words, I’m a little bit fit, a little bit fat. More importantly, I’m ready to take on your fitness class. Until next time...see you at the gym!

Robert Lillegard was the web/calendar editor for Duluth~Superior Magazine for four years and wrote the Duluth Grill Cookbook.