For the past two seasons Bravo TV has been airing it s popular reality show, Workout. Workout tells the story of female entrepreneur, Jackie Warner, and her rise to the top of the fitness world. Warner is the elite trainer and owner of Sky Sport & Spa in Beverly Hills, CA. Here, under the guidance of Warner, trainers work to motivate and influence the lives of their clients in the hopes of becoming and staying healthy. Workout is produced for Bravo by Mentorn USA.

Among the trainers is the popular personality of Jesse Brune, who is known for his professionalism, loyalty, and quick-lip, which sometimes gets him into trouble with other trainers. This time around Lifted Magazine and Andrew Moreno wanted to provide our readers with a hybrid of an entertainment column but also an informational one too.

Brune is a certified trainer and chef, and shares some of his philosophy on staying healthy, what to eat, and the mindset and emotional side of a workout routine. In this candid interview, Brune talks with Lifted Magazine's Andrew Moreno about his past struggles with his own insecurities, while also speaking to the importance of remaining positive.

At the heart of this interview, I believe you will find an open-minded, caring, and professional human being that is passionate about life and cares for the well-being of his clients. Brune coined the phrase "Happy Living Expert" which is ideally the goal of becoming healthy. We want to enter a place where we can love ourselves and feel comfortable with our own insecurities.

Moreno: Jesse, thanks for joining me today. I'm an avid fan of your show, Workout. Each week viewers tune in to Bravo TV for the drama and entertainment. At what point in your life did you become interested in cooking and physical training? Which came first?

Brune: I actually became a trainer when I enlisted in culinary school. I did not want to gain a ton of weight while I was at school, which is an easy thing to do; I saw people gain around fifty pounds! I figured through association I would keep exercise a priority in my life. It proved to be a nice balance.

Moreno: So, in effect the cooking came first and your physical training was a subset of your cooking. That's interesting. Did you receive any training or certification?

Brune: As far as credentials go, I graduated from the California School of Culinary Arts, Le Cordon Bleu, and am certified through AFAA as a personal trainer.

Moreno: Regarding your professional career, how did you come about being a trainer with Jackie Warner on Workout?

Brune: The producers of the show found me. I had developed a bit of a following as a boot camp instructor in Hollywood. Jackie loves boot camp, so the producers thought it would be a good match. They interviewed me and asked if I would like to be interviewed by Jackie, they had a hunch she would dig me...their hunch was right, and the producers and Jackie collectively hired me.

Moreno: When you're at the gym, do you have a specific area of expertise?

Brune: I suppose my area of expertise has been molded by my day-to-day experiences. I consider myself more of a life style consultant rather than a trainer or a chef. I coined the phrase "Happy Living Expert" - this being based off the idea that it is our soul duty as human beings to be happy. I think that if you don't find yourself rejoicing in any activity then it really isn't what you want to do. Life is about balance, and that is what I emphasize with my clients. There needs to always be a little play time, it helps make the work worth it.

Moreno: I think your view on balance is so true. We can get caught up with our careers that we lose our time for fun and relaxation. Without relaxing we eventually burn-out. I'm curious about your phrase "Happy Living Expert." Since the role of a trainer is so much more than a coach, how do you handle and approach the emotional side of training?

Brune: I actually try to maintain a healthy distance when it comes to the emotional aspects of training. I am always there to listen and naturally give advice when it is appropriate. However, my job as a trainer is to get people into shape, so when conversation strays from that, I try to very lovingly get the client back on track and into the exercises of the day. Developing friendships is great, but my job is to train people when I am in the gym. It's at times difficult to remember, but if you can keep it "business" in the gym, people respond better to the results they get.

Moreno: It seems like you've been in this career long enough to realize the importance of management in the gym. Let's move on to a question our readers should be aware of: What is an appropriate amount of time people should be engaged in physical activity per day?

Brune: Everyone is built differently, so everyone needs different things. I try to make people commit to at least forty-five minutes of physical activity outside of their training sessions. There also should be one day of rest. Your body needs to rebuild itself.

Moreno: Remember that readers: Try to stay active for at least 45 minutes a day, with one day of rest. I'd like to also talk more about the emotional side to training. We are constantly bombarded by the media in a means to objectify beauty. Loving yourself is a huge part of the training system. What's your methodology on getting healthy and staying positive?

Brune: Again, I emphasize the importance of balance. I also emphasize the importance of eating organic foods. Eating organically takes care of a lot of weight problems right off the bat. I don't believe in diets, because I believe that diets set people up to fail. We want what we can't have, it's just human nature. By changing the way you eat as a life style, there is no diet. Is working out important? Absolutely, one hundred percent yes...however, what is life without the occasional cupcake, right?

Moreno: What's a constant misconception people have about working out and losing weight?

Brune: I think that people expect instant results. Working out to achieve goals is a gradual process. I just want people to feel good, so I hate weighing my clients. I don't care what a scale says; I just care about how you feel.

Crash diets and work out binges don't make you feel good, so I discourage those approaches immensely. As soon as you start to feel good, you start looking good...or so I have found.

Moreno: Seeing the results of your working training is indeed a wonderful feeling. You mention the important of nutrition and eating organic. For the novice nutritionist, would you describe what organic means and entails, and perhaps some of the benefits?

Brune: Organic foods are foods that have been grown naturally, using no hormones or chemicals in its development. These chemicals include pesticides, which when you break it down are poisons, and you just don't want to digest poisons. Eating organic is just a healthier approach to food, all natural, all good.

Moreno: Can you explain the differences between "good" carbs and "bad" carbs?

Brune: Carbs give you energy. What a lot of people don't understand is that vegetables and fruits are also carbohydrates. Carbohydrates should make up about 60% of your diet. Carbohydrates that are loaded with processed sugars, likes breads, candy...you know, all the stuff we love, are generally considered "bad carbs" because of their sugar levels. Sugar translates right into fat when you begin to digest the foods. So moral of the story is that more fruits and veggies=GOOD; candy and pudding=BAD. BUT BUT BUT, I think that it is good to be bad on occasion...it makes life more fun.

Moreno: Speaking of being bad, has your television show changed you? Is there anything you've learned about yourself that you were previously not aware of?

Brune: I think that the television show has taught me that if I am going to preach a message of health and well-being, then I better lead by example. I have an opportunity to help people, so I have taken that to heart and have really transformed my life to fit the persona that I believe a "Happy Living Expert" should have. It's great; it was kind of like God telling me, "You're going to be healthy no matter what!" There could be worse things!

Moreno: Put aside the trainer and the chef, what makes you happy? What saddens you?

Brune: Ready for some cheese? Dogs make me so happy. I have a mutt that I rescued years ago, his name is Sammy, and he is the love of my life. I also love cooking, obviously...a little wine, some chopping, and Aretha Franklin playing on the speakers equals a perfect evening. Then there are the obvious ones: funny movies, the theatre, friends, a good workout...love them.

Sadness, huh? I suppose the one thing that makes me cringe is to see people being cruel to others...I can't tolerate that. Also, cruelty to animals is just disgusting.

Moreno: I too have a rescue dog/mutt, Wishon. She has been a complete blessing.

For your fans who want to learn more about you, you mentioned just now and on your website that you enjoy the arts and theatre. Do you have a favorite production?

Photo © Gabriel Goldberg

Brune: I just saw "Spring Awakening"...it was brilliant. During the curtain call, the leading lady looked at me and mouthed "I love you!!" which was a shock. I got invited to go back stage and meet the cast after the performance. It was a magical experience.

Moreno: I'll have to check that one out. Going a little deeper, on a past episode of Workout, Jackie invited all the trainers and clients for a weekend retreat. It was a time for reflection and honesty. Jackie stated that many time personal trainers go into their line of work because of their own insecurities. Did you ever struggle with weight/diet?

Brune: Yes!!! Of course. One of the main topics of the first two episodes was how I gained weight. Nothing makes you more body conscious than being called fat on national television. I think it was a great wakeup call, and really motivated me to step up my exercise program. We live in a very body obsessed culture, so I think that no matter who you are, there is always going to be something that you are insecure about. Developing a relationship with your insecurities is the first step to overcoming them. It is an ongoing process, but I feel like I have done a rather good job at making something positive come from something negative.

Moreno: I like that, "Developing a relationship with your insecurities is the first step to overcoming them." Well said. Do you have any plans on putting together a Jesse Brune original organic cookbook or motivation guide?

Brune: I am always working on something, so yes, hopefully there will be some fun Jesse Brune products one day...but hey, one step at a time, right?

Moreno: Before we part, describe to me your personality.

Brune: Open to all possibilities! I think that life is meant to be lived, so I rarely back down from a challenge. It keeps life interesting. The saddest thing I can imagine is reflecting upon your life and saying that you regret not trying something. I live life to the fullest and am laughing the entire time!


Thank you Jesse for your time. For more information on Jesse visit www.JesseBrune.com or www.bravotv.com/Work_Out/index.shtml.

You can also read Jesse's personal blog at http://blogs.outzonetv.com/jesse/