Behind the Bluff
Uncover best practices to participate in life on your terms. Every week, hosts Jeff Ford and Kendra Till guide listeners with short conversations on trending wellness topics and share interviews with passionate wellness professionals, our private club leaders, and additional subject matter experts offering valuable tips. Each episode conclusion includes Healthy Momentum, five minutes of inspiration to help you reflect and live differently. Subscribe now and discover the keys to living your greatest active lifestyle.
Behind the Bluff
Structure Sets You Free | Gene Castellino
Gene Castellino brings his unique perspective as both Palmetto Bluff's beverage director and a passionate health advocate to this energetic conversation about balancing wellness with life's pleasures. His journey from a coal mining town in Pennsylvania to becoming a wine expert showcases how structure and intentionality can create space for both indulgence and discipline.
• Gene approaches wine selection by seeking out small, family-owned producers rather than mass-market labels
• His "five days off, two days on" alcohol schedule allows him to enjoy quality wines while maintaining health priorities
• Structure and organization form the foundation of Gene's approach to fitness, nutrition, and travel
• Gene's fitness journey spans from bodybuilding to marathons to climbing Mount Whitney five times
• Growing up in a Sicilian household with homemade food shaped his clean eating approach
• Traveling to countries like Japan and Italy has reinforced his appreciation for fresh, seasonal ingredients
• Gene tracks his blood work twice a year to measure how his fitness and nutrition choices impact his health
• Quality over convenience guides his decisions—he won't consume alcohol unless it meets his standards
• Gene believes health must be everyone's top priority: "Without it, nothing else works"
• Preparing thoroughly for new experiences (like researching Japan for months) enhances enjoyment and reduces stress
• Gene avoids processed foods and hasn't had soda since giving it up for Lent at age 12
Remember: actively participate in life on your terms.
Are you ready to live an active lifestyle? Welcome to Behind the Bluff, where we believe every moment of your life is an opportunity to pursue wellness on your terms. I'm your host, jeff Ford, and today's guest is Gene Castellino, beverage director at Palmetto Bluff. World traveler, fitness junkie and former TSA agent yes, you heard that, right From finance to fine wine, gene's journey is anything but ordinary. He's the rare mix of hospitality pro and a health nerd. I can't wait to dive into his passion around clean nutrition and his passion about pairing the perfect wine with a meal. Today, we're going to dive into how he balances indulgence with intention, what global travel taught him about flavor and why wellness belongs in every pore. Let's get into it, gene.
Speaker 2:Welcome to the show. Thank you, jeff, good to be here. It's been a while. We've been planning this now, for, I think, years.
Speaker 1:It has certainly felt like that. So let's not waste any time. If I were to reflect on all our directors and pick one who I would deem the second nerdiest about health and wellness, it would certainly land on you For today's conversation. I'd love to hear everything you bring to the table. So let's start with your role here at Palmetto Bluff. What led you into the world of beverages and hospitality, and was it love at first sip, if you will?
Speaker 2:Actually it wasn't the love at first sip if we're talking wine. Growing up in a coal mining town in northeast Pennsylvania to a Sicilian household and neighborhood, there was a lot of homemade wine that now, looking back, I wouldn't use as vinegar in my salad dressing. It was that bad. But who knew back then? Right, oh, this was great Homemade Aunt so-and-so or uncle so-and-so had made it. It was actually when I was living in California that a friend of mine who was a wine collector at the time introduced me to some aged California Cabernet Sauvignon To me and I still remember it. I said it was it's what liquid gold would be like. I was just blown away that that wine could be like that, and so that led me on my collection and journey and interest and self-educating on wine and spirits and such.
Speaker 1:So it all started with that friend who introduced you to like an actual wine. It sounds like, and Palmetto Bluff.
Speaker 2:It's an interesting little story. No-transcript, pick out plots, so that's kind of fun. He purchased some things and fast forward. He found out I was going to be on Hilton head and he's like, hey, you want to do, you want to go play at my golf course? I bought some land and we're building a house and and, uh, it's like where, palmetto, palmetto bluff, where's that? Like, how far away is it? I don't want to drive that far. We're on Hilton head, yeah. And uh, he's like, no, no, no, you have to, you have to.
Speaker 2:And I drive over and we play, uh, we play the golf course and we have caddies only there. They didn't have golf carts back then. And uh, and I was so blown away I, at some point, after a few holes, I asked the caddy. I said, so, has anyone ever played this golf course before? I mean, I'm not seeing any divots, I'm not. It just is the most pristine golf course I had ever seen in my life. And he said, well, to put it into perspective, I mean we're so new. He's like I have you two, and then there's only another couple this afternoon that are playing, so there's only four of you that are playing today. And so fast forward. We move from Montana to Hilton Head. We move from Montana to Hilton Head and my wife's a wine distributor and she was dealing with the old beverage director at that point and he had mentioned that he was looking for, you know, somebody to-.
Speaker 1:Take over, take over the bottle shop actually.
Speaker 2:He's like you know my husband might be interested in doing something like that, whatever. Okay, so that's how I got back here to Pomona Bluff. It was a fascinating 20 years that never think you would come back.
Speaker 1:Right, it's. It's funny how stuff like that occurs in our lives and the T-sheet nowadays is a lot different than the T-sheet. You experienced that one day playing May River.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely. And must be so cool to have that image in your brain of where Palmetto Bluff was and where it is today, yeah, and so that same guy, still a friend of mine, he's actually my investment advisor and he and his family are coming out in September.
Speaker 1:Very cool. Does he still own property in here?
Speaker 2:No, no, he had three, had, uh, he had three properties. He had built on one and over the years that he just uh liquidated them. So yeah he's kicking himself now.
Speaker 1:I bet, I bet. Well, I'd like to pause a bit more on how you self-taught yourself around wine. Could you share just how that evolution occurred and the steps you took to become as knowledgeable as you are today?
Speaker 2:Sure so um gosh, and I'll expound on that too, because it's like everything um, uh taught myself Italian, um taught myself wine, uh, just by studying, you know, books, and uh, and then visiting wine countries. I was out in California at the time, so it was real easy to uh to get to Napa, to get to Sonoma, to get to Paso and those regions, santa Barbara regions and just do more investigating and learning over the years. And then, and then just the experience itself of of having friends that were collectors as well and and tasting uh through different countries and and how wine ages and why it ages, and um, yeah, I mean just uh.
Speaker 2:It's like nutrition, which one I'm sure we're going to talk about as well, right, uh um, although my daughter having grown up with me, ended up getting her master's degree in nutrition uh, because that's all we ever talk about when she was growing up and living with me. And so, yeah, just picking up books and doing research and studying, once I get on a mission, it's pretty hard to get me off. Yeah, to get me off.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you're the type of guy that when you're interested in something, you immediately take action, it feels like, and you start to learn the deeper details to things, and I think that's why your experience is so fast and why you essentially switched careers which is very cool to see. A couple of times yeah, yeah. So at Palmetto Bluff, what's your philosophy when curating a wine or cocktail list?
Speaker 2:Okay, so, on the wine side, I find it to be very lazy when I go to other restaurants and I look at a wine list and.
Speaker 2:I try to judge. Okay, what's his thought or her thought on what they chose? How did they come up with it? And most of the time, over the years, I just say, wow, this is a lazy list. Right, this is just everything that they have over at Harris Teeter in stacks like just easy stuff. Like you can find, you can. You can find, uh, wines that are comparable but are better made in my, in my opinion. So we'll talk champagne, for example. Right, it's real easy. Okay, vouv Clicquot. Everybody wants Vouv Clicquot, it's just the standard.
Speaker 2:I don't have the same passion for Vouv Clicquot as, uh, maybe a lot of people, of people do, because I think there's a lot of grower champagnes that are out there that are so much better at a lesser price. And a grower champagne is that that person who owns the farm. They, they tend to their grapes, they grow them, they make their champagne, and then they put their family name on Cool. And so I always think you know, knowing how the French are, knowing how the Italians are, that when you know you take over, your dad's still alive, perhaps your grandfather's still alive, and they did it. And so you hear about these four, five, six generations of owners of these wineries and I gotta think that the pressure to make the absolute best wine because you know your first critic is not gonna be James Suckling or Wine Spectator, it's your dad and grandfather and it needs to be, if not, the same quality- better, yeah, authentic to what they created.
Speaker 2:Now Veuve Clicquot doesn't have to do anything other than bottle it and get it out there, and people will buy it because they see that yellowish-orange label and if they're going to buy champagne, oh Veuve.
Speaker 1:They're just used to ordering it and purchasing it.
Speaker 2:Millions and millions of bottles produced, Whereas that grower he may only have a few thousand cases for the whole world.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it feels like you like to go to the source. You like to bring in wines, champagnes, beverages that are, start to finish, family owned.
Speaker 2:Yes, for sure, and I think you can do that just about anywhere, and so I do look for those smaller producers that are taking the care and it's not so manufactured. So if you have to make millions and millions of bottles, it's an assembly line, it's dollars and cents. You're owned by a corporation, you need to hit a certain number, and quality is the least of it. Right, it's all about advertising and sales.
Speaker 1:Um the focus is different than these smaller operations.
Speaker 2:Yep. So you know I could. I could find a California Chardonnay that tastes like Rombauer, but in my opinion is is better like Rombauer, but in my opinion is is better, better made, you know. Higher quality, a little lesser price perhaps, um, but same taste profile of it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, yeah, wow. That's great perspective. It almost makes me think about fitness. You want to be very unique. You don't want a fitness class menu that's the same as every other community. So that example of if you can just go pick up wine at Harris Teeter, what's the fun in that? It's not exciting when you sit down to a meal to see what you're used to all the time. Yes, you need the hits and you need those same flavor profiles. But yeah, let's stretch further. Let's go to the source, and I found that so great in director's meeting you often tell us about where you visited and what you're bringing in after that visit. It's almost like a big part of your role is. You're the initial taster, right Before anything comes on property.
Speaker 2:Yes, yeah, yeah I. I need to taste it and and understand it and know where it's coming from before I'll put it on a wine list. That's cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I feel like that just brings a different, different level of uh responsibility to to each restaurant, which is cool. So let's continue on this wine conversation and let's link in healthier lifestyles. At this point. Most people on property they know you've, they've experienced wine dinners with you, but I don't think everyone knows how passionate you are about health. So how do you approach pairing drinks with wellness or healthier lifestyles, if at all?
Speaker 2:So for me it's like most of the things in my life.
Speaker 2:It's structure right, because it's easy in my position or it's easy for anyone for that matter to just drink every day right, yeah, so I just I know it's not healthy, I enjoy it, I enjoy the socialization, I enjoy the flavors, I enjoy having it, but I don't. So for me it's five days of and green tea with lemon, and then it's those two days a week and I'll structure it if I know that I'm going to be going out to dinner or we have people coming over or there's a wine dinner or an event, and I'll try to keep it to those two days a week of consuming alcohol.
Speaker 1:That's a great example. You adjust your schedule weekly based off when you're going to consume alcohol accordingly.
Speaker 2:Right, and if I have a wine dinner on a Wednesday, then I may not consume alcohol on Saturday. Yeah, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, makes complete sense. Yeah, so that's great perspective and I know we'll dig into that a little bit further. With just your knowledge of nutrition. You recently got back from Japan, gene, and you've also traveled extensively. How has that shaped your palate and approach to beverages?
Speaker 2:Um, both food and beverage. So, uh, this trip to Japan was on a bucket list because I'm probably equally as passionate about food and I just love Japanese cuisine, and so it's been on my list for a while. I've been apprehensive about the long flight 14 hours from Atlanta to Tokyo, but it was easier than I had stressed out about over it. So I lived in Italy, I lived in Sicily for two years and seeing how these cultures live and how so nutritionally they are consuming and shopping every day they're not buying frozen anything, right, it's not a one week go to Publix, right, right, and so.
Speaker 2:So that that really struck home and I grew up that way as well, and I was fortunate enough growing up that my great aunts and uncles and my grandfather were still alive, and so everything was homemade, everything was. I never you're not gonna believe this I've never eaten a hot dog in my life Ever. I've never eaten at McDonald's and I never had a school lunch, wow, right. So that's how I grew up. So now, how can I not be this crazy man about?
Speaker 2:health and nutrition, and so then going to these other countries and seeing how they eat and how clean, fresh, seasonal has to be a good thing and just getting more nutrients from your food. If you're eating blueberries when blueberries are in season, not blueberries in January out of a frozen bag, I mean, yes, you'd get the health it's certainly better than frozen French fries. But they seem to gravitate to fresh and seasonal and local, and so I've adapted that to my lifestyle. Alcohol-wise seems to be equal across the board, right. So in Italy, for example, they're gonna consume wine at every meal. I'm sure it doesn't affect them and maybe it's not so bad, as perhaps I think it is from the inflammatory response that your body has to alcohol. You know Sardinia is one of the blue zones. I'm sure they probably drink red wine every night.
Speaker 1:Evening yeah.
Speaker 2:But I just seem to be more structured, and so once I put myself into a structure and into a program, it's easy for me to maintain.
Speaker 1:To stick to it. Yeah, culturally, we aren't set up where you can get things on the regular, like each daily, to cook your meals, and I think it's interesting that, as you've explored the world, that's what most cultures are doing. They're going to the market daily. World. That's what most cultures are doing. They're going to the market daily and, yes, they may be consuming more alcohol in the evening, but it's probably a different relationship than we see in the United States.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, it's not. Uh, it's not so much just drinking to get drunk, it's it's having a glass of wine with your dinner, yeah, yeah, and with your loved ones, mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Well, let me ask you this Is there a drink or dining experience from abroad that changed the way you think about hospitality?
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say that it's been one specific dining experience I've had. I've had a few um throughout the world. Uh, that were just amazing experiences, whether it be uh dining in Meadowood, out in California, in Napa, before it burned.
Speaker 1:Now is Meadowood a winery.
Speaker 2:No, it's a three Michelin star restaurant. Okay and uh and so to experience that, from the creations of each plate to the service, it's impeccable when you get three Michelin star. I've had dinner at Paul Bocuse. So Paul Bocuse in France, again another three Michelin star restaurant, phenomenal. He since passed, but he was nominated and won chef of the century. Chef of the century, that is an award, to put it into perspective Incredible.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and so in Japan it wasn't a Michelin star, it should have at least have at least one Michelin star. I sought out a 21 course dinner. Small plates, of course, right, but each plate just impeccably served and created, and the flavors, and it's a dining experience, you know, and to me that's a little different than I live my life on a day-to-day basis.
Speaker 1:On a day-to-day basis.
Speaker 2:It's all about nutrition. I look at food a little differently than most people. I'm not interested so much unless I go to these restaurants or do something special at home about my palate and about the taste buds.
Speaker 1:It's all about what fuel and what's right for your body.
Speaker 2:And that's why I consume X, y and Z in each meal and I think about every single thing I put in my body.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. Well, I think when you get knowledgeable and understand how food works on the body, it changes the way you think about it. It can. It changes the way you think about it and the changes hopefully the way you behave over time. Yeah, um, tell us more about that. 21 courses Did. How long did that last? Was it paired with certain beverages?
Speaker 2:Um, it wasn't, um, um, being the wine geek that I am, um, uh, we. We sought out a wine it was a Chablis, for example which we knew, no matter what they were going to serve, it would not interfere, it didn't have those strong flavor profiles, it wasn't a Napa Cab. And then they served me a scallop, and those two are not going to go together right in any way, so we had that. Those two are not going to go together right In any way, so we had that. And then they did have a Psalm.
Speaker 1:who was, who was certified for sake and certified sommelier on sake specifically, that's?
Speaker 2:cool, so I had, I had asked for his recommendation. I'm like, okay, so introduce me to something that I may not find in the United States but that you would recommend for for sake and uh, and then you just interject it to where you think it's going to work best with the. You know what plates are coming.
Speaker 1:I don't, so yeah, uh, you let him take control during that dining experience. That must felt good. You know, being a beverage director, you're often in that role, so it's it's probably fun to travel the world and be a little hands-off and just experience.
Speaker 2:I know people can't certainly see anything on this podcast, but so to put it into perspective, they come over when they were gonna serve the sake and there are 12 little saucers on a board. And they say, oh, pick one, you know, and oh, I picked the tree and my wife picked something else and they put it down and then when they serve the cold um sake into the, into my little, my little cup cup whatever you want to call it yeah um the tree bloomed into uh cherry blossoms no way so like I'm gonna show you an In the liquid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, so it didn't pop out like a tree, didn't take root, the color just came out, that's remarkable.
Speaker 2:And so it was those little things throughout the meal. Prior to the meal, a young lady came over and had a board full of fresh vegetables and then explained each of the vegetables and where in Japan that they specifically came from and that these would be the vegetables throughout the course that we would be having.
Speaker 2:And so it's those experiences that for me, being a foodie and a wine guy, just like blow me away, like this is just a dining experience and I don't and I don't think at all about eating. So you know, when they serve me a tempura, um, I don't think. Oh God, you know, is this, was this?
Speaker 1:you turn off your nerdy health brain, right, that's fine yeah.
Speaker 2:Because I know 99 other meals are going to be perfect.
Speaker 1:And that's important for people to hear. Yep, it's important that when you are traveling, you're doing different experiences with your spouse and enjoying life, that we can turn that brain off sometimes, or for sure you know we need to be turning that brain off. Very cool. Let's go ahead and segue into the health nerd side a bit more. We've been all around it. Yep, how did the passion begin it? How did the passion begin? And you described your personal eating habits, like how you adjust accordingly to the alcohol consumption on a weekly basis. I'd love for you to share more on the fitness and types of foods, like what kind of meals you go after.
Speaker 2:All right, you'll have to edit this and shorten it, all right. So 12-year-old Catholic Sicilian boy growing up in Pittston, pennsylvania, I have to give something up for Lent, okay. So I gave up soda when I was 12 years old. 12 years old, you're giving up soda.
Speaker 1:I was in seventh grade.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you have to give up something that really means something to you, and you chose soda as a 12-year-old.
Speaker 2:Yes, impressive. Yeah, I haven't had one since. I look back at that and I think that was probably the starting point, the turning point, yeah, of again knowing that. You know, again, before 12, again, I never ate at a McDonald's. We never went to fast food or we never ate hot. Everything was homemade. I had homemade sausage, homemade bread. You know, we jarred everything in fall. Every backyard was a garden, throughout all of my relatives, so all we ever had was fresh vegetables and fresh food and homemade stuff all the time.
Speaker 2:And so at that point I just started I said, well, if I can go through Lent and not have it, I know it's not good for me, so I'll just give it up. So I did. And then I just started doing more investigation, like, well, what else is not good for me? And let me start reading about certain things and and and the exercise thing is has been throughout my whole life. You know, at home, before having a gym membership or doing anything like that, at 12 and 13, I had a chin up bar and I would do pushups and and sit ups and and just be fit.
Speaker 1:All the basic calisthenics.
Speaker 2:They were part of your world early on, early on and uh just wanted to get stronger and put muscle on and understand that that aspect of it. Uh, in junior high it was, it was track team and football team and then I found work. So then I had a full-time job through the rest of high school and it was then it was just me personally exercising and doing, uh, doing my own fitness routines. Um then I went to college, I went to Penn state and got into bodybuilding. You were a bodybuilder, Gene. I competed in one competition, um, back way back when.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, um, that's probably when it was somewhat big too. People were just it was kind of booming at that time. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:It was great and again, with my approach to things and my mindset, it was perfect, right.
Speaker 1:You go all in. That's how you operate. It's not going to be like just put your toe in the water.
Speaker 2:You're the type of guy that definitely goes after it and then and then after that, after moving out to LA, I was a personal trainer. I had a personal, I had my own studio and I trained some clients to run their first marathon.
Speaker 1:Incredible.
Speaker 2:So more on the endurance side out of bodybuilding. So then we ran a LA marathon and I ran New York city marathon twice. Um, and then the. I would think the most challenging and the most difficult fitness for me was, uh, climbing Mount, uh, um, climbing Mount Whitney. And so, uh, it's in Northern California, 14,496. Elevation, elevation, and coming from LA, which is elevation of two feet, that was the most challenging. So it's a 22 mile trek, 11 miles up, 11 miles back, okay, and it's the altitude, that's the real mental test. I could walk 22 miles, that's easy, but doing it with each step you're going higher and higher and higher and higher and less oxygen.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:That was because, you know, at some point there I looked down your hands are swollen, kind of purple.
Speaker 1:It's got to be alarming when you've never experienced that before. Did you train much for the hike?
Speaker 2:Uh, I knew physically, yeah, 22 miles is is a no brainer, but there was no way that I could train in LA at 10,000, 11,000, 14,000 feet yeah Right, and what my body was going to do and how it was going to feel. And that's unlike a marathon which I'm doing 26.2 miles in New York City. I could stop at any point, get in a taxi and go back to my hotel, like no big deal.
Speaker 1:When I'm at 14,000 feet, there's only one option and it's getting back Because no one's coming for you right Like there's no.
Speaker 2:okay, you can bail out here and this tram will take you back. There's nothing out there and you have to carry all your own water. There's no water, uh, on it how many people did you travel up? With Um I took. I took three different uh people Okay Up and I did it. I ended up up because it was so hard and so challenging for me. I did it five times Dang.
Speaker 1:Just to put yourself back out there in that uncomfortable zone.
Speaker 2:Yep Started four in the morning, get back around 7 PM.
Speaker 1:Okay, you can put a feather in your cap for a day like that, yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So again, throughout this, all this time, it's just been setting these goals and I find the goal setting really helps me. I need to have a purpose. I need to have that goal to be working towards. Now I don't have anything more than I play with my. I get blood tests twice a year and and, and I just try to manipulate, uh, you know ldl and a, a, po, b and yeah and I and I, I start, I just play with, uh like okay, well, what if I do this, this and this?
Speaker 2:what if I change the intensity of my cardio, and how's that going to affect?
Speaker 1:your blood work. The blood work, yeah, and when you often that you're just changing one variable to your fitness routine or one variable to your nutrition routine, you're not trying to do too many things at once, right, right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Scientific method, yeah Well, I've always admired the evidence-based approach that you take to your own personal health and wellness, and there's a lot we can learn through testing. So, from my perspective, there are some fundamental tests. Maybe we're not testing daily at the consistency that the gene is, but we are. In this day and age, we need to be our own advocates for where we are on this health spectrum, because our environment isn't like these other cultures, these countries that you've visited, right?
Speaker 2:For sure. I just think being proactive about your health, and first and foremost health, has to be the most important thing in everyone's life in my opinion, because without it, nothing else works. If you're sick, if you're not a hundred percent, if you have a debilitating disease or something that's limiting you, you're just not going to be as happy at home, you're not going to be happy at your job, you're not going to function well, and it's just going to show itself. And so I think everyone just needs to be very proactive about their health. Yes, live your life, but again, I think that for me, from my perspective, it's been the structure. Yes, I will have and I will indulge in a cocktail or a wine or something, but it's on my terms.
Speaker 1:That's well said, gene. Yeah, there has to be structure. I think folks who aren't as natural with structure, you know we all have different brains and how they operate, but when it comes to health and wellness it does set that foundation for our relationships, how we feel at work. Such great perspective there Before we move on to more practical tips that you can share with our listeners. I know that if I walk down the streets of Palmetto Bluff and don't ask this question, we're going to be in a lot of trouble. So oftentimes people wonder what alcohol is healthiest and I'm wondering are there any go-to beverages for people looking to enjoy without overdoing it?
Speaker 2:I guess initially I can say that there's evidence out there that might say that because of red wine antioxidant that's in there that that could be beneficial. Antioxidant that's in there, that could be beneficial. Tequila or even a vodka is clean Okay. But to me in the end it's about moderation and your body, no matter what you drink. If you're consuming alcohol, you're gonna get an inflammatory reaction and I try to live my life by eliminating or reducing inflammatory things. Yeah, except again in moderation. I will consume alcohol for sure, because that's what I choose to do. But I also have eliminated, you know, all the rest of this stuff, the fast foods and the junk foods and the chips and the snacking, and I have zero sugar in my diet zero.
Speaker 2:I read if I'm gonna consume anything with a label, I'm reading that label and if it has sugar in it or some derivative of a sugar that they tell you sugar-free and then you read down. You're like that sugar uh just doesn't say you don't fall for it.
Speaker 2:Uh, no, um, I won't consume it. So, um, but I would say just, you know, have those drinks and have that cocktail, and, and be in control of it, and and, uh, and have those days where there's no alcohol in your system and let your body catch up and cleanse itself.
Speaker 1:I would totally concur with that. Instead of the daily beverage, even if it's one or two, get it to the two nights a week. It's a game changer and you don't feel like you're missing out on life. I think that's very important here. I'm glad you didn't fall into the trap of saying, oh, if you just drank tequila, you're going to be fine, because more and more evidence is showing that even your proximity of alcohol consumption before bedtime is going to mess with your sleep. You know there used to be a three hour rule, but even if you consume alcohol at any point in the day, it's going to impact your sleep and your recovery and that's a big focus in fitness and wellness right now is we're not recovering the way we need to. We want to exercise our brains out Well. Exercise has an inflammatory response too, so you have to understand the balance that we're talking about, and it's great to have a like-minded beverage director on property.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and like you said earlier, and each person's different right. So you can't have that cookie cutter sheet that says here, just do this. You know, when we talk about recovery, some people are going to recover quicker than others and due to age or the intensity of their workouts. And you need to. You just need to be in touch with your body and listen to it and know, because I even know myself. I get up at 4.30 and I'm at the gym at 4.55 waiting for them to unlock the door at five. And I need to know at certain mornings what's the difference between my body or my brain telling me it wouldn't be nice just to stay in bed today versus you need to take a day off. Right, you're not helping yourself, because if you haven't recovered and you're just, you're not making progress, you're going backwards.
Speaker 1:And to know the difference between the two yeah, we see that so much still today, and I think the world is shifting for us to have that intuition on a daily basis with our choices. Because, yes, some days you are going to have to kick yourself in the butt and get going, and other days you do need to listen to your body. As cliche as it is, our bodies keep the score. Our bodies can tell us a lot when we pay attention to them, for sure. Wow, well, I'm excited. Maybe next episode we're just going to do health man. All right, you know we're going to make it happen.
Speaker 2:I want to know. Early on in the introduction you said I was probably the second director. I want to know who the first is.
Speaker 1:Second nerdiest director that I could think of. Well, I was actually being a little bit unhumble. I actually was deeming myself the nerdiest, I think.
Speaker 2:Well, other than maybe the fact that you spiked the center of your hair and I don't have hair. Maybe that is the difference.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that could be it. I would say, though, so that you get the credit you deserve, that you track your metrics way better than me. I think I've got an edge on the VO2 max, though.
Speaker 2:At this point in my life you also have the edge on age but, I, may have gotten you in my marathon years.
Speaker 1:Okay, what was your best marathon time?
Speaker 2:Oh, just over four hours.
Speaker 1:Just over four hours yeah.
Speaker 2:I always tried to shoot for 10-minute miles and that's what we tried to train at. Okay, and you have to keep in mind, I never ran a marathon by myself, I was always with clients and I needed to make sure to train at Okay, and you have to keep in mind, I never ran a marathon by myself, I was always with clients. Yeah, and I needed to make sure that they finished. Yeah, right, I can run them too hard in the beginning and then they don't finish and then that's not a success. So I just like, okay, let's just pace ourselves.
Speaker 1:Come on.
Speaker 2:No, we're good, we're good. Good, we're good, we're right on track. And like every, every mile marker, I had my watch and I knew, okay, where are we going too fast, where are we going too slow? Did we have to pick it up Cause I knew they can finish at? I knew they can finish the 10 minutes cause we used to train and about two weeks, three weeks before the race, just as a confidence builder, we would go out and do like a 22 mile run.
Speaker 1:Get that under the belt from a mental perspective.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you got this right, a hundred percent.
Speaker 1:That's important for first time marathoners. Yeah, yeah, okay. Well, I love that you were there with your clients. I won't share my marathon time at this juncture. Yeah, it's a little quicker. Yeah, just a little bit. Okay, cool, let's go ahead, get tactical here. Let's give our listeners some action steps. I mean I think they've got a few already. What's one small habit or routine you swear by that helps you stay healthy and energized, even in the chaos of being in the hospitality industry?
Speaker 2:Organization, discipline, just having having structure structure for me and I know it doesn't always work for people. You know I'm a routine person Like it's so easy for me. But I need to. I need to have that plan. I can't just wake up and say, all right, no, I'm going to try to get to the gym today. Oh no, I need to get to the gym first thing in the morning Cause if work goes late, if I don't feel well later, if X, y and Z happens, then I'm not going to get here. So my top priority for the day, like I mentioned earlier, health. I'm going to the gym at five o'clock in the morning because there's nothing that's going to get in in in the way, your way, from a fire alarm perspective, with what might come up throughout your day.
Speaker 2:So I bring my lunch every single day to work.
Speaker 1:I never eaten you know our employee meals. I don't go over there too often because I know no matter what I've got.
Speaker 1:I've got my, my, my nutrients that I need and that I want, and and so routine routine and structure Less you have to think about for sure Once you plan out how that next day is going to look, and organization. You know, if we want to be healthy we have to be organized. No one's going to do it for you, so for someone this is kind of a big, big left turn here. For for that person who wants to elevate their home bar or just drink more mindfully, what's your go-to tip for enjoying beverages with a bit more intention?
Speaker 2:Okay, part of, again, part of my that structure. So I do have those two days and then within those two days I'm only drinking well, right? Awesome stuff, so quality stuff. I'm not just gonna consume alcohol to consume alcohol, and so a lot of times I do find myself in a situation where we go over to my in-laws or something like that. Oh, would you like a glass of wine? And I just won't consume, just to consume alcohol. I'm like no, and again, I don't wanna come off poorly, but it's like you know what that that that I'm not going to waste my alcohol consumption on a truly, no, truly's for you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, no, truly's never had a truly never had a high noon, um, and so, uh, unless it's, unless it's going to be a quality product that I deem like no, you know if I'm going to have a Manhattan.
Speaker 2:I want it with Michter's rye, I want Antica formula vermouth and I want a Luxardo cherry. And if we're out to dinner and they don't have that at the bar, I'm not ordering it because I don't want those knockoff cherries, I don't want martini and Rossi vermouth and I don't want some well like something that I would deem not as good on the bourbon or the rye side. And so yeah, just being selective, being selective.
Speaker 1:It jumped into my head just a question we could ask ourselves is this worth it Like? Is this what I want to consume to fully enjoy my alcohol? And that's a great question that I think can help every single person out there who does want alcohol to be a part of their life, because of the socialization you know, going out and enjoying it. But get what you want to get.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right. Well, let's go ahead and get one more question in here on actionable tips. You've traveled a lot. What's one mindset shift or cultural lesson that you think, gene, everyone should take with them when they're exploring new places?
Speaker 2:Okay, I hate to be redundant, but so for me, like I probably did two months of research before my Japan trip, Again, you know being prepared and being knowledgeable. I just don't like to go into anything ignorant, ignorantly, and so I knew that it was going to be a culture shock. For example, in Japan, you know public transportation, the train systems, maybe there's a language barrier if they don't speak English, and and what to expect. And and I find it comforting for me because of my mentality, that when I do get to these countries, foreign countries, I'm prepared, I understand how they go up an escalator and how that level of detail right oh, impressive like you know I I've read so many different blogs and and and read so much about like, okay, what to expect as as a first-time visitor to japan?
Speaker 2:and they're very organized, they're. I love them. These are my yeah those are your people.
Speaker 2:Oh, my goodness, every train is, right to the minute, immaculate and everybody walks in a certain like yes, you walk here. It functions better this way. Right, if you want to run up the escalator, run up the escalator on the right side. Right, because everyone is standing on the left. And when you go up the stairs, even though they're super wide, and when you go up the stairs, even though they're super wide, everyone goes up this side and everyone comes down that side. They're not all walking towards each other and being inefficient.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm really hearing. Don't go in blind to these cultural experiences.
Speaker 2:I think it's easier right.
Speaker 1:Because then the learning curve, once you get there, is much shorter, shorter it's, it's easy you know what we had you don't want to waste your time figuring things out.
Speaker 1:I'm big with that Like when you're traveling, like you just want to go and go and not think about where are you going to eat dinner, you know what are you going to do, where, I would say, lindsay and myself are the same way when it comes to travel, but it's especially fun even to probably have that foundation of how are we going to go up the escalator and have those details before you go, so you can kind of just immerse yourself in, like not being on your phone and trying to figure things out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:All of it. Well, gene, we have gotten to the end of our time together here today. It's been so fun to talk shop and get passionate about how people can look at their alcohol differently, how they can look at their lives differently, and just that thread that's been across the conversation of being organized, being prepared and putting your health first. I've absolutely enjoyed hearing that from you. I would like to ask you the final question what does wellness mean to you?
Speaker 2:Wellness to me is healthy body, a healthy mind, and when I say healthy mind, I mean like just the positivity. I think that is so important your mindset and how you approach each day. I can't wait to wake up each morning right. I love life. I feel blessed every time I get another day, another crack at it, and I wanna make the best of it that I can. And as I get older, I want to be able to do all the things that I've been doing my whole life, and that's going to come with the sacrifices and the discipline and the exercise and the dieting and when I say dieting I just mean a way of life on what you eat and your approach to food and that intake, and so that to me, encompasses wellness, right.
Speaker 1:Thanks, Gene yeah.
Speaker 2:My pleasure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you for all you do for our members here. I know they enjoy the experiences that you're constantly putting out, the different wines and purveyors you're bringing in and, um, yeah, just look forward to working with you more. Likewise, thank you. Yeah, you're welcome. Listeners, feel free to hang out with me for a few more minutes and get some healthy momentum for the rest of your week. Did you see that coming? A beverage director who knows as much about health and fitness as the wellness director running the Behind the Bluff podcast?
Speaker 1:Running the Behind the Bluff podcast, gene, had phenomenal reflections throughout our conversation today and I hope that you were picking up the same thing that I was. And for me, if you're like me, it started to come back throughout the conversation to this word adaptability. And not being adaptable without a plan, but preparing, organizing, having a system for how you want to operate your life, but remaining adaptable, having the willingness to adjust the membership, my team they will joke all the time about my OCD with the fitness mats in the studio. You see we have blue mats and black mats and we have three different racks in the studio and it's funny, some folks will just throw the blue mats with the black mats on the hangers, and every single time they will get corrected by our instructors, because we all know how Jeff likes the blue mats and Jeff likes the black mats to be in their sections and in the same colors, and it's a funny example of how we each like things a certain way and we each look at different ways of organizing things. For many folks, it could just be putting the mats on the rack, and the same applies for our lifestyles. We all will organize our lifestyles differently and, at the end of the day, if we're trying to live healthy and we organize it in a manner that's different than the person next to us, that's okay.
Speaker 1:I think what it came back to me in not only this conversation but over the course of this week, is that we have to not be too set in our ways and we always do have to go in with a plan. We were talking about Gene's travels in Japan and how he spent months preparing so that he could feel ready for that trip, so that he could immerse himself in the culture, and the question I have for you today is how ready are you for tomorrow? How ready are you for those regular behaviors that you want to uphold, that you want to lead, the things that you want in your blender for the day, and that's the analogy that I wanted to make this week. We all know what we want to be in our smoothie, we all know the ingredients that we want to put in our blender, but when you hit start, when you hit go on that blender, it's going to all blend differently depending on the day.
Speaker 1:So that perfect example of adjusting your alcohol intake according to what that day looks like, what your week looks like, is where we need to be. It's where we need to be in a world that can be difficult to execute within and live in the way that we want to live. So the message here is simple Know where you are going and the choices that you want to make. Be detailed, but be flexible. Adaptability is key. It is what will lead you to living the life that you want to live. That is a wrap on this week's episode. We want to thank you for taking the time to listen in this week and, until next week, remember to actively participate in life on your terms.
