Peak Performers

What you know and whom you know might be critical to success, but savvy businesspeople recognize that equally important are how you look, how you feel and whether your brain is operating at its maximum potential. Often the key-and the competitive edge-come with physical fitness and the mental and emotional benefits of athletic activities.

Because January always offers a psychological clean slate, Gulfshore Business talked with four Southwest Florida businesspeople who've got their game on. Here are their stories and maybe a bit of inspiration to get the rest of us on track.

Keith Jacoby

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE: Senior vice president, investments, for the Moran Asset Management Group of Wachovia Securities. Jacoby, 35, specializes in wealth management for high net worth families.

THE SPORT: Cycling

"Though I was athletic in school, when I returned to Naples in 1995 from Flagler College I jumped right into my career. After nearly three years of sitting behind a desk under fluorescent lights, I realized I was getting soft. So I started swimming, cycling and running. By the time I had completed a few triathlons, I had learned two things: I don't like swimming and I don't like running. But I'd fallen in love with cycling."

THE PAYOFF: "Cycling calms the mind, takes the edge off, turns nervous energy into relaxed energy. I love both my solitary rides and the camaraderie of group rides. After a group ride there can be anywhere from 10 to 20 people gathered at the Coffee Beanery. That post-ride cup of coffee is my happy hour. The joy of the ride and the companionship spill into every aspect of my day.

"Cycling is a great sport for a family man. I'm up before daybreak, when my wife and two young children are still sleeping; I'm on my bike by 6:30 and back home by 8:30 without disruption to our family schedule. When I'm focused and getting in all my rides, 200 miles a week is about average. A big week is 300 miles."

THE EXTRA MILE: In 2003 Jacoby co-founded the Naples Pathways Coalition, a nonprofit organization that is creating a network of safe cycling paths throughout Collier County.

GETTING STARTED: "Go to your local bicycle shop and get a good bike. The advice and connections you make there will set the tone for your cycling experience. The best way to learn is to meet other people. Then ride lots and lots."

Gail Markham

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE: Markham, 55, is president of the CPA firm of Markham Norton Mosteller Wright & Company. She is the partner in charge of the company's litigation and forensic services team, which finds and values assets and testifies in court in high-end divorce, personal injury, wrongful death and business damages cases.

THE SPORT: Gym workout

"With my demanding career, I needed an outlet to de-stress. Also, I had my son in my mid-40s, and after a six-year lapse I was determined to get back in shape.

THE PAYOFF: "Today my son is a very active and athletic 10-year-old, and I'm well able to keep up with him because I'm in my best shape ever. I love looking and feeling buff. I love looking good in my clothes, and I really enjoy the ambiance of the gym itself. I always was a high-energy person, but now I have so much more of it. I also snow ski, and my fitness regimen has increased my stamina and the strength in my legs to take on the tougher, longer runs. I recently started playing golf, and it's had a major impact there, too, giving me a stronger swing.

"I go to The Omni Club, the huge one which formerly was a Winn-Dixie store. It's not a bad place to hang-surrounded by young professionals, with more than 100 pieces of equipment and lots of classes. I also am a member of the Fitness Center at The Commons Club in The Brooks.

MAKING IT WORK: "Trying to do it only on home equipment didn't work for me. I think the key is being in a high-energy environment and being creative with the routine. I like to mix it up; do different things on different days. I started with a personal trainer for a few months, and once in a while I like to go back and work with a trainer again, to keep it fresh."

Casey Jenks and Frazier Gardella

PROFESSIONAL PROFILES: Naples native Frazier Gardella, 50, known to long-time Neapolitans as co-owner of Naples Shutter, the family business he founded with his brother in 1985 and sold in 2004, is now immersed in a second career as a real estate investor and portfolio manager. Casey Jenks, 22, also a Naples native, will graduate from the University of Central Florida this spring with a Bachelor of Computer Science degree. Six years ago, as a high school junior, he was the youngest IT professional ever hired by ASG Software Solutions and he continues to work in remote development and maintenance of the company's Web applications.

SPORT: Canoeing

The two won the 2006 Great Dock Canoe Race in the closest finish in the event's 30-year history. Jenks' father, Peter, raced in the inaugural Great Dock Canoe Race in 1977, and young Jenks took on his first race at age 13. Gardella has been racing for 23 years.

FITNESS REGIMEN, JENKS: "When I'm home in Naples for breaks and weekends, I work out at the NCH Wellness Center and practice my paddling in Naples Bay. While at school, I take my one-man canoe out for five- or six-mile runs in the lakes around Orlando. I get serious with my canoeing about eight weeks before the race, although this past year I didn't actually decide to enter until the last minute. I also play intramural basketball at UCF, and each summer I spend a couple of weeks in Costa Rica indulging my other passion, surfing."

FITNESS REGIMEN, GARDELLA: "I kayak in the Gulf three times a week. I run two and a half miles before kayaking and do push-ups and sit-ups afterward. I use a surf-ski, which is a sit-on-top racing kayak. I also bike three days a week with Naples Velo cycling group.

"Initially it was all about the winning. Now it's about having fun. I'm still passionate about competing, certainly; but when it's over we all drink beer together and have a great time. It's also about family. This May I'd like to team up with my youngest son, Neil, who will be 12, if he'd like to do it."

TIPS, GARDELLA: "First and foremost, get out and enjoy it, without thought of competitiveness. If you're really enjoying the experience, the fitness will come."

Brenda Harrity

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE: As a co-founder and partner in Doc Ford's Sanibel Rum Bar & Grille, Brenda Harrity, 49, puts in long, late hours. She's the front-of-house personality who oversees service. For her, an active workout is essential. "I've always been in pretty good shape, running, walking, working out at the gym. Because I'm a type A personality," she says, "I need a constant challenge."

SPORT: Bikram yoga

Harrity was skeptical that yoga would provide that challenge until her first Bikram class. "I've heard many very fit and athletic people say, after their first Bikram yoga experience, 'That's the toughest workout I've ever had.' And it definitely was true for me."

"Also called 'hot yoga,' this high-energy form of the ancient practice takes place in a room heated to 105 degrees. Every 90-minute class is identical: The instructor calls out a sequence of the 26 hatha yoga postures, which are done in silence, watching the breath, with stillness between the poses. The heat allows the muscles to stretch more dramatically and in a safer way. It is a very intense stretching, strengthening cardio workout, unlike some other forms of yoga, which are for meditative relaxation. When it's over I'm totally exhausted."

THE PAYOFF: "A few months after I started practicing Bikram yoga, I stopped going to the gym. I didn't need it anymore. Ninety minutes at this intensity four or five times a week makes me feel great."

MAKING IT WORK: "Jim Mahon, owner and director of the Bikram Yoga Studio [in Fort Myers], constantly reminds us that it's not how flexible you are, but how honest you are with yourself, and whether you're willing to give 100 percent. We have a range of 15 to 45 people in a class, depending on the day-executives, students, men, women, young and old. We have slender, flexible dancers, and there are some who have quite a bit of weight to lose. It's not about comparison; it's about personal best. If you give 100 percent, whatever your level, you will benefit."