JKM Fitness, New York

Tauris McBride weighed 350 pounds in 2010, but today, his muscle-bound physique ripples in at 200 pounds. He's watched his family members suffer from diabetes and hypertension, and knew that if he didn't make a change, he would head down the same path. To transform his life, he set out on a calorie-searing regime of martial arts, yoga, Pilates, dance, and nutrition. This combination empowered him with a renewed energy and focus, motivating him to complete his college degree after a 15-year hiatus. Now the proud owner of JKM Fitness, he harnesses his skills and contagious enthusiasm for fitness to aid others—emphasizing families—in leading healthy lifestyles. 

JKM’s instructors and registered dietitian motivate students of all ages and abilities to work toward healthier versions of themselves. JKM offers four styles of martial-arts training—including boxing, kickboxing, Brazilian jiujitsu, and Eskrima—as well as yoga, Pilates, and dance-cardio classes. Heart rates thunder in kickboxing and dance-cardio classes, and Pilates's and yoga's strength training, stretches, and breathing exercises bolster abdomens and lengthen muscles. Students master self-defense in the wholly unarmed techniques of Brazilian jiujitsu or the weapon-based moves of the Filipino art Eskrima, which teaches them to defeat opponents who are unarmed or brandishing weapons, such as blades or water balloons.