STYLE OF SPORT gets in the ring with MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle and finds out how this fit anchorwoman gets ready to rumble!
PHOTOGRAPHS BY MAGGIE MANN
Stephanie Ruhle is the eponymous host of “MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle,” which airs every weekday morning at 9 am. If you watch MSNBC regularly you will also see this busy newswoman pop up on your TV screens at other points during the day — especially now, when political developments are non-stop and there is never a dull moment in our nation’s news.
Previously a banker at Deutsche Bank and Credit Suisse, Stephanie got her start in business television as an anchor and managing editor for Bloomberg Television. There she co-hosted “Bloomberg GO,” Bloomberg’s flagship morning show. Among many other industry leaders, she regularly interviewed such financial titans as former Goldman Sachs President, Gary Cohn, now White House Director of the National Economic Council; Wall Street mogul, Wilbur Ross, now Commerce Secretary; famed “corporate raider” and Wall Street activist, Carl Icahn, now special adviser to the president on regulatory overhaul; and billionaire real estate tycoon, Donald Trump, now the 45th President of the United States.
Like many of those she has covered, Stephanie has shifted from business into political news in what has to be one of the most exciting times to be a reporter. It requires a lot physical and mental stamina. “It comes with a great responsibility,” she says, and you have to be “fitter than ever.” Given the time demands of her job; role as a wife and mother of three kids; and active involvement in women’s leadership development, having founded the Corporate Investment Bank Women’s Network and serving on the board of trustees for Girls Inc., how does Stephanie stay in such obviously good shape?
We found out after a class at Shadowbox, one of the hot new boxing studios on the NYC boutique fitness landscape. For this installment of “WOW! Working Out With”, Stephanie and I sat down to chat about staying fit and ready to rumble, and the challenges facing the media covering the uncharted territory of the Trump administration. Taking it all out on a boxing bag definitely seems to help!
STYLE OF SPORT: What did you think about the workout?
STEPHANIE RUHLE: I absolutely loved it. Being in this room was an escape. We have so much in our lives. When you think about any of us — man or woman — what plagues us is we’re overwhelmed. When I look at working out as a task I have to do, something I have to fit into my schedule, it only makes me feel more overwhelmed. I love the fact I can just take a class. I love the element of surprise. No matter how many gyms I go to, no matter how many trainers I have, on my own I’m overwhelmed by the machines. It’s sort of like there is no beginning and no end. If I have a trainer, it’s like another person in my life. I have to talk to them, I have to deal with them, I have their issues. I don’t have the capacity for the chit chat between my job and my children and my husband. I have never been able to commit to a program, to a big huge new workout plan, a big huge new diet. Anytime I set these giant goals I always miss them and then I’m defeated. If I walk into a class I will never let myself walk out early. You’ve made a commitment for an hour. You are part of this silent community. You are on this team together.
SOS: What about boxing as opposed to other classes? I noticed you were wailing on that bag. It was swinging to the point I thought it might knock me over!
Originally published at medium.com