Meka Taulbee
Meka Taulbee
Clearwater, Florida, USA
727-631-7025
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www.sailfit.com
Meka is a Personal Trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise. She holds a degree in Psychology mentoring in Dance. Meka dedicates herself to promoting Nutrition and fitness for sailors and sailing enthusiasts. She has trained members of the US Sailing Team, Bronze medal Paralympics Sailors, Sailors at the Olympic games as well as the Optimist US National Sailing Team and the USF Sailing Team. Sailors are not her only clients. Many are working moms, women trying to conceive and those with a general interest in establishing a better lifestyle through fitness and nutrition. She is CPR and First Aid certified, has a certification in Plant Based Nutrition from Cornell University and her education also includes specialty certificates in:
• Holistic Fitness
• Yoga and Mind Body Healing
• Lower Body Strength and Stabilization
With additional training in:
• Nutrition for Women
• Mind Body Programs
• Physiology
• Injury Prevention
• Abdominals
• Kinesiology
• Exercise Programs for Kids
• Back Stabilization
• Athletic Abs
• Kids Stability Ball Exercises
Having grown up in a strong sailing community, it was a natural progression for Meka to use her skills to help those passionate about this sport. Many sailors don't realize how physically and mentally demanding the sport of sailing is. It requires high levels of endurance, muscular development and self-awareness, the perfect blend of mind and body. And, the perfect focus for Meka's talents.
At one point in time Meka found herself 55 pounds overweight. At 5'3" that is a lot for a body to carry. She struggled with weight as a child and during high school and college she was able to keep her weight steady. But, after college and working full time her weight was difficult to control. Meka reached a frustrating point in her life where she decided that once and for all she would never have a weight problem again.
Not believing in fad diets she made a lifestyle change and shed the weight through her own hard work and motivation. She continued her workouts with a professional trainer and started training for fitness competitions. Meka was very close to her first competition when she realized that she would rather teach others how to live a healthy lifestyle than compete. She started studying for her personal training certification and took her examine while on the road with SailFit. She has been certified by the American Council on Exercise since 2001.
"SailFit and Kurt’s (Kurt Taulbee, her husband) Olympic dreams have taken us all over the world and traveling has taught me a lot about fitness, both mentally and physically. I am a runner so all I need are my sneakers and I'm off. I have seen some of the most beautiful countryside and beaches this way. I have also seen many laps around a rest stop! Fitness benefits me physically, but mentally there is nothing compared to it. Whether I am running or weight training it's my time to push myself and to work out whatever stress or hurdles I may be facing. I believe that you need to be mentally fit as well as physically fit. Put these two elements together and you are a force to be reckoned with. This is what I want to share with people and what I want to teach them."
As a personal trainer Meka has been fortunate enough to work with some of the top Sailors in the country. Some of which have gone on to represent the USA at the Olympic Games. She says each of her clients teaches her just as much as she teaches them. “Their desire and passion for what they do is unparalleled”.
Meka also trains for running races and helps raise Money for the Ulman Cancer Fund. They Provide support, education and resources to benefit young adults affected by cancer and their families and friends. "They are an amazing group of people and the vibe is so positive when you are around them. Working with them and raising money was just a given for me. If all of these individuals can stand up and fight cancer I can certainly push myself for a few miles to benefit them."
During the past few years Meka has put in some hard training to run half marathon races. She has also taken on the challenge of completing a full Marathon. Unfortunately, the same day she committed to competing in a marathon, Meka suffered her first running injury, a torn Meniscus in her knee. But, Meka was fortunate enough to know a DOM (Doctor of Oriental Medicine) who helped her recover naturally in time to run the Marathon. Doctor Holly Johantgen of Palm Harbor, FL started giving Meka acupuncture treatments. Increasingly determined to not have surgery and to help her body to heal itself, Meka continued with the acupuncture treatments and added a rigorous rehab routine. By paying careful attention to diet, stretching multiple times per day and getting deep tissue massage, Meka was able to start training for her marathon without having surgery. "My deepest respect and gratitude go to Holly Johantgen. The knowledge and patience she has are just amazing! On days I thought I might never run again she gave me the positive mindset to stay on track. Acupuncture and Oriental medicine has become a mainstay not only for me, but for my family as well. It has truly changed our lives."
"It's true that I am pretty regimented with my personal training and my nutrition. I enjoy it and when the day comes that I don't then I know something has got to change. My biggest accomplishment to date is running through two pregnancies up until and on the day I went into labor." Meka used to run every day with her sons in a double jogging stroller. Now that they have gotten bigger they are helping her train. They come out and cheer her on and hand off water on her long runs. It is never too early to start a good example.
Captain Lane Alan Briggs was born in Mars Hill North Carolina on June 18, 1932. When Lane was 15 he saw the ocean for the first time, and he knew immediately that that was where he belonged. He signed on a fishing boat as deckhand, and later joined the Coast Guard. A long maritime career had begun.
Lane eventually settled in Norfolk, Virginia, with a wife and four sons. In Norfolk Lane assisted in the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, ran a commuter Hydrofoil in the James River, and in the 1960's purchased the tug Steel Rebel. Lane started a successful towing and salvage operation named Rebel Marine Service based at Willoughby Spit. Eventually Lane purchased the Marina where his boat was based and named it after his business. The Marina remains family owned and operated today. In May of 1980 Lane launched the first sail assisted tug, the Norfolk Rebel, registering it as the one and only Tugantine. The Norfolk Rebel is recognized and welcomed in ports up and down the east coast of the U.S. and Canada, and on into the Great Lakes.
But Lane's history is really much more than just dates and facts. Lane's real history revolves around his spirit, his passion, his generosity, and his unique vision. Lane never met a person who didn't become his friend.
Lane always looked to the future, and inspired many events such as Norfolk's Harborfest and the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race. Lane promoted both maritime history and conservation, and constantly sought ways to bring these to the public's eye. And wherever Lane went, he was always ready to share his hospitality with men and women from all strata of society.
Aboard Lane's vessels he trained countless young people in the lessons of seamanship, including his four sons and one of his grandsons, who now all hold Captain's Licenses. Lane was presented with many awards in his lifetime, including the coveted American Sail Training Association's Lifetime Achievement award. But for Lane the greatest prize was watching one of his trainees make Captain.
Captain Lane Briggs passed away on September 19, 2005. His ashes were spread along with his old dog Rebel's in his beloved Chesapeake Bay. But Lane generously left behind his spirit to inspire the next generation.
What does it take to become ACE certified?
Meka can tell you it took a lot of hard work! "I believe that a lot of determination, self discipline and the desire to learn and share my knowledge with others is what got me here. I studied for my Certification on my own while traveling with SAILFIT. After a three hour exam that all but made me forget my own name I waited patiently. Once I received confirmation that I was certified I set out to start on my continuing Education classes needed in order to keep my certification current. With the amount of traveling that SAILFIT does I knew it would be hard to enroll in a classroom setting. I decided correspondence courses would be the most feasible for me. In order to do this it meant that I had to complete 8 different classes with 8 different exams. I am able to pick the classes I would like to study. I take classes that I feel will keep me current on the fundamentals and others that I use to teach me more about the group of people I am working with. My clients range from ages 13-70 and each has something unique about them. Every client is a learning experience in themselves. I am also currently studying for a second certification."
