Rock Creek Sports Club member Sean Fine was recently featured for his commitment to fitness in Bethesda Magazine. The article highlights his passion for photography, love of cycling and his dedication to staying in shape despite his hectic work schedule.

Busy Bodies

How do people who put in long days and sometimes uncertain hours manage to stay fit? Local movers and shakers share their routines.

By Amy Reinink

Sean Fine, 37, documentary filmmaker, Chevy Chase

Work schedule: 8 a.m to 6 or 7 p.m. in the editing room or office 120 to 15-hour days at odd hours or strange locations.

Workout of choice: Cycling when home; resistance workouts on the road.

Challenge: Years of carrying an 18- to 25-pound camera five to eight hours a day left Fine with back problems. “I was in really good shape—and then I had kids and my fitness went downhill,” Fine says. “I realized I had to get back in shape to be good at my job.” However, an irregular schedule makes it hard to maintain a routine.

How he fits it all in: Fine says it’s all about being flexible with his irregular schedule, and “maximizing the time you’ve got.” At Rock Creek Sports Club in Silver Spring, where he works out two or three times a week with trainer Sharon Sellers, he does circuits without much rest in between to keep his heart rate up. He says his true passion is cycling, and when he has time, he wakes up at 5:30 a.m. to squeeze in a two-hour ride before his kids are awake. On time-crunched days, he rides his bike five times up a steep hill on Beach Drive near his home in Chevy Chase or takes a 30-minute ride, with his kids in the bike trailer. When he’s filming on location, he often works out late at night, once filming is done, which also means “you’re not out drinking beer or eating food you shouldn’t be.” Fine once worked out in Juárez, Mexico, after a day of filming, using an archway outside his hotel and a portable workout tool called Rock Rings. “Every workout you do doesn’t have to be long or intense,” Fine says. “Maybe you got yourself psyched for that 70- or 80-mile bike ride, but you don’t have to skip it altogether if you only have 30 minutes. It’s about realizing that it’s better to do some push-ups and sit-ups in your hotel room than giving up and not doing anything at all.”