Given Mark Murrell’s excellent physical condition, you might think he runs many miles a week or hits the gym before sun up. But the 50-year-old owner of Murrell Trading Company does just one regular exercise class for one hour, and even that just three days a week. It’s called Yoglates, and Murrell credits it with keeping him in great shape.
“I never really gained weight or got too badly out of shape,” he says. “But Yoglates has gotten me in better shape, and it’s certainly kept me there. It’s just a great class.”
Anyone who’s ever done a Yoglates class knows it’s a good workout. As its name implies, it incorporates elements of yoga stretches with the core-strengthening exercises of Pilates. But there’s also a bit of old-fashioned calisthenics in each class, too, giving what Murrell says is a complete-body workout.
“It works in a lot of balance, strength and stretching,” he says. “There’s even some aerobic exercise in there.”
Truth be told, Yoglates isn’t the only key to Murrell’s success at staying in shape. Genetics play a part, and he says his parents gave him “decent genes that haven’t worn out.” He’s also fortunate to have a good metabolism and to have never been a big eater.
“Naturally, I just don’t eat a lot,” he says. “I love chocolate, but I don’t have a tremendous appetite.”
Perhaps most important, however, is that the wholesale tree nursery Murrell owns and operates keeps him constantly on the go and physically active in the outdoors, which is something he enjoys.
“I’m outside quite a bit and always moving around,” he says. “And I like to walk a lot.”
Murrell runs his business from his family’s property in Plaquemine, not far from where he grew up in Bayou Goula. The company raises large shade and ornamental trees for the landscape industry and sells them along the Gulf Coast. It’s a satisfying business, especially for someone who enjoys being outside and being involved in a hands-on activity.
“It’s definitely a rewarding thing,” he says, “and I get to look back and see a lot of pretty things I have made.”
Murrell got into the field after trying his hand as a stockbroker. He had earned a business degree from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, after graduating from Episcopal High School in Baton Rouge, and went to work for Howard Weil Labouisse and Friedrichs in New Orleans.
He realized after a few years that he wasn’t a salesman. His family had a lot of property on the west side of the Mississippi River, so he decided to do something with all the land.
That was in 1986. More than 20 years later, the company is well established and has annual revenues in the $500,000 range, though Murrell says it has suffered with the economic downturn. Still, he has found his calling and feels fortunate to own a business that keeps him satisfied and also in shape.
Says Murrell: “I’ve enjoyed being able to stay active throughout my adult life without having a real regimen.”
