Venn Ambassador Spotlight: Sean Rice – Photographer and Plant-based Athlete
Based in San Pedro, California, Sean Rice is an award-winning advertising photographer who’s worked with companies like Toyota North America, American Honda Motor Co., Nike, Disney Consumer Products, Saatchi & Saatchi LA, and Inc., just to name a few. His incredible portfolio of work recently earned him a spot on the Lürzer's Archive list of 200 Best Ad Photographers Worldwide in 2020.
In addition to being a gifted visual storyteller and creative strategist, Sean’s been on a years-long, traveling health odyssey from meat blogger to vegan runner and cyclist who completed his first marathon earlier this year. Read on to find out more about the interesting life of Sean Rice, and how Venn Air Chairs fit into his lifestyle.
Tell us about your background. What are your inspirations and passions?
I was an artist in college. During my second to last semester, it felt like all my eggs were in one basket as I was showing my portfolio of work. The panel of people reviewing it basically told me, ‘you’re obviously an amazing photographer, but we have no idea who you are.’
I started to realize then that I was feeling like someone who was on vacation in their own life. My dad is adopted. My mom’s dad left when she was three and she immigrated to the US from Croatia, so I didn’t know much about my heritage.
Around the time I met my wife six years ago, I thought maybe if I could go on an ancestral quest, I could figure out who I was genetically. I did 23andMe and went searching through adoption registry websites. I found out who my mom’s father was. I traveled to Slovenia and Croatia and met many relatives there, including my mom’s half-sister, and learned that we all had much in common even though we had just met.
On my dad’s side, I found out who my father’s parents were. I met my father’s two half-brothers, and found out that most men on that side of the family had died before age 50 from heart attacks. This was a major revelation, as I have a condition called atrial fibrillation.
After I got married and had a kid, I had the realization that physically and emotionally, I had to be the best I could be and not think about death.
Tell us about how you approach diet and exercise as it pertains to your heart health.
In 2019, I started training for a marathon that I ran in March of this year. I struggled with plantar fasciitis and foot injuries during training. I switched over to strength training and cycling about 2-5 hours per week. I do some type of cardio every day to balance out the stagnant nature of my work and to be heart healthy.
I looked into the different ways atrial fibrillation affects my body. I made changes and went from being a marathon runner at 39 BPM resting, to putting on 20lbs in body weight, changing my body weight composition and being at 50-60 BPM resting. I’ve been able to minimize how atrial fibrillation affects my body.
Regarding diet, I wanted to do the marathon at a healthy weight. I read a lot. In the past, I was actually a blogger about meat and had a blog called Meat Me Blog that covered the different ways people ate and enjoyed meat. That project led me to learning about the USDA, Halal slaughterhouses, cattle farms, barbecues, etcetera. After being educated about the entire process of meat consumption, I began to question some things. I realized being vegan and plant-based was the best way to deal with my heart condition and manage cholesterol. This diet change and health adjustment has helped me fine tune how I can get the best out of my body.
2. We're all about movement at Venn. What does a typical day for you look like through the lens of movement?
I spend most of my time doing photography, digital artistry and compositry. Right now, I’m also writing a book. Unfortunately, all of this means that I spend a lot of time at a desk not moving.
I take advantage of different opportunities to be active – ride a bike, take the bus. I alternate strength training with bike or Peloton on the bike path down by the beach.
Due to the nature of my work, some shoots are very physical. I have spent some work days hanging out of vehicles at high rates of speed, photographing a vehicle behind me. Sometimes traveling for work is very sedentary as well. I’ve traveled to different places around the world and have been stuck in hotels and on planes.
Why and how do you use a Venn Air Chair? Where in your home, office or workout routine do you use it?
I use my Venn Air Chair in workout routines. I have arthritis in my neck. When I’m cycling and I’m bent over with my head up, it hurts my neck. When I’m laying down with my head up, my neck also hurts. If I I start to feel stiff, the Venn Air Chair gets me to loosen up and forces me to keep my back straight.
What are your favorite Venn Air Chair positions and moves?
I like to do sit-us laying on top of it. I stretch my back and core rolling backwards over it and stretch my spine laying frontwards over it with arms stretched out.
At Venn, we zig when others zag. What's something in work or life that you approach differently - philosophically, physically, emotionally - than others?
I’m always working on something. In order to not be anxious about the fear of death, I exercise and if I’m not exercising, I’m trying to keep the diet going. Once I get that balanced out, then I’m working on getting proper rest and sleeping. Working on all the core physical areas of my life – eating, breathing, exercising and sleeping - is important because in my case, they directly affect me emotionally. When you get all four of these right you can be emotionally at your best. I feel like I’ve become good at balancing all of those things and have grown to be self-aware of all those things.
Check out Sean’s amazing work on his website and Instagram feed, and check Sean’s plant-powered marathon training journey here.