Interview with Danielle Demski of ‘Fit to Hit’

A Miss USA finalist and former NFL Cheerleader, Danielle Demski is the Tennis Channel’s newest co-host of ‘Fit to Hit’. From her athletic background to her love for tennis and their players, Talk Nerdy With Us got to chat with Danielle on what to expect come this August.
What can we expect to see from Fit To Hit?
“It airs on August 16th on the tennis channel and it’s honestly one of the most interesting and most fun shows I’ve done. Whether you’ve just picked up a tennis racket for the first time, learning how to play or you’ve been playing for years, or even if you’re a pro, there’s something for every level of tennis player on the show. And what’s great is if you aren’t into tennis there’s other great information about if you’re into fitness, health or improving your other athletics you may be involved in. Whether you’re a volleyball player, baseball, there’s something for everybody.”
That’s great, so are you big into tennis?
“Yeah, I am! I’m by no means a professional but I grew up with a mom who was very into tennis. So I played a lot of tennis with her growing up, in junior high and in high school. It’s something I’ve always really loved playing and it’s still something I play today. It’s kind of a game you can play for a lifetime. I’m probably like most of the people who watch the show, I’m kind of your weekend warrior.”
What’s it like to work with co-host Brad Benedict?
“He’s great. He’s such a sweet guy and easy to work with, we always have a lot of fun. I kind of feel like he’s my long lost brother. We’re always joking around with each other and he’s just really fun to work with. We work with a great group of people which is always helpful when you know, you travel with people and you really like them.”
What does a typical workout of yours usually entail?
“In general, it’s probably different for everybody but for me I kind of switch off. Your body gets used to workouts so if you keep doing the same stuff at the gym every time, your body gets used to it and you’re not seeing results anymore. So for me I switch off between weight training and cardio and yoga and I’ll take a dance class, play tennis, volleyball. So your body doesn’t get used to something but you’re still getting that activity. Varying it up makes it more interesting.”
Besides having a solid workout routine, what else is important for those looking to lead a healthier lifestyle? What have you learned from the athletes and trainers that you got to talk to?
“Oh gosh, I learned so much! I learned a lot of different fitness routines from the trainers to the pros and the pros themselves and what they’re using. From switchings things up, not letting their body get used to one thing. But also from the other side of things I got to talk to a brain health expert, a doctor in New York and he talked about the best foods to keep your brain and your mental capacity at its best. For anybody, even if you don’t play sports, it’s important to keep your brain as healthy as possible and your mental acuity really sharp. One of the things I’ve learned is that oysters are one of the best things you can eat for brain health and I was super excited for that because I love oysters! So I learned things like that, it’s not just about your body, it’s about your mind too.”
You got to travel to a lot of exciting places for Fit to Hit, where did you get to go?
“I travelled around to all over the country. We were in New York and Florida, all over interviewing the biggest names in tennis and pros and I actually got to do workout with pros and try to keep up with them. It was great!”
We saw on your Twitter that you got to try cryotherapy, what was that like?
“I did, I visited the cryo health spa in LA. they have a lot of athletes, Laker players, dodgers players, I know Floyd Mayweather goes there quite a bit. Basically, instead of submerging yourself, like so many athletes do in a big massive ice bath, which is awful and so uncomfortable. Instead of sitting in an ice bath for 20-minutes or something and freezing your butt off, you can go into the cryotherapy container and it basically drops the temperature of your skin, using liquid nitrogen. I think it’s about 30 to 50 degrees and it starts the healing process from within since your body thinks it’s freezing to death. You do it anywhere from 1-3 minutes but no more than 3. You’re in and you’re out, getting the same kinds of results as an ice bath. They also have a lot of people come in who have arthritis, back pain and it’s another way to deal with the pain instead of taking painkillers.”
If you could play doubles with any pro player who would it be?
“I was lucky enough to play a little bit with John Isner and Tim Smyczek while I was in Florida so that was pretty cool. But I would say, you know, Serena Williams! I mean she just took Wimbledon, she’s one of those players that who knows if anyone will rise to where she has. Her career has just been so expansive and incredible. So you now with Serena smashing the ball on my side and not toward me would be great.”
As a tennis junkie, who is your favorite mens player? And women?
“Well Serena would definitely be up there but you know I really love Victoria Azarenka, from what I know she is just a really, really great girl. She’s an incredible player and she’s not really in the beginning of her career but Serena’s been around a lot longer and Azarenka’s a newer player that I’m really excited about watching.
As far as men go, it doesn’t get much better than Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. They’re two people I love watching.”
Fit to Hit airs on August 16 on the Tennis Channel. Be sure to follow Danielle on Twitter @Danielle_Demski to stay up-to-date on news and her adventures with the show!