BROOKLYN PERSONAL TRAINER AND LIFE COACH, ANGELA HUBBS, ON WAYS TO INSPIRE A LIFETIME OF ACTIVITY

BY TIA KIM

INDUSTRY:What got you started in fitness?

AH: I began as a lifeguard outside of Washington, D.C. One day, when I was fifteen, I subbed in for a water aerobics class, and my passion for inspiring people to move began. In those days, my thought was to be a paramedic by day, an actor by night…even an elite body builder. I never became those, but did wind up teaching everything from spin to sculpt, ACE Personal Training to TRX, Pilates to yoga, and went from a size 14 to a size 0…from not being able to run a mile to becoming a sponsored Ironman Triathlete.

INDUSTRY: What’s the biggest mistake people make when they tackle a new fitness regimen?
AH: That it must be highly structured at best, semi tortuous at worst, and as a supposed “motivator” to embrace the former, they begin with a gym. Now, I’m not putting that down, but the simple fact is that it typically doesn’t work. [80% of people who join a gym stop going after five months, according to expense analysts at Credit Donkey.]

INDUSTRY: So what do you tell clients?
AH: That fun is pivotal. We live in the most amazing city in the world. Why not make it a more of an adventure? I decided, for example, to mix up my workouts with swing dancing.

INDUSTRY: What if you have three left feet?
AH: [Laughs] There are hundreds of gym alternatives. Whether you run, play in a kickball league, play quid ditch from Harry Potter (which I have seen more than once in the park), or dance while you clean your apartment, we are made for movement. It’s easy to let your body slip into stillness, but with that you are also killing vitality and fulfillment.

Angela Hubbs
angelahubbs.com