By Tamara Pridgett (IG @tamsgoinham)
Name: Angelique Miles
Occupation: Former Music Executive/Founder of ACM Entertainment
Age: 50
Location: Harlem, NYC
Instagram @AngeliqueMiles
What’s your current routine like? Right now because it’s winter I go to the gym all the time, but as soon as spring comes I’m going to be downtown doing different classes.
How did you get started in fitness? I always dabbled in it- I danced when I was younger. When I was younger – I was in my twenties, in the music business- I worked out with a trainer and I was so skinny I used to try to gain weight! Someone introduced me to Lotte Berk; the mother of all boutique fitness and barre classes. I started going in the nineties…and I loved that [Lotte Berk] because it was a tough workout but it wasn’t a cardio workout. I like the way my body looked when I was doing it and I was more flexible so I used to do Lotte Berk a lot. Not until I turned 40 did I start working out to lose weight. I went to the doctor one day and I was 154 pounds. Up until that point, I had never been over 145[pounds]. I went home and my mother said to me “that’s how it starts”. Sure enough, I went back to the doctor a few months later and I was 160 pounds and I was like “Oh hell no!” I started CrossFit, I really enjoyed that because even though I was going to the gym, my body started changing and I needed to do something more drastic. CrossFit introduced me to crazy workouts, but I felt very accomplished doing them.
Do you have a favorite type of workout? In the perfect world, I would do barre for lower body, super slow training with Lou Abato twice a week, and I’d fit some spin classes in there for cardio and probably try out new classes once a week.
What advice would you give to someone over 45 starting to get into working out? It starts in the mind. You really have to want it in your mind before you start your fitness journey. I tell my friends, don’t go HAM January 2, five-six days a week because you’re going to burn out. Go twice a week, start out slow. Go do a class, if you don’t show up you have to pay for it. Diet means more now than it ever did. I look at French fries and I gain weight! Make small changes, not drastic changes. It’s a lifestyle change.
Angelique’s tips
Make small changes
Accountability – meet a friend at the gym or take classes (no one wants a cancellation fee).
Make realistic dietary changes like cutting back on alcohol and sugar.
