Active8me expert and well-known Filipino blogger and fitness personality Nikki Torres is a lover of movement and always on the lookout to break a sweat! Her upbeat approach to health and fitness has resulted in her founding her very own toning and cardio dance workout known as NT Sweat. We caught up with 29-year-old Nikki to find out how she leads a balanced lifestyle, what inspires her and how she inspires many with her own health and fitness.
Has the active Nikki Torres we see today always been into health and fitness?
Yes, I started being conscious of my body at a young age. I was active as a child, with regular ballet lessons aa well as being a cheerleader in high school. Initially, when I started working out, I wanted Madonna’s arms, JLo’s butt and a magazine model’s flat stomach but that changed as the years went by. The way I saw my body and what it could do evolved. I now respect my body and train each body part to work together rather than try to change how it looks just to “fit in” and look the way society thinks women should.
What motivates Nikki Torres to be healthy?
Just the fact that training and eating properly enables me to hustle through even the toughest, busiest days keeps me motivated. Also, because I have people relying on me for motivation– my clients, my students, the people who follow me and keep in touch with me on social media and on my blog. I always say you can’t be an empty vessel if you want to give to others and I can’t help others become healthy if I don’t start with myself.
What is Nikki Torres’ little motivation trick for when you don’t feel like exercise or making healthy food choices?
For exercise, I just dress up and do it anyway. I do my best to squeeze my workout in the morning and I don’t give myself time to think anymore. I also ask myself WHY I feel that way—am I lacking energy? Sore from my last workout? Or am I just out of it because my mind is elsewhere? And then I move from there. If I need to slow down, I do yoga. If I’m lacking focus and need to shake things off, I go for a run. And when I’m really sore from a previous workout, I either do self-myofascial release with my foam roller or totally rest it out and get back at it the next day.
For food, I allow myself the occasional indulgence. Like Active8me says, I don’t call it a “cheat” because I try to stay as mindful as I can with my food choices. When I know I’ve had something I don’t really want in my diet, I make up for it by making a better choice on my next meal and try to keep a “good choice” streak for as long as I can. It is totally HUMAN to cave in, I tend to find it hard to overcome my cravings for sweets!
What is NT Sweat, the workout you’ve designed, all it about?
NT Sweat is a Toning + Cardio workout that’s grounded on the principles of bodyweight training, dance and yoga. It is set pace to the hottest hip hop, R&B, dance tracks and your occasional pop so you can sing your lungs out while you’re at it. The movements are designed to bring you the benefits of resistance, cardiovascular endurance and mobility training. It is also intended to go beyond just getting a sweaty workout, NT Sweat aims to take people beyond their fitness plateau.
(Ed: You can experience these workouts yourself in the Active8me app. Nikki’s high energy and fun nature is instantly apparent – you’ll be entertained, you’ll groove, you’ll move your body, you’ll smile, your mind will spin, … and you’ll do a great workout).
What are 5 fitness or healthy living tips Nikki Torres swears by?
- Find a physical activity you look forward to doing and stick to it. You may not love it completely at first, but the most difficult part is always at the beginning. Don’t quit too early.
- Be mindful—of what you eat, what you do outside the gym, what your habits are, how you interact with people, even the way you choose products you purchase. All these choices contribute to your overall wellbeing.
- Consistency is key. No consistency, no results.
- It pays to be patient. Whatever timeline you have for your goals manage your expectations. Quit hammering your body just because you’re not seeing abs four weeks into your program. Change takes time and consistency.
- Do it out of self-love, not because you want others to see you a certain way or because you are comparing your body with someone else’s.
What misconceptions do you think people have about weight loss/ maintaining a great body?
People think it comes quicker than it actually does. Results do not show overnight. Often, it takes several months to even see visible changes in your body. This is why we shouldn’t be eating healthy and training to “look” good because when we do and we fail to see changes within a short period, we fall out of it right away.
What features does Nikki Torres find most appealing about Active8me?
The line-up of coaches and experts are real people who live the lifestyle they are promoting. Modesty aside, we all walk the talk! I also love how you just have to log in every day and not have to spend time thinking what to do. It does everything for you! Simple and convenient. All you have to do is follow.
How does Nikki Torres think Active8me can help the average person?
Active8me understands what it’s like to be someone who wants to make changes in their lifestyle, but doesn’t know where to start. Because of the hand-picked team of experts and coaches, you can be sure that the programs; the pieces of advice you are taking; the workouts you are doing and the meals you’re eating will actually lead you closer to your goal and not keep you going around in circles which is what often happens when you attempt to put together your own program based on things you find on the Internet. Active8me will keep you at it and help you with each and every milestone in your fitness journey. Everything about it is designed for someone’s success.
