Meet Tina Tang - Jewelry Designer, Trainer, Instructor, Business Woman, Problem Solver, Friend. This woman can kick your butt in the gym and then design you some fabulous jewelry to commemorate the occasion. She is a woman of many talents and so much wisdom. I am happy that our paths crossed in New York and that we have become good friends.
I have personally worked with Tina as a trainer, taken her group fitness class AND done her remote training challenge. All of which have helped me achieve different goals at different times in my life. I appreciate her coaching, her knowledge and her life wisdom.
Lucky for everyone, she is sharing a bit of that wisdom and life experience in this interview. Enjoy!
What is your philosophy around health and wellness?
No extremes. As overly used as it sounds, I believe in moderation and "do-ability". If you can't do it forever, it won't work.
How has your workout routine evolved over the years?
I was a treadmill and elliptical junkie. I would spend an hour on the dreadmill in my 20's thinking that was the way to stay healthy. It was also the only way I knew because I never had any education in how to use dumbbells, kettlebells nor even any of the machines in the gym. When I was married, I turned to my husband, whom I figured just knew more than me. He made me a routine that I printed out and did every day at the gym. This included 30 minutes on the elliptical, 30 reps on the various nautilus machines; overhead press, chest press, thigh master, lat pull down. I did that same routine for likely 3 years.
When I started taking gym classes is when I started asking questions about what and why. Only after taking a personal training course, simply for personal development, did I learn about the ranges of movement, how to use tools and why we use them.
I love your athleisure style! You used to train me in the best outfits - tennis skirts + adidas track tops, etc. Have you always had a strong sense of style? Where does it spring from?
My sense of style comes my eccentric momma. To give you a sense, her favorite store for years, was Forever 21. She was shopping there in her 70's. Of course she wasn't wearing the hoochie momma crop tops, but she layers pieces that no one ever thinks of. The pieces are always full body so no one would even imagine it came from Forever 21.
I’m always interested in the relationship between culture and health. How has your upbringing influenced your perspective and habits around health?
Chinese food is very balanced. There are always vegetables and meat. There is always fruit for dessert. The way I was brought up was that a little of everything was ok. In terms of exercise, I think the activity is very American. Other cultures have exercise as fun or as a means to get somewhere. It's only in the US where we "exercise" for the sake of exercise. My mom swims and does tai chi. She turns to those for health to keep her body moving. She would never approach it the way we do at a HIIT or CrossFit gym.
Do you think your parents would understand you better if they worked out with you?
This is unimagineable! I cannot see my Chinese parents working out with me! HAHA! It's two circles that will never overlap in a venn diagram.
Outside of fitness, what other things do you do to manage stress?
Fitness isn't so much an outlet for me for stress as it is a health necessity like brushing my teeth. My partner is my stress manager simply for the fact that he is the opposite temperament. I am high strung - no one would ever mistake me for a pothead. He is so laid back that if I told you he was a pot-head you would nod and say "of course he is". His comments when I stress out, puts things in perspective. Such as, "nothing you do will matter once you're dead." Haha, he is quite blunt.
What are your wellness essentials?
Recently, since reading the book, Why We sleep, I've been prioritizing sleep. I used to think I could catch up or that it would be merely a day of tiredness. When reading this book that scientifically explains the life long physical effects of lack of sleep, I have re-adjusted my prioritization of sleep. I'm going to be 50 next year and I don't want to create more opportunity for Alzheimer's. Lack of sleep effects on the brain is a common factor found in Alzheimer's patients. Get sleep kids!
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Website: https://www.ironstrongfitness.net
