Music and publishing industry veteran Angelique Miles had a fast-paced job where she signed artists like Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Lil’ Kim and Busta Rhymes, among others. Usually, in those high-paced, high-stressed positions, people look stressed and just downright too old for their age, but not Angelique. She’s traded in her career and discovered who she truly is as a fitness enthusiast, blogger, brand ambassador, influencer and health advocate.
But that’s not even the best part. The stunning beauty is doing all of this at the age of 55, but looks like a twenty-something model who just graduated college–for real! She talks with TheRoot.com and explains her routine how she puts women half her age to shame.
“When I turned 40, I was no longer working [in] the music industry after 20 years and gaining weight,” admits Miles to The Root. “I didn’t want to look down and out, too. I did aggressive workouts, like CrossFit, that helped me become a runner.”
“Before CrossFit, I could barely run 2 miles. I did a 3-miles-for-30-days challenge at first. CrossFit has great coaches. I never got hurt. It was the most challenging workout I’ve ever done. I learned how to run, I learned to do Olympic weightlifting, do pushups and pull-ups, things I never thought I could do.”
But like many Black women, the struggle was real when it comes to maintaining healthy hair and a manageable hairstyle in between hot and sweaty workouts.
“I started to gain weight and do [a] lot of sweaty cardio. Hair was an issue. [Now I] co-wash with SheaMoisture, a little bit of coconut oil. I shape it and set with Nairobi wrap lotion and let it air-dry for 30 minutes—[I] never flat-iron. I go to the barber every two weeks; it just saves me a lot of time and energy.”
“My fitness philosophy is to do whatever you like. I don’t like dancing, so I don’t typically do those kinds of workouts. Having said that, whatever you choose to do should be challenging enough to get results, but you should do something.”
“My eating habits play a huge role with my fitness goals, particularly as I’ve gotten older. There was a time I could work out and still eat whatever I wanted, but the two go hand in hand. I typically have 5 meals a day, and 2 of those meals are usually protein shakes. I limit my carbs (but they are still necessary, especially with the way I train), I don’t eat dairy, and I usually only drink water, no juice. I try to keep my daily intake at around 1600 calories a day.”
“Having said that, I also treat myself whenever I feel like it (usually on weekends), but I’m careful to not overdo it. Even with healthy foods, you still have to control your portions. You can’t out-exercise a bad diet.”