Dope Fit Chick of the Week
Our Dope Fit Chick of the week is Personal Trainer Khi Harris! Checkout our Dope interview with her and find out what motivates her to workout and her workout routine.
Name: Khi Harris
Location: Memphis, TN
Age: 30
Height: 5’8
Weight: 190
About Me: I have a passion for health and fitness. I’ve been active the majority of my life. I was a college athlete and then I stopped playing ball and began to gain weight fast! My fitness journey has been years in the making. I love to weight train! I’ve ran 4 half marathons thus far. I’m not big on cardio but I know it has to be done so the marathons give me more of a push to keep my cardiovascular activities up at least half of the year. I was an accountant but now I am a full time personal trainer. My motto is basically to just get things done and enjoy life while doing them.
What motivates you to work out and live a healthy lifestyle?
My overall well-being helps me to stay motivated. In our culture, growing up, we see so many of our relatives get diagnosed with diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease etc. and I just never wanted to be that person. I love being active, so I try to always make sure that I am in the best shape. I pride myself on putting nutritious foods into my body to achieve desired results. Now, I don’t have a cocktail or two ever so often but I’m always aware of how and what I eat.
What does your workout routine look like?
My workout routine right now involves a lot of deadlifts, squats and bench pressing. On days that I am not lifting, I am running getting ready for my half marathon in December. I usually workout 5/6 days per week. On days that I lift, I do at least 15 minutes of cardio before my workout to get warmed up.
What does your diet look like?
In a typical day I eat salmon, tilapia, lean ground turkey or lean ground beef. My green veggie of choice is always spinach! For carbs I usually alternate between a sweet potato and brown rice. I like to keep it very simple! If I cheat, I just make sure it fits in my macros. I drink at least a gallon of water 5 days a week. The other two days are just “whatever I can get” days. I’m not big on breakfast, so I usually skip breakfast and eat my first meal around 11:30am. So, I guess you can say that I do a slight form of intermittent fasting.
How do you maintain your natural hair while working out?
As for hair maintenance, my go to’s are Havana/Marley twists and most recently faux locs! If I’m not rocking either of those, I’m wearing my natural puff... especially in the summer because it’s just too hot for long weave, plus I sweat a lot so when I do wear a unit, it’s usually one with combs that I can snatch off as soon as I get home.
What’s in your gym bag?
In my gym bag is...... a change of clothes, a towel, headphones, soap & most importantly... my pre workout! Oh, I also keep a tripod in it so that I can record some of my exercises.
How do you create the balance between being a mom & wife, and making time for the gym?
As for creating balance, I’m not a mom nor a wife (Maybe 2020 -speaking it into existence lol) ... so I have more time for self-care which I do believe self care is essential to living a great, stress-free life! So I encourage everyone to make time!
What else are you interested in outside of working out?
Outside of the gym, if I’m not traveling or watching football, you’ll catch me on the couch. I’m definitely a homebody! I love reading and listening to audiobooks also. It sounds boring but it’s not that bad... trust me lol.
Give your best 3 health tips that people can implement right now?
My best 3 health tips are:
Eat nutritious foods
Exercise at least 30 minutes; 5 days per week
Meditate at least 10-15 minutes per day. Close your eyes and just be!
