Sweat & Eats: A Fitness Trainer's Guide to Wellness with Alahna Dunbar
Written by: Deepa Somasunderam
@thealahnadunbar
How to eat, train and recover for optimal health.
Welcome to our latest series, Lifestyle Science. These are interviews we are doing with POC leaders in the health and wellness industries where we deep dive into their lifestyle. They give us their personal guide to living well so your in touch with emerging wellness trends, nutrition and self-care for glowing mental and physical health.
Alahna Dunbar is a lead fitness trainer at Third Space in London and she teaches a variety of cardio, strength and conditioning classes. After growing up in Southern California, Alahna relocated to London where she hosts the Black Box Podcast in addition to being a fitness trainer. The Black Box Podcast which shares inspiring stories within the Black community in the United Kingdom.
At The Beautiful Societies, we love speaking to leaders in the fitness industry to understand how they do what they do: how the combination of training, fueling and recovery works for them while they also manage life stuff like everyone else. These personal insights can help you supercharge your own daily routine and make those small changes to your habits.
We caught up with Alahna between her busy schedule podcasting and training to deep dive into her lifestyle and bring you her best tips. Keep scrolling for the full breakdown.
On leaving LA for London
As a kid, I grew up reading a lot of British literature, watching British films and listening to British music, so I always had this fascination with the UK. I first came to London during a year abroad and I absolutely fell in love with the culture of London.
I love the energy of the city and vibrant mix of cultures and the mix of very old plus totally modern. I knew that I wanted to spend my young professional years in this city. And also, believe it or not, Southern California is too hot! I don’t mind the rain and I think London in the summer is unbeatable.
On becoming a fitness trainer
I was always into athletics and fitness growing up. I come from a line of very active people, so at school I was involved in a lot of sports (gymnastics, football (as in soccer, haha), track, etc.).
@thealahnadunbar
My main sport was varsity at school and competitive cheerleading, but you can’t really make a career out of cheerleading so when I went to uni, I had to find another way to exert all this physical energy. I got really into fitness classes then, especially spin!
In spin (studio cycling), I loved the combination of the high-energy, high-intensity, music-driven performance that reminded me of cheerleading and I knew I wanted to be a spin instructor one day, so I got my qualifications and the rest is history.
“My grandpa Rodney Downs is a huge inspiration to me. He spent decades as a football and track coach in California and his mentorship to young Black people has been so powerful that we can’t go anywhere in California without someone recognising “Coach Downs”. His care for his athletes went beyond who they were as athletes, but who they were as people and he clearly has been such a force for good on this earth. I really hope I can make a similar impact. ”
On hosting the Black Box Podcast
I’m so honoured to be a part of this project and it’s very dear to my heart.
Black Box Podcast actually started with four friends, all Black, British, cis-male and NOT Londonders. They started the show as an attempt to share their experiences at the intersection of being Black and British and to highlight stories of Black Britain outside of the London/Top Boy stereotype.
They also came from very different career backgrounds and wanted to share inspiring stories of success within the Black community in the UK, across a variety of industries and demographics. I came on as a guest in 2020 and the vibe with the group was so good, and it was also clear they needed to diversify the voices on the show, so they asked me to be a permanent host!
Since then, I’ve been with the guys for 4 years, the production value has gone up and we have had some INCREDIBLE guests (Ade Adepitan, Christian Scotland-Williamson, Dora Atim, Joanna Jargue, Musa Okwonga to name just a few!), but the spirit of the show is the same. We are still amplifying the more nuanced stories of Black faces in white spaces in the UK.
On her personal work-out routine
My routine changes all the time, based on my schedule and interests.
Last year, I was training for a full Ironman Triathlon, so I had to have a regimented training plan, but this year I decided to take a year off from athletic events and to focus on strength, joint health and mobility and flexibility.
@thealahnadunbar
Because I get my cardiovascular training done by teaching 20 classes per week (4-7 spin classes), I focus my own workouts on slow, steady weight training 2-3x per week, plus 1 or 2 short, but intense HIIT sessions per week focusing on speed and power.
I also am a huge advocate of Reformer Pilates and I try to get to as many Reformer classes, as my schedule and bank account will allow. I feel Reformer focuses on low-impact strength, stability, mobility, flexibility and the mind and body connection which are all things I need now.
On her workout gear
All Nike everything. Again, I’m not sponsored by them, but… I wouldn’t mind their sponsorship because I wear all their gear anyway!
The only exceptions are running shoes. I really love Hoka Cliftons for long-distance running and for me on my feet all day at work. I would also welcome a Hoka sponsorship…
On her favourite protein products
I’m not a huge fan of processed protein products, since I like to get most of my nutrients from whole foods (protein from lean meat, fish, eggs, etc).
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However (and I’m not sponsored by this brand) I have been using Huel products for a long time. They make protein powders and meal replacement shakes that are gluten-free and vegan and actually taste really good. They have a ton of different flavours and their meal replacement shakes have additional vitamins and minerals in the powder.
I also like the NFF shakes at Third Space clubs. Again, I get the vegan version of their protein shakes. My favourite is the Blueberry Almond!
Her daily supplement program
I try to only take supplements I know that my body needs and where I’m not getting enough from whole foods. I take electrolytes almost daily because I sweat so much during my classes and also because I am tragically addicted to caffeine drinks that can dehydrate you. So I like SIS Hydration Tablets, as well as Precision Hydration.
I also take supplements for hormonal support since I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). Some of the supplements that have helped balance my hormones are B vitamins and Omega 3s/ Fish Oil. Pure Sport used to have a really great Hormonal Balance daily vitamin, but I think they discontinued it. Whatever was in that really helped regulate me.
I also struggle to get good sleep, so I try to take a combination of magnesium, CBD and L-theanine nightly to help me go to sleep and stay asleep. These three also help when I have an occasional bout of anxiety.
Finally, I do love an odd bottomless brunch or night out, so when I’ve overindulged a bit much, I’ll take some vitamin c to help with cellular repair, as well as inositol to assist with the blood sugar spike.
These are what I find work for me, but I didn’t start taking them without consulting with doctors first, so please also do so before taking anything.
How I cook for the week
I usually skip breakfast and focus on lunch and dinner.
To save time and money, I food prep a huge batch of one meal that I have for lunch and dinner and then snack when I need it.
A typical meal for me contains a lean meat, a whole grain and loads of veggies, so I usually make a bowl of steamed jasmine rice, steam seasoned greens and whatever other veggies I have, and salmon or chicken breast. If I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add a sauce to it, but I like to keep it super simple and use foods I know I love.
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Eating out in London
I love the simplicity and taste of Japanese food, so I will treat myself to this place called Sushi Show in Islington. They have the best quality sushi I’ve had, yet. Plus, I love sea vegetables like seaweed, kelp, etc, for their minerals.
My favourite post-workout fuel
I love a non-dairy protein shake after a workout. It’s easy on my stomach, tastes good and delivers everything I need to repair my muscles and energy before I crash.
My recovery tips
Honestly, I could be better at recovering. In an ideal world, I’d foam roll before and after every workout, I’d do a proper warm-up and cool down stretches, I’d eat nutritiously all day, get 9 hours of sleep every night and I’d have a fortnightly sports massage.
This is the goal, but rarely happens, so I try to do the best I can. I do treat myself to a monthly 90-minute Thai massage to get out all those muscular knots and because the masseuse does the stretching for me. The main thing for me is to try to dedicate time to stretch daily after all my classes.
My dream health vacation
I’d love a wellbeing retreat near a beach, where I don’t have to plan or think about anything! I just show up to a nice, luxury villa for a week of relaxing, eating pre-planned nutritious food, smoothies and juices, ice cold water, Pilates, meditation, massage, swimming and maybe personalised health assessments and treatments.
My Inspiration
@thealahnadunbar
My colleagues at Third Space are world class. I genuinely think they are the best instructors, PT’s and experts, so I lean on the expertise of our Senior and Master Trainers for a lot of guidance.
Keep Reading: Lifestyle Science with Jayne Lo: Elite Personal Training tips and how to fuel yourself
I also have the pleasure of being friends with Nike Running Coach, Dora Atim. I’m a part of her UBR trail running club for Black women/femmes/NB folk. She is such an incredible athlete, a real mentor to other athletes and Black women, a sick Nike Running Coach and such a hard worker. I’m really inspired by her work and how authentically she shows up in the world and how much she encourages other people of colour to take up space in the world of fitness and sport.
I also really admire Joslyn Thompson-Rule, a current Peloton Instructor. I was introduced to her and her work advocating for women in sport years ago, when she was a Nike Global Master Trainer. I’ve also had the privilege of meeting her and having a great conversation with her about fitness, general health, women’s health, alternative therapies and beyond. She is just so full of wisdom.
Finally, my grandpa Rodney Downs is a huge inspiration to me. He spent decades as a football and track coach in California and his mentorship to young Black people has been so powerful that we can’t go anywhere in California (which is bigger than England) without someone recognising “Coach Downs”. His care for his athletes went beyond who they were as athletes, but who they were as people and he clearly has been such a force for good on this earth. I really hope I can make a similar impact.
On finding my balance
It sounds typical, but I really think health is wealth. I really try to priortise my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health as the number one thing in my life. But I also believe in being balanced in that prioritisation and not too militant in my health maintenance.
I also thoroughly believe in enjoying what life has to offer and that enjoying life and practicing gratitude is critical for good health.
