Umama Kibria leads Sweat With ATL with boundless energy and an infectious smile. We followed her to the Kill Cliff headquarters on a Sunday morning to see her leadership in action, and learn how to power point! See her Peach of the Month interview and learn more about her brand Small and Strong Fit here on GAFollowers.
Follow Umama: @SmallandStrong.FIT
What does an ATL Girl Boss do?
Conquer Atlanta. From exploring new gyms every week, hosting monthly collaboration events to discovering Atlanta’s finest doughnut; I’m on a mission.
It all stemmed from my passion for the health and fitness industry. I’ve let my passion guide my life as I travel out to a new city every month. Each time I come back I have a greater appreciation for my Beltline adventures. So I’ve taken advantage of all the opportunities here to connect with real innovators as I test out a new gym every week. The greatest concern I hear: follow through.
Everyone’s got a revolutionary idea, but it takes an ATL Girl Boss to connect everyone’s hustle. That’s what I’m doing with my companies Sweat With ATL and Small and Strong Brands.
For the past year, I’ve been hosting events to connect the active Atlanta community with the most innovative gyms/studios. I’ve strategically partnered with Georgia-based and women-owned companies that I’ve invested into knowing the potential of their impact on Atlanta.
It’s amazing interacting with 50-100+ athletes that come out to these events to connect and get their sweat on!
Come out to our next events to see how we’re conquering Atlanta:
Sweat With ATL Meetup – March 18th | Kill Cliff HQ
Sweat With ATL @ Equilibrium Fitness – March 26th | Equilibrium Fitness
ATL Athletes Networking Event – April 13th | TBA
What differentiates Atlanta’s market from all the other hubs for fitness?
Innovation. Atlanta is truly an innovative hub for entrepreneurs in this field to succeed. We’ve got cool gyms, great weather, technology and affordable living expenses. However, we’re so disconnected with our pursuits.
As I traveled out to a new fitness centric city I discovered wellness was engraved in their culture. They praised the local health and fitness companies as their own, but those markets are so saturated.
Atlanta? A world of opportunities. We’ve got Kill Cliff, Defiance Fuel, Buffboxx and so many other innovators in their sectors. Atliens need to take pride in them!
That’s why I’ve strategically partnered with these companies (and some other big ones TBA) to connect with their home base.
We’re going to utilize this incredible active market to make Atlanta THE health and fitness capital of the world.
How has social media changed your life? What’s your advice to people that want to start their fitness social media platforms?
Do it! The online health and fitness community is so positive! Having a fitness social media account allows you to track your progress and engage with people with a similar mindset.
I kept my platform a secret for two years because I wanted to surround myself with people that had a genuine interest in health/fitness. The opportunities flourished from traveling, fitness expos, business opportunities and having friends all over the world.
I did all this while blocking out my face in all my pictures for a year then “coming out” to my “real life” friends about my secret Instagram….last week!
I’ve been able to increase my global reach regardless because I genuinely love this lifestyle, interacting with other people in my network and utilizing my creativity!
Here are my tips for a successful fitness profile:
- Create an innovative username that relates to fitness
- Leverage your creativity to offer innovative perspectives
- Engage with the fitfam’s profiles and hashtags
- Work with companies that align with your goals and values
- Respect yourself
What your advice to GAFollowers out there looking to improve their health?
Stop saying what you want to do and go do something. There’s a false belief that the motivation to get started begins with inspiration. No.
Doing something for yourself inspires you to continuously chase that dopamine high from accomplishing goals. That’s what motivates success.
Instead of tirelessly scrolling through your feed of fitspos consider these steps to improving your health and fitness goals:
1. Determine a goal beyond “looking good and feeling good.”
“I want to instill discipline in my life to live passionately as my own boss.” Now that’s a goal worth choosing over pizza. When you limit yourself to aesthetic goals then you’re limiting your potential for greatness.
2. Find a nutrition plan that works for YOU.
Count your macros, eat clean or keto it up. It doesn’t matter. Find a lifestyle choice that works with the food you love to eat. Then ease into the lifestyle by making small switches in your “diet.”
Here’s a basic overview of the top two plans I recommend:
Macro Counting / IIFYM: Based on a certain ratio of carbs, fats and proteins (macronutrients) that determine the aesthetics of your body. This is great for anyone that wants the flexibility of eating whatever they want, but disciplined enough to make smart choices.
Cue Chipotle and Oreos.
Eat Clean: Best for developing a good relationship with natural food to meet your goals. Make pinterest your homepage. You’re going to look up clean recipes for all your favorite foods!
I have a free link to my food diary that outlines different meal options and healthy restaurant orders. Shoot me an email and I’ll send it to you!
3. Find a program that aligns with your goals
I get it. There are hundreds of programs out there preaching it’ll help you “lose fat and gain muscle” to make you look like the program owner. Don’t fall for that.
Find programs that work for every body type for the goal you desire to achieve. Then commit to it 100%. That means no program hopping or adding in your own cardio. Do what it says if you want the results it promises.
Here are my favorite programs that I’ve tested and trust:
Bikini Body Guide by Kayla Itsines (Goal: Fat Loss & Build Lean Muscle Mass)
Shortcut to Shred by Dr. Jim Stoppani (Goal: Build Muscle, Strength & Endurance)
Stronglifts 5×5 (Goal: Gain Strength & Build Muscle)
It’s always fun to supplement these programs with fun active clubs like Atlanta Sport and Social Club! You can catch me on the ASSC flag football fields. How about that?
4. Educate yourself.
There’s a limitless amount of information out there offering perspectives on everything. Get to the real source. Here are my favorite resources for information:
- Bodybuilding.com
- Strength Camp on Youtube
- Bret Contreras
If you’re interested in digestible content that is backed by industry professionals, research and experience feel free to follow along on my Instagram, Snapchat and Youtube.
5. Take a social media break.
This will help break the cycle of comparison. If you’re genuinely passionate about your goals to improve yourself then no one will be worthy of comparison.
You’ll have a greater appreciation for yourself to realize there is room for success for everyone. When you come back you’ll offer a fresh new perspective.
6. Surround yourself with good people.
It’s no surprise when you’re the queen of Buckhead turned into a regular at Sprouts that your friends will be a little curious.
The biggest lesson you’ll learn is people love to smear their fears onto others. This is usually a reflection of their own self doubt for achieving the goal you’re working so hard for. Maybe they weren’t contributing any value to your life anyway?
Reevaluate those friendships. This doesn’t mean everyone in your Top 5 has to be in your fitfam, but they respect the hustle. Surround yourself with people that are responsible for their own goals and support their friends with achieving theirs.
If you want more tips like this follow my daily Snapchat and Instagram discussions for refreshing perspectives to empower your health and fitness goals.
Follow Umama: @SmallandStrong.FIT
