Q&A
club alive, and it kind of morphed into
my career. I earned my training license,
certified myself through USA Track & Field
and started a new club that became
recognized by New York Road Runners.
As the club grew, I started to have a
following, and subsequently started
the Juice Press Run Club, took on
independent clients and became a
coach and ambassador for a variety of
organizations, including Lululemon.
WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING THAT YOU’VE LEARNED
AS A COACH?
I grew into coaching alongside my cli-
ents. The most important thing that I stuck
with, and will always, is the principal that
everyone is different — their lives, their
fitness journeys, their goals and most of all
their schedules. Making fitness something
that seamlessly fits into your life is the key
to longevity. If you have to completely
alter your world to fit in fitness, it’s just
not a sustainable model. As a coach, you
have to help clients see where fitness fits
into their lives.
YOU’RE A COACH, MARATHON
RUNNER, PHILANTHROPIST
AND YOU HAVE A FAMILY.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE ALL
THESE IDENTITIES?
32
2019 EDITION (201) HEALTH
A GOOD RUN (Clockwise, from top) Alvarez takes a break after a class; helping with the construction of Juma Fit;
performing a dance as a young girl.
WHAT IS IT THAT YOU LOVE
MOST ABOUT RUNNING, AND
HOW CAN OTHERS FEEL THE
SAME THING?
I love so many things about running! I
love the social aspect of running; there is
nothing I love more than going for a run
with friends (it’s my preference over lunch
or drinks). When I fell madly, deeply in
love with running, it was because of the
community. Running is a very solo sport.
Every person paces a little differently;
however, every runner is another runner’s
cheerleader. It’s a community of athletes
cheering each other on to feel his or her
best. How can you not love that?
WHAT MAKES JUMA FIT UNIQUE
AS A WORKOUT STUDIO?
Juma is the treadmill studio for every-
one. We are a place where athletes from
all levels — walkers, joggers and runners
ALVAREZ
Yes, my twins are 8 and my littlest is 3.
I am a wife, a daughter, a business owner,
a philanthropist and a marathon runner,
but those are all things I do, and although
they define me, I am just out here being
the best human I know how to be. I
believe in putting into the world what you
hope to get back. So, I try to inspire my
family and give them pure love, I try to be
a gracious and thought-provoking business
woman, I give back wherever and in any
way I can, and I run with my heart. My
goals are to keep on keeping on with all of
the ebbs and flows of life. I truly believe
that with goodness comes greatness.
Balance is one of those ever-changing
things. I try and stay present and honest
with myself. Saying “no” when I need to
and being okay with that is a skill that I
am ever working on. For me, the key to
balance is routine. I value time with my
family, fitness, healthy food and sleep.
If I feel out of balance, I go back to those
principals and make the time for them.