Healthy Tech: Angela Turner

Tell us a bit about yourself and your career.
My name is Angela Turner, and I work at Aelements Design Studio in
Woodbridge, Va. I’ve been a licensed nail professional since 1999. While
I was pregnant with my first daughter, Kameryn, I took a break from my
undergrad studies and I sat for the state board exam. Even after graduating,
I continued doing nails part-time while working at an advertising agency.
I was ordered on bed rest with my second daughter, Aedyn, and I lost my
job, so I decided to transition to doing nails full-time. I worked in a salon for
five years before opening my nail suite almost five years ago. It was about
that time I also became an education ambassador for CND. I love being an
entrepreneur because of the freedom and flexibility of my schedule!

Tell me about your plan of action.
I decided to make a lifestyle change after losing my father in 2010. Over
the years, I tried everything from Pilates and yoga to boot camp classes. It
wasn’t until about a year and a half ago that I fell in love with bodybuilding
and decided to pursue competing, thanks in large part to my husband,
Frank. I currently train with my team (@TreauFitness) three times a week
in addition to doing cardio. I maintain a clean diet, minus my cheat meals,
and drink at least a gallon of water a day. However, you won’t ever catch me
giving up my coffee! I am so proud to have walked away with both first- and
second-place trophy at recent competitions. That’s a testament of what is
possible when you work hard and stay disciplined.

What has been your result so far? What further goals do you have?
During my competition prep, I lost about 20 pounds and over 10% body
fat. I’m now in a building phase so I can put on more muscle before my
next show. I will never go back to living how I did right after college, eating
unhealthily and not getting exercise. I would eventually like to compete on a
national level and perhaps even pursue pro status, but we’ll see how it goes
after this next competition.

How does your job as a nail tech affect your plan?
I’ve gotten pretty good at scheduling clients around snack and meal times
and my clients are super understanding when I tell them they need to soak
a little longer so I can finish a meal. It gets a little challenging when I’m on
the road for work, but that’s where my meal prepping and delivery services
come in handy. My workouts are generally before or after work. It takes
discipline to stick with it, especially on stressful days when I could probably
eat an entire bag of gourmet chocolates! Also, when you do the work that
we nail techs do, it can take a lot out of you, so sometimes you just want to
go home and curl up on the couch instead of hitting the gym.

What’s your advice for other nail techs who want to embark on a
health journey?
I would say if you have a goal, just go for it! Start somewhere. Don’t let
anyone tell you, “You can’t.” You absolutely can. I did!

Follow Angela on Instagram:
Fitness: @ang1eang | Nails: @angelaturner_cndea