Fit for a King
Words: Michelle Wallace IG @my.michelle.w
Photography: Sergey Yusin @sergey_yusin
Wardrobe: Jaxson Maximus @jaxsonmaximus
Make-up: Julia Brig @juliabrigmia
style | June 01, 2021
Poms Poms to Weights:
Rachel Gennaro
Rachel Nennaro ate whatever she wanted whenever she wanted. Having struggled with insecurities of being too skinny, fitness helped Rachel transform her life and
become an inspiration to others.
Q: Where are you from?
A: My hometown (where most of my family/relatives live) is Tampa, FL but I lived overseas as a child (Costa Rica and Peru) and moved over 15 times before graduating highschool!
Q: How long have you been in Miami?
A: I’ve lived in south Florida a few years, but just moved to downtown Miami a few months ago and love it!
Q: Why did you decide to get into fitness?
A: I’ve always been very athletic. I was a cheerleader and played several sports throughout highschool and college, but I never took fitness “seriously.” I ate junk food every day and was very underweight.
I was the type of girl that everyone hated because I could eat anything I wanted but would never gain a pound. My freshman year of college I was constantly drained, breaking out, getting sick easily and feeling tired all the time. I also began to feel self conscious about being super skinny and battled with insecurities. I decided one day to take on a challenge with my brothers and eat clean and workout (lifting weights for the first time) in a gym for a month. It was crazy how many friends and coworkers doubted me and were waiting to see me screw up my diet... but it motivated me even more and my body changed drastically in just ONE month!
I saw my arms toning, my abs popping, I was gaining muscle and my skin clearing up; it was unbelievable. I then began posting transformation pictures and I had so many women reaching out asking what I was doing, eating and to share my tips and tricks.
This inspired me to continue my fitness journey, share it with others and I finally felt amazing from the inside out.
Q: Who influenced you the most?
A: There were many fitness celebs that I admired and imitated, but my family influenced me the most when it comes to working hard, helping people and staying committed to my goals.
My brothers always pushed me and held me accountable. My parents worked hard raising 5 children in third world countries while starting churches and helping change peoples lives. I knew from a young age I was going to be a leader and I learned to always remain humble, grateful, and disciplined throughout my life. As my parents continue to speak at events and conferences all over the world inspiring others, I hope to do the same one day.
Q: Favorite workout regime?
A: I don’t really have a favorite or specific workout regime because I love to constantly change things up so that I never dread a workout. I love to be outdoors so whenever I get the chance, I’ll go for a run, rollerblade, and do some body weight, resistance training and HIIT on the beach. Other days, I go to Elev8tion gym, put some good music on and go ham on the heavy weights! I love it all!
Q: What’s a typical day like for you?
A: I always start my morning with prayer and put away my phone for the first hour to have a clear mind, present-moment awareness and a positive focus.
My days are always changing, but I love being busy! Right now I am currently taking a class, working on a website and have tons of projects that will be announced and launched hopefully within the next 6 months; so I take a couple hours daily to work on everything. I also model and work with a few different companies and clothing brands and some days I have photoshoots, and other days I’m editing and filming content myself.
I like to get my workout done in the late afternoons or early evenings. I haven’t been able to be the social butterfly that I am during this quarantine, but as things are slowly getting back to normal I do enjoy getting dressed up every now and then and going to events or a fun dinner spot. But then going home to my bed and dog right after haha No crazy partying for me!
Q: What have you liked most about being a fitness coach?
A: As a fitness coach, I have the opportunity to influence someone’s life. That’s huge! Inspiring and motivating others to make positive changes doesn’t even feel like a job to me. It’s the best feeling in the world.
My best friend and I have a ladies beach boot camp together (starting up again in August!) and I get so excited every month to see women show up, work hard, and feel confident about themselves!
I also teach workouts for children and it’s so rewarding to see the smile on their faces as they learn about exercises.
Q: What are some healthy tips you can share with us today?
A: Try to exercise daily! That doesn’t mean go to the gym every day.. even dancing, bike riding, yoga, walking all count as long as you are staying active
Stay hydrated and drink a lot of water throughout the day!
Learn to recognize and manage stress in your life. It plays a huge role in your health. And cut out ALL negativity!
Some of us fitness freaks love to go, go, go! But make sure you are taking time to recover and getting the proper amount of rest.
Q: What are some of your “go-to” healthy snacks?
A: I’m not a huge snacker, I eat 5 small meals throughout the day so that I don’t get hungry enough to snack. But when I’m on the go, traveling and having a Photoshoot all day and don’t have time to eat a full meal, I snack on mixed nuts, peanut butter and celery, hard boiled eggs, fruit or a protein shake (with carb formula for the extra gains!).
Q: On your cheat day, you have to have…
A: My favorite food is ITALIAN so I’m always up for an entire box of pizza to myself (I don’t share on cheat days haha)
Q: What is something most people wouldn’t know about you?
A: I am a huge prankster! Hehe. I love to make people laugh (or scared) and I’ve done some really insane, over the top pranks to my best friends, family, even my Abuela. She wasn’t too happy about it lol. But we laugh about it now. I’ve always got something up my sleeve.. so watch out ;)
Q: What’s a quote you live by?
A: It’s always better to be prepared and not have an opportunity then to have an opportunity and not be prepared. If you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time!