A Week in the Life of a 20-Year-Old YouTube Star Who Owns Her Own Fitness Studio

Tori DeSimone (Tori Sterling) dressed up for a Halloween eve ride. Photograph courtesy Tori DeSimone.

Welcome to Sweat Diaries, Be Well Philly’s look at the time, energy, and money people invest in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle in Philly. For each Sweat Diary, we ask one Philadelphian to spend a week tracking everything they eat, all the exercise they get, and the money they spend on both. Want to submit a Sweat Diary? Email ccunningham@phillymag.com with details. 

Who: Tori DeSimone (@toristerling_), 20, from King of Prussia

What I do: I’m the co-owner and a spin instructor at stRIDE Spin & Fitness, and I’m a social media influencer.

What role healthy living plays in my life: I eat healthy and live a healthy lifestyle to feel GOOD. I’m smack dab in the middle of my body figuring itself out, so my weight over the past three years has constantly been fluctuating. I’ve kept positive because I know I’m nourishing my body with what it needs and treating it with love. A healthy lifestyle has also brought me stRIDE and all the amazing friends I’ve made along the way, so health and fitness has truly reinvented my life in the best way possible.

Health memberships: “I work out at stRIDE a lot (as the owner, it’s free for me to take classes, but I’ll pay if the class is waitlisted), and I also belong to Life Time in KOP. That’s $119 a month  — I love to lift and I love to visit the sauna.”

Monday

Tori DeSimone, a.k.a. Tori Sterling, says her diet is 90 percent plant-based. Photograph courtesy Tori DeSimone.

4:30 a.m. — Wake up.

4:45 a.m. — I have a hazelnut coffee with dairy-free, sugar-free hazelnut creamer.  

5 a.m. — Leaving the house, headed to stRIDE.

5:45 a.m. — Teach spin. After, I run home to shower, roast some veggies, and mix up a bowl of oatmeal.

8 a.m. — In the car on the way back to studio, I eat a bowl of steel cut oats with coconut milk, berries, almond butter, cacao nibs, and agave. Something you should know about me: I’m a creature of habit, so I eat the same foods! I know what works for me and I stick to it. My diet is 90 percent plant based I would say.

8:30 a.m. — I’m at the studio for a stRIDE management meeting.

11 a.m. — I lead a  training session with one of our newest instructors to prep her for her big debut in two weeks! After, I have the roasted vegetables I made this morning (Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, and chickpeas), half an avocado, and a banana. 

1:30 p.m. — Back home, I’m working on the administrative tasks for stride. I recently gave a lot of my classes to other instructors so I could take their classes and do more admin stuff for stRIDE. I LOVE the business side of stRIDE. 

2 p.m. — I mix up a large smoothie (I’m a big fan of smoothies) with frozen spinach, frozen mango, frozen blueberries, collagen peptides, vanilla protein powder, barley grass powder, almond butter, turmeric, and coconut water.

4:30 p.m. — Back to the studio once again to get ready to teach.

5 p.m. — Teach spin. After, I hang out for a bit at the studio.

7:30 p.m. — Home again, I work on answering emails and planning for tomorrow. It’s a usually a 50/50 if I’m hungry after nighttime spin. Tonight I’m not, so I don’t force it. Instead, I chug a bunch of water and call it a night. 

9 p.m. — Shower and bed.

Daily total: $0

Tuesday

Tori DeSimone (Tori Sterling) loves to make big, produce-filled smoothies. Photograph courtesy Tori DeSimone.

4:45 a.m. — Wake up.

5:30 a.m. — Out the door and headed to stRIDE. I have a 5:45 a.m. meeting with the studio’s landlord.

7 a.m. — Back home, I make oatmeal with coconut milk, almond butter, chia seeds, cinnamon, Craisins, raspberries, and agave and the same hazelnut coffee as yesterday. I also work on some emails, and take a shower.

8:45 a.m. — I leave for the studio, where I work behind the desk, chatting with clients and socializing with instructors.

10 a.m. — Snack on a banana.

12 p.m. — I run back home for lunch. I have some more roasted veggie and an avocado. I also work on my spooky playlist for tonight, in honor of Halloween.

1 p.m. — Smoothie time! I use frozen açaí, frozen spinach, frozen mango, and all the same add ins as yesterday.

4 p.m. — I leave my house to go pick up some new merch for the studio.

Tori DeSimone (Tori Sterling) teaches a spooky ride the night before Halloween. Photograph courtesy Tori DeSimone.

6 p.m. — I teach my spooky spin class; it was amazing!!!!! I dressed up as workout Barbie — it was all my dreams coming true.

8 p.m. — Home, I shower and eat. I have a salad from Bryn & Danes that I ordered through our food service at stRIDE ($12)! I relax and watch The Office. 

9 p.m. — Bed!

Daily total: $12

Wednesday

Tori DeSimone (Tori Sterling) likes to take boxing classes at her studio, stRIDE. Photograph courtesy Tori DeSimone.

6:30 a.m. — Wake up and catch up on some social media work.

8 a.m. — I make my oatmeal again — coconut milk, almond butter, cinnamon, raspberries, hemp seeds, Craisins, and agave. After, I shower and get ready for the day’s workouts.

9 a.m. — I leave the house and head to stRIDE.

9:30 a.m. — I take a 45-minutes boxing class with Jess at stRIDE. So much fun!

10:30 a.m. — I take 45 minutes of spin with Gab at stRIDE…it’s a Halloween double!

12:15 p.m. — Back home, I do a little bit of work, but I’m giving myself the day “off” since it’s Halloween and the studio is closed tonight. For lunch, I have roasted vegetables and half an avocado, and later I follow it with another, smaller bowl of oatmeal. (I was cold and craving carbs, so whatever my body asks for, I give it!)

4 p.m. — I’m headed to the grocery store to pick some things up for festivities tonight.

5:30 p.m. — I go to my co-owner’s house, Jess, along with some friends and staff. We hang out, eat dinner that Jess’s husband made for us (lasagna, followed by pumpkin pie), and the kids go trick or treating while I hang back at the house  and eat a ton of candy. Life is short, eat the Reese’s!!!

9 p.m. — Back home, showering and planning my day tomorrow. Goodnight!

Daily total: $0

Thursday

Tori DeSimone (Tori Sterling) loves the sauna at Life Time. Photograph courtesy Tori DeSimone.

4:45 a.m. — Wake up.

5:30 a.m. — I arrive at Life Time for my own workout. I do HIIT to warm up, then I lift, focusing on legs and abs, with a two-mile run to finish. After, I pick up an iced coffee with almond milk from the gym cafe ($2.12).

6:45 a.m. —  I leave the gym to grocery shop ($106). Since I eat the same thing everyday, I’m very quick when I grocery shop and I love doing it in the early morning when no one is there. I pop in my Airpods and listen to a podcast; it’s one of my favorite things. 

7:45 a.m. — Home, I put the groceries away, shower, and breakfast number one, which is a bowl of fruit (raspberries, blueberries, and strawberries) with hemp seeds, almond butter, and agave.

9 a.m. — Working at home. I eat breakfast number two: oatmeal with all the usual toppings.

11:45 a.m. — My mom and grandma picked me up to go house shopping with them and grab lunch to celebrate my mom’s birthday tomorrow. I have sweet potato fries and a sesame chicken salad ($12)!

2:30 p.m. — Home, I work some more, until around 5 p.m.

6:15 p.m. — I’m off to stRIDE to take Spin/Box. It’s a 30 minutes spin, 30 minute box class — so much fun and so sweaty!!!!

8:30 p.m. — I head to Wegmans to pick up dinner — the Wegmans hot bar is my favorite. I grab a chick pea salad, green beans, and potatoes ($9). 

9 a.m. — Back home, I  eat, shower, make my playlist for tomorrow, then go to bed!

Daily total: $129.12

Friday

Fruit with agave makes for a delicious breakfast for Tori DeSimone (Tori Sterling). Photograph courtesy Tori DeSimone.

4:30 a.m. — Wake up.

5 a.m. — On my way to the studio.

5:45 a.m. — Teach spin.

7 a.m. — Get back home, make my 9:30 playlist, get some work done. I eat a bowl of raspberries, half an avocado, banana, blueberries, strawberries, and black berries with agave. A bit later, I have a bowl of oatmeal.

9 a.m. — Time to leave for the studio.

9:30 a.m. — Teach an awesome spin class!

10:45 a.m. — Shower at the studio and get a fresh blowout for the weekend. stRIDE has a blowout bar in studio, so I take advantage of this when I can! I order eggs with broccoli from Bryn & Dane’s ($7) and eat it while I get my hair done.

12:30 p.m. — Back home, I get a spray tan today! I love getting sprays every now and then. I also have a snack of an apple with peanut butter.

3 p.m. — I like to give Fridays as a day “off,” so I do a light amount of work and head off to my friend’s to relax for the night. While I’m there, we have Chipotle. I get brown rice, pinto beans, corn, and guac with the salad dressing ($8).

10 p.m. — In bed making my playlist for 8 a.m. spin tomorrow!!

Daily total: $15

Weekly Totals

Money spent: $156.12

Classes taught: 5

Classes taken: 3

Other workouts: 1

Bowls of oatmeal: 6

Smoothies: 2

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