This Philly Actress and Fitness Instructor Stays Energized with Celery Juice and Other Clean Eats
Jadi Collado wears many hats: actress, dancer, and fitness instructor at CycleBar and Life Time Athletic. Here's how she juggles it all.
Jadi Collado is an actress (most notably for the film Shine), dancer, and spin and dance fitness instructor. / Photograph by Haley Bank.
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 area resident 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 lbrzyski@phillymag.com.
Who I am: Jadi Collado (@jadicollado), 33
Where I live: Wayne
What I do: I’m a trained SAG-AFTRA and AEA dancer and actor who starred in the award-winning film, Shine. I’m also a certified fitness instructor teaching indoor cycling classes at CycleBar Plymouth Meeting, plus HIIT and dance fitness at Life Time Athletic in King of Prussia and Fort Washington. Fun fact: I “pushed it” for two years with Salt-N-Pepa on their U.S./world tour!
What role healthy living plays in my life: I like to take a holistic approach to healthy living. Most people focus on the obvious: food and fitness, but it’s more than just that. It’s the thoughts in your brain and the thoughts you feed yourself, your relationships with people and how you foster those (or don’t), financial health and ultimately enjoying life, because life is meant to be enjoyed. I do not stick to any one kind of diet strictly so if ever I wake up and my body needs fuel, then I give it what it wants. Listening to my body always takes priority.
Health memberships (and what they cost): CycleBar and Life Time Athletic — free as an instructor
Monday
Collado’s Monday lunch was this tasty-looking salad with chicken and sweet potatoes. / Photograph by Collado.
7:30 a.m. — Wake up and make the bed. I feel I’m truly ready to get my day started once my bed has been made!
8 a.m. — Pour myself 16 ounces of celery juice, fill up my water bottle with water and make some tea. I usually make my celery juice the night before as it helps in making my mornings much easier. They say it’s best to consume celery juice as soon as it is juiced but as long as it’s consumed within 24 hours, it still holds a ton of heath benefits.
9:30 a.m. — Time for some admin work, so I look at my calendar to get an idea of what my upcoming week and month are looking like.
12 p.m. — Have my first meal of the day. Breakfast food is my favorite, so eggs are on deck! I tend to hold a fasting period of 12 hours, so I end up eating around noon, but am consuming liquids all morning and throughout the day, of course.
1 p.m. — Prep my gluteus max-out and shred classes for the evening, both of which are Life Time branded classes. The first is an intense leg workout incorporating weights (dumbbells and/or barbells) and resistance bands, and the second is a HIIT-based full body workout.
3 p.m. — Time to get some greens in! It’s salad time with mixed greens, grilled chicken, and a side of sweet potato.
4 p.m. — Head to Life Time to teach my classes.
4:45 p.m. — Gluteus max-out, here we go!
5:45 p.m. — Class was great! I review for my Shred class and have a snack. I always have snacks in my bag, but love the combination of cashews, some string cheese, and a protein shake. YUM!
6:45 p.m. — Time to teach Shred!
8 p.m. — Back home from teaching and, lucky for me, my husband has dinner ready: a fresh full pot of chili. We eat over a good game of Monday night football and relax a bit before bedtime. I also make my celery juice so I don’t have to do it tomorrow morning.
10:30 p.m. — Bedtime. Hasta manana!
Daily total: $0
Tuesday
While it doesn’t look super appetizing, Collado swears by 16 ounces of freshly juiced celery to start off every morning. / Photograph by Jadi Collado.
7 a.m. — Tuesday is my day off, which I typically use for running errands! Before I do anything, I make the bed, drink my prepped celery juice, brew some tea, and fill my water bottle.
8 a.m. — My husband and I bought our first home together as newlyweds, and we are planning on doing a little renovating. So, I meet with the space planner to discuss design options.
10:30 a.m. — I head out and to the grocery store. We’re having a potluck dinner this weekend, so I have to purchase items for that event, as well as stock our fridge a bit for the week. Gotta stop by Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans, as well as Cousins in Philly for my favorite Dominican cooking products. Yo soy Dominicana si no lo sabias! ($190.22)
12 p.m. — While at Wegmans, I decide to have some food in their food court as I don’t have time to stop by the house to eat, and I need something to hold me over as I run my errands. Sushi is the meal of choice: a spicy salmon roll with a banana ($8.26). I know, kind of weird, but I love having savory and sweet in most my meals if I can help it.
3:30 p.m. — Arrive back home ready to eat again! Have some leftover chili for lunch, do some admin work, and tidy up our place.
5 p.m. — Have a snack and start the sous-vide for dinner. It’s is hands down one of our favorite kitchen appliances for cooking meat or fish. You set it and forget it, multi-tasking at its finest and the meat comes out TO DIE for. Sear it a bit and it’s good to go.
5:30 p.m. — Hubby is home and time to do some renovation projects. Tonight’s project: remove old trim from bedrooms.
8 p.m. — We call it a night on reno, and have some of the protein I sous-vide’d for dinner.
10 p.m. — Prep clothes and my gym bag for the next day of teaching, make celery juice, fill up my water bottle, and prep snacks (cashews and overnight oats) for tomorrow.
10:30 p.m. — Bedtime! I hadn’t mentioned this before but my husband and I like to sleep with a glass (or bottle, in my case) of water by our bedside. I used to be terrible at drinking water and hydrating has become of utmost importance to me so having a full bottle at all times near me, sets me up for success the next day. Goodnight!
Daily total: $198.48
Wednesday
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7:30 a.m. — Wake and make! Drink Celly J, refill water bottle, brew tea. The usual.
9 a.m. — Sort of an easy morning today where I do some of my own admin work including going through the mail, paying bills, setting up any house-related meetings concerning our renovations, do an online training (I’m always working on improving my skills so I love taking classes about photography and editing, social media, etc.). I also stop by the Lancaster Country Farmer’s Market for fresh veggies and fruit since they are open today! ($60)
12 p.m. — Time for breakfast. I love eggs so much I have to have them. Three fried eggs and buttered toast, plus some overnight oats.
1 p.m. — I hop on a call with my mentor to chat about next month’s goals and how to achieve them and what to focus on.
2 p.m. — Create choreography for my Dance Jam class. I teach this class at both Life Time King of Prussia and Fort Washington. I create the choreography myself and lead the members through 12-14 combinations for 60 minutes of sweat-drenching dance fitness fun. In the beginning of each month, I bring in four new routines and four older ones go “in the vault,” so I’m planning ahead for next month’s new songs and combos.
3:30 p.m. — Have some chili for lunch and do some admin before getting right back into creating choreography. I also receive a phone call from my agent and she tells me I have an audition on Friday. YAYYYYYY!
5:40 p.m. — I’m pretty hungry by now, but I have to teach so I have a protein shake to sustain me until I get back home.
6 p.m. — Hubby arrives home and we exchange a quick kiss before heading out to teach at Life Time King of Prussia.
6:40 p.m. — Dance Jam is in full effect, and it’s rockin’!
8 p.m. — Back home and ready to eat dinner with hubby. On tonight’s menu we have pesto chicken with broccoli and it is SO good.
10 p.m. — Prep for the following day (clothes, gym bags, celery juice, etc.).
10:30 p.m. — Time to go to bed. Goodnight!
Daily total: $60
Thursday
Collado’s spin classes at CycleBar Plymouth Meeting encourage you to rock your ride. / Photograph by Mighty B Photography.
8 a.m. — You know the deal: wake, make, and hydrate.
9 a.m. — I make tonight’s CycleBar playlist. It’s going to be a killer class!
10:30 a.m. — I have a meeting with one of my mentees. Not too long ago, I was approached by some ladies who also want to be Cyclestars (that’s what instructors at CycleBar are called) to mentor them through the process of becoming an indoor cycling instructor for a new studio opening up.
12 p.m. — Today I’m in the mood for hard boiled eggs for breakfast and since I have fresh avocados from the farmer’s market, avocado toast with Trader Joe’s everything but the bagel seasoning is on deck. So delish.
1 p.m. — Create playlists for my two Friday morning CycleBar classes. It’s so fun putting together music and figuring out how our rides are going to go.
3:30 p.m. — Have a salad with grilled chicken and sweet potatoes for lunch again, and pack my snacks for the evening and get ready to leave to teach.
4:45 p.m. — Here we go CycleBar, let’s do this!
5:45 p.m. — My riders crushed it! I commute to Life Time Fort Washington for my second class of the day. When I arrive, I quickly eat my snack and get right to teaching.
6:30 p.m. — Dance Jam is happening!
8 p.m. — I’m home for the evening, and I’m panicking over not having set my fantasy football team for the week, but I get it in just before the game starts. I’ve got way too much energy right now, so I sit down for dinner with hubs and try to relax a bit.
9:30 p.m. — Prep all my things for the following day and get to bed earlier than usual. Tomorrow is an early day for me!
Daily total: $0
Friday
On Friday, Collado crushes an audition for a commercial. / Photograph by Jadi Collado.
4 a.m. — Fridays are my early morning class days, so 4 a.m. wake up it is. Can’t make the bed because, well, my husband is still sleeping in it LOL!
5 a.m. — Go over my playlist for class. I view my playlists as a very active living/breathing list. Because I created it the day before, I don’t always wake up or feel in the same mood as yesterday so I make sure that every playlist is a reflection of that very moment I play it.
6 a.m. — Class 1 at CycleBar has begun.
7 a.m. — After working out, I am HUNGRY! So I decide I’m eating way earlier than I usually do, and head over to Whole Foods. I get a bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit (they are delicious) and go over my playlist for my next class.
9:30 a.m. — Class 2 at CycleBar is under way.
10:30 a.m. — Shower, put on some makeup, and head into Center City for my audition. Depending on the type of audition, I usually prep for two or three days, but because this is an audition for a commercial, no prep is required. All scripts are handed to me at the casting and my memorization and quick thinking skills have to kick in immediately.
12 p.m. — Audition time – wish me luck!
1 p.m. — I think it went really well! I have a snack and hit the road home.
3 p.m. — Back home and eat my usual salad for lunch. I’ve made it through the week and usually take it nice and easy after teaching. Tidy up the house, binge watch Schitt’s Creek on Netflix, and relax on the couch (maybe even nap).
6 p.m. — I make my way to the train station to pick up our friends who are coming into town for tomorrow’s potluck dinner I mentioned.
8 p.m. — We all go out to dinner at Creed’s for some good wine, steak, and conversation. I order filet mignon, jumbo lump crab cakes, and Brussels sprouts. My husband treats!
11 p.m. — Time for bed!
Daily total: $0
Weekly totals
Money spent: $258.48
Workouts taught: Seven
Auditions nailed: One
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