Fitness influencer Sommer Ray is encouraging fans to work out with her—and stretches are a big part of her exercise routine. Ray, 27, shared a video of herself in gray leggings and a yellow tank top, doing stretches on a mat at the gym. “Stretch with me,” reads the text over her post. “Tried the stretches, they definitely give you more flexibility,” a fan commented. Ray is incredibly busy but never skips her workouts—here’s how this entrepreneur stays fit, focused, and strong.
Ray is a firm believer that you can’t out-train an unhealthy diet. “Diet is key. Diet plays a huge role in fitness,” she told Life & Style. “A lot of people go to the gym, work out really hard, then don’t follow up with a good lifestyle. You can’t expect a flower to grow without any water. Work out, but also take care of yourself. Drink lots of water, that’s the key. A lot of times when I feel bloated, to me drinking a lot of water really gets rid of all that. And get plenty of sleep, my biggest pet peeve is looking puffy and tired.”
Ray tries hard to stick to a plant-based diet for ethical reasons. “Felicia, my partner, she is vegan,” she told Forbes. “It’s hard for me to be 100% vegan. You can get the protein needed by staying vegan if you really stay on top of it, but I have such a busy schedule. I always eat Kosher because I just love animals and the way they’re killed is just horrible.”
Ray knows when to slow down and rest for her overall wellness. “I think promoting a balanced lifestyle is super important,” she told Mogul Magazine. “I try to be healthy, stay active, and I think it’s also important to relax and have fun. The biggest key to balance is creating and sticking to a schedule as much as possible. Set a time to get work done, and set a time to relax. Otherwise, you’ll get burnt out or stressed!”
Ray makes a few healthy swaps when she’s eating in restaurants—namely replacing bread with vegetables. “At Jersey Mike’s I’ll usually double down on turkey to fill myself up with protein,” she wrote on her website. “At regular restos (like I said, I love eating out) I look for seasoned chicken with veggies and sweet potatoes for carbs. On the weekends, and on some weekdays, too, I also like to have a drink — typically, tequila — and whatever else I’m craving. If I want a slice of pizza, I have a slice of pizza. I want to look good, but I also want to enjoy life.”
Ray is careful not to present an unrealistic image of herself on social media. “I want younger girls to see I’m an actual human,” she told Life & Style. “I think more girls need to do stuff like that because when I first started at like 17, 18, and moved out to Cali I thought all of these girls were going to be picture perfect and I’d be nothing compared to them. Then I realized wow, you’re just a normal person. We all have flaws. Our whole role in life after being given this power is to motivate and inspire so that’s what I want to do.”