“I love helping people move better and gain strength and mobility for everyday life!  Especially if you haven’t been comfortable in a gym setting before, or it’s been a while, or maybe you just want to develop healthy habits for your body, but don’t know where to begin.”

As a professional violinist and fiddle player, Sumaia came to fitness from a different path than many: “I struggled to find consistency in my own fitness practice, and was constantly dealing with overuse injuries and joint pain from ages 13-25.” She spent years seeing every type of body-worker she could find, discovering what helped, what didn’t, and throughout it all, growing a curiosity to learn more about body mechanics, strength training, mobility, injury prevention and recovery.

“I was tired of feeling fragile in my body, so my experiences inspired me to get into fitness and take care of myself.  I’m really excited about functional strength training, healing the body, and building strength to support the things I like to do outside the gym.”  After moving back to Santa Cruz in 2018, she discovered rock climbing, boxing, and started strength training.  She has since found a love for aerial silks and partner acrobatics, both of which are now a big part of her life.

Having found a home with the community at SCG Fitness, her goals now are to help others discover their love for movement and fitness through consistency and the support at SCG! She wants to help you achieve the things you think you can’t, navigate the pesky injury that is stopping you from doing what you love, help you be proud of where you are at right now, and learn to enjoy not just the outcome, but the process of reaching your fitness and health goals.