Emily Morgan is a food + fitness expert and Founder of The City Skinny – Love your Life Fit. She is a certified personal trainer, experienced actor and talented blog writer. You may recognize Emily’s husband, Steve, from the popular acapella group, Straight No Chaser, but when it comes to discovering the skinny on your neighborhood fitness scene; this perky powerhouse runs the show.

How long did you work at HMG Plus and what was your role?
I started working with Karen and Michael DiPeri  in 2005 when the company was called Yipeee, just after leaving a national tour where I met my husband, Steve. Steve introduced me to the company and I worked in various positions – catering, cocktailing, bartending and eventually captaining until we moved out of New York City in 2008.

What is your background and certifications?
I have always been interested in fitness, but mainly I got educated upon graduating from college as I had some getting in shape to do before moving to New York to pursue acting and singing! I lived with my aunt and uncle in Washington DC for a couple months and worked with a trainer who really got me interested and educated in fitness.

It wasn’t until several years later (2007) that I decided to take the plunge and get certified as a personal trainer by the American Council on Exercise. I started my in-home training business, Emily Morgan Balanced Fitness and have been able to take my business wherever we have moved including New York, Bloomington, Indiana and now Cincinnati. I work with anyone from teens to seniors in their homes and also teach group classes, which led to my idea to start a fitness blog.

Tell us about your blog, The City Skinny:
The City Skinny was an idea I had tossed around in my head for about a year before starting it up in the Fall of 2014. My husband sings with the group Straight No Chaser (SNC) and travels on tour half of the year. I get to live vicariously through him and his travels and I’m always looking for unique studios or fitness classes in each place we travel to.

We now live in Cincinnati and I wanted to bring awareness to our town, and to my distant readers, about inspiring ideas in the fitness industry, whether it’s an amazing pilates studio I found, an instructor spotlight, a fitness-inspired story that inspires me or where to find healthy food and activities on the road. It is easy to lose track of our goals when we get out of our routine, but if you look at your vacation or business travels as part of your routine, keeping up your fitness can be the key to your success. It has also been a great way for the girls of the group (SNC wives and significant others) to bond and fill our travel days with physical activity. For instance, today in Hawaii we have yoga on the beach, surfing lessons and tons of hikes planned for this trip. Then, I can let my readers know cool places/studios to visit on their next trip to Hawaii!

How did you get the idea for your blog? 
There is a lot of information out there in the ever-changing fitness industry; a lot of it is current and valid, but I wanted to bring my knowledge as a fitness expert to bring trustworthy information to people who are interested in learning more about the fitness industry. I am also very passionate about keeping our industry positive and welcoming. Everything on The City Skinny is designed to motivate my readers to get out and “do.”

What’s your favorite workout?
I love to try anything!  I definitely love to get outside for my workouts as much as possible. I like to run or hike, but I also love yoga, spinning, pilates, boxing…you name it! I like to mix it up and to keep it fun.

I bet you didn’t know that….
My 6 year old daughter and a 2 year old son keep me inspired.  I think it’s important to teach our kids by example and they love to watch their dad do something that he loves on stage. They also see me take time for myself everyday to stay active.  My wish for them is that they stay active and are lucky and brave enough to do something they love too!