Danielle Torres, fourth from left

As an ambitious and hardworking mother of two, Aldine native Danielle Torres felt that she needed two things: a place that sells good, healthy food and a place to work out to relieve stress. 

A former emergency medical technician, Torres runs her parents’ cleaning business, SCR Facilities Maintenance, which provides cleaning services to several health care facilities across the Houston area. With the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, business “has been really, really busy,” Torres said. 

So, she recently opened a second business, Aldine Fitness Gym and Shakes, at 2021 Aldine Mail Route, to provide a much-needed work-out area with healthy food choices. The gym is located in Unit 201. 

“We don’t really have a gym in Aldine, so it’s been hard for me to make time to work out. And a lot of the food in the neighborhood is fast food, or tacos,” Torres said. 

The gym, which opened in May, is still waiting for delivery of several pieces of fitness equipment. But Torres is already offering work-out classes, and an outdoor space at the facility is equipped with battle ropes, dumbbells and weights.

Torres also provides a full menu of healthy and refreshing drinks, including protein-collagen water, shakes, herbal teas, smoothie bowls, espresso in four flavors, and frappes (dulce de leche, strawberry, chocolate chip, caramel).

She serves turmeric and ginger shots, along with a variety of other herbal remedies.

Unrelated to Torres’ venture, a healthy juice bar and a private fitness center opened this year in East Aldine as the area continues to mature and meet the needs of the population. But those two businesses do not combine both elements or run a gym.

Until more fitness machines arrive, Aldine Fitness Gym is holding fitness classes from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Its “nutrition center” is open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on those days.

A monthly membership, which includes the fitness classes and access to the exercise equipment, is $45. A seven-day pass is $25, and a one-day pass is $10.

For now, Torres said, her new gym might be hard to spot. She advises would-be customers to look for the bright purple and pink flags outside the new facility. 

“This is something that I always wanted to do, and I wanted to bring some healthy choices to the Aldine community,” Torres said. 

More info at the Aldine Fitness Gym and Shakes page on Facebook.

– By Anne Marie Kilday