\u201cAtleta Ako!\u201d is not just an empowering battle cry that means \u201cI am an athlete!\u201d but it is also the name of a one-stop online shop for active females. Founder and owner Cecile Narvaez-Hufana has made it her priority to make women feel good and look great while exercising by bringing to her shop quality, comfortable, and fashionable brands.<\/p>\n

Cecile shares that she stumbled upon the idea of an online sportswear shop in a pretty practical manner. \u201cI was looking for training gear in the women\u2019s section of a sports store and I couldn\u2019t find anything that suited me,\u201d she said. \u201cOn the other side of the store, I saw that there were a lot more items available\u2014but not for women. I realized women\u2019s options can be limited here, and that\u2019s when it hit me: there should be a store of different sports apparel made specifically just for women, and that was how Atleta Ako was born.\u201d<\/p>\n

Aside from juggling her roles as wife, mother, and interior designer, Cecile is an awesome triathlete herself, on top of also being a women\u2019s sports and health advocate. Through her Atleta Ako website and via social media, she is able to encourage women to be more active. Her launch of the Search for the Atleta Ako Ambassadors back in 2014 made such a huge impact and inspired many women (and men) to be more health-conscious and to begin living more active lifestyles.<\/p>\n

In 2015, Cecile was approached by event organizer BikeKing to collaborate and come up with a sports event specifically for women only. That year, they staged the first Atleta Ako Women\u2019s Aquathlon. The positive feedback from the participants was overwhelming that just as soon as it was over, plans for the next aquathlon were underway. Last March 13, 330 lady athletes came together in friendly competition for the 2nd Atleta Ako Women\u2019s Aquathlon held at the Philippine Sports Complex in Pasig City.<\/p>\n

To add to her women empowerment advocacy, Cecile pushed for an environment-friendly event by requesting participants to bring their own water bottles or by providing reusable tin cups to reduce the need for paper cups and eliminate the unsightly mess that we see in the wake of other sports events.<\/p>\n

Kudos to Cecile and her Atleta Ako team\u2014not only for bringing more sparkle and style to our fitness world but also for inspiring women of all ages, shapes, and backgrounds to come together in the pursuit of a happy, active and healthy lifestyle.<\/p><\/div>\n