Fit Mama of the Week: Maria

This week our new Fit Mama of the Week is Maria!

I met Maria years ago when we were planning our weddings.  We had a lot of things in common, really hit it off and we've been friends since.  She's also an RN like me; having someone to vent about work to is priceless, she completely understands where I'm coming from.  

In the time I've known Maria, we've both moved a few times, had kids, changed jobs.  Life would get busy and we'd not see each other for months at a time.  But when we would reconnect again, it's like no time had passed.  She is such a warm, down to earth type of person that I always immediately feel at ease.  

Last year, Maria started getting into running about the same time I did and so we had yet another reason to reconnect to exchange notes about our running journey.  We wanted to share her story with you guys because I think we all are a work in progress; Maria's story exemplifies that we will all have ups and downs but then eventually we learn what works and what doesn't.  You just have to keep going!

Name and Age?

Maria and I'm 33 years old.

What's your ethnicity?

Filipino.

Do you have kids?  How old?

Maile Joy-4 years old; Noelani Kai-2 years old

Do you work outside of the home?  What do you do?

I'm a Registered Nurse.  

Have you always been into fitness?  If not, why did you start?

I call my fitness journey a work in progress. My whole life I've been considered big. I look at how I ate when I was young and seconds and even thirds were encouraged.  Food was always plentiful around family gatherings. My family would always tell me I was fat or 'taba' in Tagalog but that never stopped them from handing food over to me.

In high school I started my diet journey.  Throughout my life, I tried everything to diet: starvation , Atkins. weight loss shakes, Special K diet and of course they never worked.

Sadly, I think I accepted that I was fat and that I would stay that way. Then during a family trip to San Diego I had enough and I went on Weight Watchers where I lost 65lbs.  It's amazing how Weight Watchers worked for losing the weight and it lasted for a long time but at the same time I didn't feel comfortable with how I was constantly thinking about how many points I was eating or what I could eat next.  I seriously let the diet rule my life. I loved that I lost the weight and I know WW works for a lot of people but for me, I felt I never really learned how to eat. I ate diet foods and exercised but I never learned how to eat real food in moderation. And so eventually I gained some of the weight back.  I also have since had two beautiful girls and it was just harder to keep the weight off or to get fit in the first few years after they were born since I was so busy.  

Maria was featured in Shape Magazine after her 65lb weight loss in the April 2005 issue.
Check out the article by clicking here.

Fast forward to when I started really looking at getting into fitness...last year in 2012 I made a commitment to myself that I would do the Nike Women's half marathon. The best way I could do this was by doing team in training. With the continuous workouts and running I never felt so good about myself. After the half marathon I decided I would continue with running and added gym work to it.

Nike Women's Half Marathon 2012

I currently go to a gym where I take classes such as body pump (weight class) boot camp bosu and kick boxing. I've also continued my running and started swimming. 

Along with the workouts, my eating habits have changed. I find myself reaching for better choices but have learned that occasionally, I can treat myself.

I truthfully haven't stepped on a scale and I don't know if I want to. I don't want to get fixated on a number but I know my workouts and clean eating have been working. I feel better and my clothes fit better. 

How do you stay motivated?

I have always been athletic. In elementary school I loved playing basketball and volley ball. I always hated running though and I think that's why I had such a big goal to finally run a half marathon. I think I've always loved to be active but I let life get in the way and made excuses of why I couldn't be active. In high school I wanted to be with my friends and boyfriend, in college it would be that I was busy juggling school, a job and life. 

I stay motivated now because I love how working out turns into a big social thing. I feel you connect with people so much when you work out with them. I find that especially in my boot camp classes it's fun to look at people around you that have the same look of  "OMG  pain pain pain!!" 

Getting fit and strong can also be fun when you're with girlfriends!
Team Get It Girl at the Dirty Girl Mud Run 2012: Maria, Grace, Christina, Christelyn

My family especially my girls motivate me I want them to have a mom who is active and strong; a mom who has a high self esteem so they can be that way themselves.

How do you balance work, family and staying fit?
Balancing everything can get challenging as I do work as a RN on the night shifts.  I found that making things EASY with baby sitting and not relying on others' schedules helps me balance everything. The gym that I currently go to has a great child watch system. My membership allows them to be there for 90 min and they love being there. I like knowing that I can go when I want, and not have to rely on my husband's or the grandparents' schedules.  I feel like it helps my workout when I don't have to worry about the kids, knowing that they are safe or when I don't have to pay $$$ for a babysitter just to workout.

Share what you would eat on a typical day or meal. What are some of your favorite healthy snacks for yourself and/or your kids?

In the morning I drink a smoothie. I put kale, spinach, frozen berries and mango , pineapple or peaches, chia seeds, flax seed, protein powder and coconut water. That fills me up until early lunchtime or so. The kids and my favorite snacks are a handful of almonds or string cheese. I feel that lunch is hard but we have been trying to make better choices by eating more sandwiches and salads vs drive thru places even though getting out of the car is a pain in the bottom with two little ones still in car seats!! For dinner, I meal plan so I know what we will be eating for 2 weeks at a time. I try to get lean choices and bake or grill the food. The kids love salmon and I always try to have a big serving of vegetables with our meals. Brussel sprouts and broccoli are our favorites.

Who or what is your biggest inspiration?

My biggest inspiration is my family especially my children. My family is my best cheerleader. I want to keep

My fitness journey alive so my daughters have a strong role model. And so I can be around for a long time!!!

Maria/Team GIG getting fit and dirty.  :)