Patience and perseverance got our newest Fit Mama of the Week from being a couch potato to running marathons and being a fitness instructor. She is definitely an inspiration to all women as she has managed to get out of the rut of being inactive and has made being healthy and fit her lifestyle. All it took was finding a way to workout AND have fun at the same time. She found her spark in a dance fitness class which led to bigger fitness goals and the rest is history. She has since gone down nine dress sizes and is now actually teaching fitness classes as a certified instructor!
Name/Age/Marital Status/Occupation
Harmony. I'm 32 years old. I'm currently single, waiting to find "Mr. Right". I work for an acute care psychiatric hospital doing creative and recreational therapy with patients. I also teach group exercise classes for 24 Hour Fitness.
Have you always been into fitness?
I haven't always been into fitness, in fact there were MANY YEARS where I was a hopeless couch potato and VERY overweight. I wasn't happy at all living like that, but try as I might to lose weight I never got very far.
Pictures from the past:
It took finally pushing past my fears & going to my very first group exercise dance class to see a difference. During that class I unexpectedly fell in love. Don't get me wrong, I felt like I was DYING after the first 2 minutes! However, I was having a blast. I knew this was something I NEEDED, and, most importantly, something I could stick with. Who knew gyms had anything so FUN?!! It was then that things began to click into place for me and FINALLY change for the better. Since that first class, I have lost over 100lbs and 9 dress sizes.
Present:
What motivated you initially, to start getting fit?
I was so damn tired of being overweight! I was uncomfortable in my own skin for so long. I tried the gym and machines, but wasn't getting results. Then I tried personal training and that started to make a difference but I couldn't afford to keep up with it, plus it just wasn't very fun, so I'd end up often "rescheduling." I had always loved to dance, however. One of my friends said she'd tried a Zumba class and had fun. She invited me to go and the rest is history!
It sounds like it took finding something you really loved to do to really get you motivated to work out. Did you try a lot of different activities before you took this class?
I had previously spent my "workout" time toiling away on treadmills, bikes, stair masters, and ellipticals, and HATED every minute of it. I made every excuse in the book why I couldn't go work out. Now, however, I found myself doing the complete opposite, making "excuses" to actually MAKE IT to the gym! I was having so much fun.
That class was one of the reasons why I decided to become a group exercise instructor. I felt like I would enjoy teaching and enjoy sharing this wonderful group x experience with others. I was ready for another challenge, and ready to take the next step in my fitness journey so I started my first instructor training in Nov. 2010 then became certified in Dec. 2010. I taught my first class on Dec. 20, 2010.
Evenutally, I began FEELING the difference in my body, in my stamina and my overall health; this highly motivated me to continue on. I didn't want to go back to feeling like a couch potatoe with no hope that the future would be different. I began SEEING the difference in not only pounds lost, but major inches as well. The changes I was experiencing made me realize that I really was not in a good place before and I didn't want to go back there. This motivates me to keep going.
I still remember being overweight and incredibly unhappy with my appearance. For years I avoided mirrors and my reflection like the plague. I DIDN'T WANT TO SEE IT. Now however, as my body was changing, there was a point where that began to change. I actually found myself looking forward to seeing my reflection and even at times doing a double-take! I was so used to the old reflection, the new one took some getting used to!
Did nutrition play a part in your road to getting fit and healthy?
Now that I was working hard to change my body, it helped reinforce the need to eat right as well. I changed my diet. I removed most simple sugars (candy, cakes, cookies, soda, etc) from my diet. This made a HUGE difference.
I also ate more low fat and fat free foods, more whole fruits and grains (though limited my grains to smaller portions), and more salads (low fat, low calorie dressings too. There ARE great tasting ones out there, so you don't have to sacrifice taste!).
I also focused on high protein, lean foods. I found myself to be far more satisfied, with less and for a longer period of time with the higher protein diet. Also tried to eliminate as much processed foods as possible. When you're limiting caloric intake, whatever you do eat HAS to be high in nutrients and value to make up for all that you're no longer eating that your body was used to. This meant for me some meal replacement shakes (high protein, low carb & calorie, but also high in vitamins and minerals) as well as the addition of good vitamin nutrition supplements. I am a distributor for a fantastic company with the best and highest quality products. If people are interested in information on products they're welcome to contact me, either through Facebook or email (hquinn@gmail.com).
A big key though was first increasing my water intake. I found that often when I thought I was hungry, I was actually THIRSTY! This amazed me. Also I decreased my portions and increased the frequency with which I ate. This means I would eat small meals (approx 200-300 calories, depending on my total daily calorie goal) every 2-3 hours so that I had 6 "meals" a day. This kept my metabolism burning by giving my body constant fuel, But never more than it was going to burn, In fact, I had to make sure there was a deficit. There HAS to be less coming in than going out, or else you won't see changes! So yes, I FINALLY caved to actually using calorie counting, despite having avoided it for years. It REALLY DOES WORK. It's a pain at first, but then you train yourself and get to know what you can and shouldn't eat, what to buy and what NOT to buy, so that it becomes much easier later and you don't have to be as strict. But being very strict at first makes an immense difference. Those calories sure add up fast if you're not paying attention!!
What are your future fitness goals?
This coming weekend, in fact, I'm attending a training for a different format so I can begin teaching that. The following weekend I'll be filming my video for another format that I hope to start teaching soon. Besides adding formats, I also am continually working to improve and become a better instructor, which includes continually working toward being stronger and more fit (though being understanding when life gets in the way and I backslide...but being sure always to keep that goal in mind, to get back up and to keep going). My other big goal now is to someday complete a triathlon.
I have Tough Mudder at the end of September, which I'm looking forward to running, as well as a 5k, which is exciting and means a lot because I'll be running it with my dad. He's recently been inspired to get in better shape and has taken up running among other things. This will will be his first ever race! I'm super excited for him and that we get to do this together!
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| Harmony with her dad |
You can catch Harmony and take one of her classes at 24 Hour Fitness Laguna during the following times: Sundays @ 9am, Mondays & Wednesdays at 5:30pm. Email hquinn@gmail.com for more information!
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