Our February Fit Mama of the Month is Cherrie! Cherrie is energetic, compassionate, has a great sense of humor plus a fabulous sense of style! This mama can get you movin' and groovin' on a drop of a dime! Since she decided to put her words into action, her life has changed dramatically. Here's a quote from Cherrie that I wanted to share with all of you..
"I was the "funny girl" that always hid behind the jokes... That was me. The "dreamer" that had every New Years Biggest Loser issue of People Magazine hanging on the refrigerator door... That was me. The girl that said, "I'm gonna do this ONE DAY.... That was me."
Who can relate to this? It IS possible to change your life around. Read her interview with Fitness Mama below to see what steps she took to change her life around. This mama is truly inspirational!
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Fitness Mama
Name/ Age/ Ethnicity/ Marital Status: Cherrie Caballero/ 42yo / Filipino / Single & HAPPY!!! :)
Do you have children? No Kids, but cannot wait to have one or 10! ;)
Do you work outside of the home? What do you do? I am the Operations Director for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and a Zumba & UJAM® Fitness Instructor for 24 Hour Fitness.
Have you always been into fitness? If not, why did you start? I started my weightloss journey on July 2010 when I moved to Sacramento. I grew up in San Diego and always been active as a child and teenager. My parents had all the girls in dance classes from hula to tap to Filipino folk dancing… You name it, we were in it! After gaining over 100 lbs from high school into my 40’s, I knew I had to do something about it!!! I went to the doctor to see if there were any “magical procedures” that can be done to help me, but was told that I was NOT a good candidate for it… I wanted this weight to magically disappear overnight… So I left disappointed! I went home and pondered the rest of my life… I was told I was MORBIDLY OBESE, a borderline diabetic and I would probably not live past 55 years old (due to the family history of diabetes) if I did not do anything about it! Fast forward a few months, I packed my car up and moved from San Diego to Sacramento on June 22, 2010 and knew that I was going to HAVE to do something about it now! I took control of my life and joined the gym on July 19th, 2010 and never looked back! I weighed 277 lbs at my heaviest and lost a total of 130 lbs in a year and a half! I may have lost half my size, but I gained so much more….. MY LIFE BACK! The trade off is a NO BRAINER ;)
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What do you do to stay active? What is your favorite way to exercise? I am currently teaching 4 classes a week at 24 Hour Fitness and stay active by hitting the weights whenever I can. What I have learned on this journey was I have been very fortunate to have my sister, Lillie, by my side from day one, keeping me motivated and accountable for every step I took on this journey and am forever grateful to the countless Group X Instructors at 24 (Especially Kristen Noel Thomas) that helped me to see the better version of myself!
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Making a commitment to stay fit is something that is not easy. How do you stay motivated?
I stay motivated by ALWAYS remembering where I came from and where I never want to be AGAIN! “REALITY” is a hard pill to swallow and everyday is difficult, but knowing that I’m touching and changing lives is enough motivation for me! I always said that if I could help just ONE person on this journey, then everything I ever worked for will not be in vain!
How do you balance work and then trying to stay fit all at the same time?
I work 10-12 hour days at my day job and literally have 20 minutes to detox from my “day” job to teaching… There are nights that I’m not home until 11pm at night and go to bed to do it all over again! The only thing that keeps me sane is doing choreography… THAT is my relaxation and what keeps me balanced! :)
A lot of our readers have questions about nutrition and what to eat. We know the right answers will be different for everyone but can you share with us what you would eat on a typical day so that we can get some ideas?
On this journey, I've learned many things like the importance of eating 6 meals a day (3 regular meals and 3 snacks) and most important… PORTION CONTROL! Being Filipino, if you don’t go back for seconds or fifths, your parents think that something is wrong with you! LOL!!! Oh, and I allow myself at least 3 cheat days a month! I’m allergic to ALL seafood so I only eat chicken, Turkey or lean Ground Beef. On a typical day, I would eat the following:
BREAKFAST
1 Organic Rice Cake
2 tsp Peanut Butter
1 Banana
1 cup of black coffee (no sweetener or
creamer)
SNACK
2 Low Fat String Cheese
LUNCH
Grilled Chicken
½ Avocado
1 cup Brown Rice
1 Whole Wheat Tortilla
SNACK
2 Cutie Oranges
1 Apple
DINNER
Grilled Chicken (Diced)
Broccoli
½ Avocado
Low Fat Feta Cheese
2 tsp Low Fat Mayo
SNACK
1 Small Bag of POPCHIPS
1 Low Fat String Cheese
What are some of your fitness goals for 2014?
Some of my fitness goals for 2014 is to continue to motivate others to be the BEST version of themselves and do whatever it takes to stay on this healthy path that I created for myself!
I love sharing my story with everyone and anyone that is willing to listen!
Follow me on FACEBOOK at JustMoveWithCher! Check out my schedule for Zumba and UJAM classes or simply connect with me!
THANK YOU FIT MAMAS… I am truly honored
for the nomination!!!!! <3
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