About Me

I've always been active growing up--- dancing ballet, cheer dancing, yoga, and pilates. Together with a super active lifestyle, I was able to eat everything and anything I wanted. Ok, so fast forward ten years later. Melanie is now in her 30's, has two kids, metabolism drastically slowed down, and  no time to workout 3-5 hours a day.

My days are now filled with, "Mommy, I need this!", "Mommy, she grabbed my toy!". And I am there to provide, comfort, and give my two beautiful daughters the security and love that they need. That is what I've committed myself to and I would not change it for the world. I love my children and I love my husband. They give me the strength to do what I do everyday---even if that means waking up at 3 am and only getting five hours of sleep. So now we look at the other side of the coin. For all those thinking about parenthood--- it is a selfless act of love! But sometimes… just sometimes I'd like some reprieve or "alone" time! After 8 or 12 hours of maybe no shower, milk spilled on my pants--- a parent needs to feel and look good again! After six months of my second child being born--- I needed that! It didn't help that the holidays were just over and I had this extra baby weight. Blame it on the pumpkin pie! (Wink!) I just let myself go!!! I was not happy and even cranky. My clothes did not fit and I just felt bleh, blah! Granted, it's part of motherhood and my battle scars of labor and delivery! But still, it helped my sanity a little bit... knowing my clothes were fitting. Plus, we didn't have extra money to buy me new ones to fit into! And so---my fit journey starts… I decided to start eating healthy. I cut back on processed juices, first! I would only drink freshly pressed juice! Tried to cut out the sugar. We then stopped buying ice cream. If we wanted something sweet--- we would stop by the frozen yogurt shop and just share one order! And we only indulged on weekends. Ok, let me explain indulge. It doesn't mean that you eat everything because you starved yourself the whole week. It means eating 5 times a day everyday of clean meals… and only on the weekend we satisfied our tasted buds with either one cupcake or shared serving of frozen yogurt. Yes--- you said it... pure control and determination. Hey, this is a good way to teach children to eat with moderation and not overstuff ourselves to the point that we can't breathe. With watching what I ate, it was time to start moving. My amazing husband signed me up with a boot camp called Keep Movin' at 5am!!!! Geez... what was he thinking. My baby still would wake up at the middle of the night to at least nurse once or twice a night! Yikes---I was crazy, right?!? So, it was the weekend after Memorial Day. We indulged until our hearts content(yes, we slipped and failed in eating in moderation that weekend. What can I say, I'm human?)--- and came Monday morning, June 1st, I was up at the crack of dawn! I thought I was going to break in half after that day! Funny thing is, I wanted to go back for more. I stayed on with the fit camp for about three months. I lost ten pounds. Then we went on vacation--- it seemed like everything I worked hard for--- I gained it all back! I was bummed! So, my kind husband, signed me up in a health club. I was determined. He was spending all this money just to help me get back in shape. Not that he doesn't love me for who I am, but he knows how important it was for me to get back in shape and be healthy. So, I sat down with a trainer. I wrote down my fitness goals. The trainer, helped me work on my schedule so I could work out and have time for myself. And yes, it was decided 5am was the best time to workout. After 6 months of being disciplined about clean eating and exercise--- I'm back down to my pre-pregnancy weight. Even, my husband lost a couple of pounds too!!! Ok right now, we do not have supermodel bodies or rock hard six-packs--- but we are living a healthy life. We eat clean, more often than not! We regularly exercise, at least 3-4 times a week for 30 mins! We try to workout together in the gym, which has a daycare. If we have to spend our money, we spend it towards eating clean food! Yes, we still eat our occasional fast foods, ice cream, etc. But it is controlled and eaten moderately. Like I said earlier, it's a lifestyle change. It is something that the children are also getting accustomed too! Diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol runs in my family and my husband's--- we are trying to be proactive before it's too late. My ultimate goal in this fitness journey is to be a healthy role model for my kids. In this blog, I will try to incorporate healthy meals and snacks, some exercises, and activities with the kids. I'm not a certified trainer or licensed dietitian. I do strive to exercise and eat healthy. I do hope to become a certified trainer someday or yoga instructor. I would love to learn and have more insight on healthy living through this blog by learning from others.

*While I was breastfeeding and pregnant, I was not in any weight loss diet. I tried to watch what I ate, by eating sustainable, lean meat, fruits and vegetables. I also walked a lot and would lift very light weights. Of course, I made sure with my doctor that it was safe for me to do so. 
**Before you go into any exercise regimen or weight loss diet, consult your physician or a personal trainer to prevent injury.