I've seen comments on Instagram like,
"Oh my god, where did this come from?"
And I'm just like, "Look, for the longest time
I never even took pictures of my butt at all."
Because there was really nothing there,
why am I going to take a picture of it?
But after that swimsuit shoot it was like, okay,
I feel more comfortable, I'm liking the results, why not?
Before I started working out and training
and making fitness a lifestyle, my mindset was very unhealthy.
I had body dysmorphia on 1000.
I still get it from time to time,
but it's about controlling the mind
at this point and being like,
"No, you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing
to be healthy. It's all in your head."
But before it was definitely a problem.
I was 102 pounds and thought I was big,
and thought clothes didn't fit right on me, and I was so wrong.
Looking back at pictures I was like,
"Oh my god, I look like a bobble head, I look crazy."
It's just not the message that I want to pass onto young women.
I was abusing diet pills at one point,
and just not living a healthy lifestyle,
and it was affecting my mind and my mood,
and I knew once I turned 30
I didn't want to live that way anymore.
I wanted to reach my highest potential
with everything in life, especially with fitness.
So I put down the diet pills, I called my trainer Tori,
we got in the gym and we set goals,
and it took a while to reach them.
Getting off of the pills wasn't easy,
I went to therapy for it.
Having to get used to that feeling
of not having that fake energy in you
that it gives you was definitely a change.
But I overcame it, and now I'm not on it at all,
and I'm doing things the right way.
But yeah, it wasn't easy. It was not easy.
I knew once I turned 30 a lot of things in my life
had to change. In order for me to be the best
that I could be as an individual,
and as a grown woman, I knew I could not live this way.
I couldn't look at myself this way,
I can't live the rest of my life looking at myself the way I did.
I couldn't have certain relationships
be the way they were.
Everything had to evolve, everything had to change,
or I was going to be depressed and unhappy
for the rest of my life.
It's been quite the transformation.
I exercise at least five days a week.
It helps my anxiety, it keeps me sane, it keeps me motivated.
Just a lifestyle for me at this point.
I work out three days a week with my trainer Tori.
If I'm working out with friends, we're hiking.
And then the other two days I will workout by myself,
which is super helpful. I love to work abs.
I feel like if my core is strong,
everything is aligned and everything is strong.
So, I love the ab wheel that I have.
We do a lot of ab exercises with the weights,
which also help, and I increase the weights,
which is great for pushing my limits.
I love that.
Also, squats, those are my best friends at this point.
But genetically I'm fortunate, I'm Mexican and Persian.
So, the foundation was there, it just needed to be worked on.
I use the bar for squats,
I'll also use the dumbbells for squats,
and then upper body is super important
because when I gain weight
I notice it in my arms and lower half.
So, I have to as a woman not forget that upper body
is just as important as my lower body.
The body, the mind, they're all connected,
and at the end of the day, it all requires consistency.
So, when it came to the wedding, I didn't feel this last minute
pressure to step my fitness game up,
I just remained consistent.
Just eat right, stay focused, work out.
Tori was there every morning to train me,
even before the wedding,
on the day of the wedding we all got up at 6 AM
and worked out. It was amazing actually,
that was one of my favorite parts.
It was super motivating, it set the tone for the day.
But overall, no, I didn't feel the pressure
because I was so consistent starting two years before.
I think at the end of the day, as women we all need to realize
we're all going through something.
None of our lives are perfect,
even though it might look like that on
Instagram, none of our lives are perfect.
We all have insecurities,
we all are going through something in life
that we wish was a little different, a little better.
That is the highest form of dedication,
is being able to balance everything in life,
and that is what I aspire for.
I want a family one day, I have my career,
I want to be the best person I can be.
I want to motivate these young women
to be just that as well.