Meet Ana Rodriguez, our #MujerBalance of the week: A woman with an incredible body, passionate about fitness and with a smile and energy that help her students thrive and enjoy her multiple fitness classes in Miami.
As women, we admire and recognize the effort of all of those who are wives, mothers, athletes, and workers. When someone manages to do all this, we recognize them as #MujerBalance, so we present today a multifaceted and modern person, who does a thousand things but has found the balance in her professional and personal life.
She is Ana Rodriguez, a vibrant, beautiful Honduran, who changes the lives of those around her, with her personality and energy.
We met her touring and exercising in Miami at element aqua where she is the leading teacher. Just one class with her and I @andreaminski fell in love with #Aquacycling.
Tell us about yourself… ¿Who is Ana Rodríguez? what does a day in your life look like? ??
Well, I consider myself a multifaceted woman! I think all modern moms must be this way in order to be able to find an adequate balance between family life and professional life.
My days start very early with some cardio exercise. I grew up with my dad’s Motto ‘’The early bird gets the worm’’.
I don’t do a specific diet, but almost every day I do “fasted cardio”, except on Sundays (when I cook a traditional Honduran breakfast for my family).
From Monday to Saturday I teach group fitness classes in different places around the city, including physical education classes to college students. I also give personal fitness coaching to 2-3 clients and I help with de daily tasks and training in ElementAqua.
Since my schedule normally leaves me time, I have the chance to cook healthy food for my family, where I use only fresh and organic products. Good nutrition is for me, a very important part of the physical and mental development of everyone, especially children. I make room in my schedule to cook at least 2 times a day.
Why did you enter the fit wave? Why would you recommend a fitness lifestyle?
I was an athlete since I can remember. For me exercise is like brushing my teeth. On a professional level, I started as a full-time personal trainer when my son was born, because I realized that having a 9-5 was not for me anymore. I wanted to have flexibility with my schedule and since I have always been passionate about the fitness world, I decided to take the leap. Since 2005 it has been my full-time job. Fitness for me is not only 3 hours of exercise per week or doing diets because bikini time is near, fitness is a lifestyle.
I think one of the main reasons for my high level of energy is because of the daily exercise that I do. One of the greatest benefits of exercise is having a positive and happy mindset towards life, the endorphins and adrenaline produced are for me the best therapy… as the Greek proverb states ‘’ healthy body, can sustain a healthy mind’’.
To achieve this, there must be an adequate balance between cardio, weights and a healthy diet that fits each person’s needs, I don’t believe in miraculous formulas; the important thing is to be consistent and find activities that we like. Staying fit and active should not feel like a punishment, but more like a privilege and it should have a fun component added to it. I love what I do, it’s my passion, so it’s easy to find the necessary motivation to be consistent every day.
Any type of activity works, it does not need to be a gym, it can simply be walking with our dog 2 times a day. Like everything in life, the result depends on the effort.
What does balance mean to you? And How do you balance work and motherhood?
Balance for me is being able to feel ‘’fulfilled’’ in this chaotic world in which we live, where we have several responsibilities like, being a mother, wife, professional (pet mom) and trying to find a space of silence (a moment just for me).
It is also achieving satisfaction and success in all the aspects of life and accepting that failure is also a part of the balance, because it teaches us humility.
Every afternoon at the end of the day I spend time with my kids. (I try to pick them up from school every day) since I have more flexibility because my second ‘’shift’’ starts at 5 pm.
I always end my day sharing a book or a tv show with them and on weekends we do outdoor activities.
We share a big passion for visiting national parks, beaches and any physical activity, especially mountain biking, and on rainy days we play board games like Monopoly or we go bowling or karting and we also enjoy playing virtual games.
Tell us about your fitness hacks:
●Drink lots of water. If you don’t like water in its natural state, it is very easy to make an infusion with fruits or vegetables: lemon, lime, ginger root, mint leaves, cucumber, they are my favorite infusions but there are many options that give a refreshing taste and Water flavored without adding calories.
● Unsweetened green tea on an empty stomach or at any time. It has many benefits and is full of antioxidants.
● Do daily physical activity, (whatever it is) from playing with children in the park, or doing yoga from a YouTube video, the important thing is to move and sweat a little.
● Once in a while, if the energy level is adequate, you can do fasting cardio because by not having carbohydrates in the body, it burns the accumulated fat as a source of energy. * Consult with your doctor, if it is suitable for you since it is not indicated for all people (for example people suffering from low sugar).
● In the end, losing weight only happens if you burn more calories than you consume. If you have a daily deficit of 500 calories, in one week you lose one pound (3500 calories equals 1 lb.) step by step, you will reach your goal consistently.
● Avoid refined sugar, processed food, and everything that has the following ingredients: MSG, Corn Syrup, Hydrogenated Oil, etc. … If you can’t pronounce the ingredient list, it’s probably not healthy. What’s healthy is natural, is fresh, and without pesticides.
There are no tricks or shortcuts that really work 100%. Short-term gains are possible, but not permanent and generally not healthy.
Your classes are unforgettable; you manage to impact people and keep them motivated … So, take advantage of this space and give advice to the women who are reading you.
It doesn’t matter what your physical level is; The important thing is to start and be consistent. The excuses we tell ourselves: “I will start exercising on Monday”, ” I have a wedding” or “tomorrow I start the diet” do not exist, what matters is today, the present and any time is good to start and make a positive change.
To the women who are new mothers, I remind you that we can return to our figure before pregnancy since the human body is wonderful (and elastic). With patience and dedication, we can achieve it.
An active and healthy lifestyle is not a fashion or a trend … it is a long-term plan
If you want to learn more about Ana Rodriguez, she can be found on social media as AnaNationFitness, follow her on: IG, Facebook and she can also be contacted by mail: ananationfitness@gmail.com
