Training Philosophy and accomplishments:
Everything and I mean EVERYTHING starts with our health, without our Health WE HAVE NOTHING. It is absolutely vital that we take care of our bodies and take some time out for ourselves. In this fast paced, high – tech world we often forget what’s most important and that’s our HEALTH. Really, truly, taking care of your body is a sure way to guarantee our quality of life will improve to the highest extent possible. Watch your energy sore, your relationships improve, your moods tremendously perk up, and your life just become more productive and most importantly happier.
For most of the population it’s all we can do to get up, go to work, take care of our families and our day to day stresses and responsibilities and unfortunately our quality of life may not stretch much further beyond just doing that. But for those of us who want more out of life, for those who have the drive and the passion to live each day to the fullest, we realize that we can’t proceed into this incredible journey of life if we don’t have the energy, the high spirits, or if we don’t take care of our bodies first.
My theory on training is simple – there are no tricks, quick fixes, magic pills, secret juices, or deadline diets that will positively affect your overall quality of life or well-being. The key to a true positive life-style change is to make fitness & healthy living a major priority in our lives. Find a program that realistically fits into your life, and set attainable goals accordingly. THE KEY TO RESULTS IS CONSISTENCY & INTENSITY!!
The first time I ever walked into a gym it was strictly to lose the weight I had gained from having my daughter. I had no clue as to what to do; I had never touched a weight in my life. I started reading articles, asking questions, and copying people that were in good shape in the gym… Although I had no specific regimen and I’m sure I did a million exercises so incorrectly, I loved it! I was absolutely hooked. Going to the gym was my time; it was an hour that was all mine, where I didn’t have to think about anything.
Over the next couple of months my body started changing. Although I didn’t have the perfect regimen, I was consistent in getting there. By summer time I was back in my bikini and I didn’t even know what I did to get there, I was just working out and doing my own thing at the gym. I immediately thought to myself if I can get such great results not knowing what I’m doing, imagine how successful people can really be if they are educated on how to make the body respond. This was a memorable moment in my life where I realized I had to be involved in fitness. Health and fitness became my new passion.
Brief biography and what gets you motivated and how you inspire others especially women balancing family/fitness and career.
What motivates me the most is ENERGY!!!! The more we put into our lives the more we get out of it. Fitness is my thing just for me, it gives me my confidence because, When you feel good, you look good, and when you look good, you feel good. I live an extremely active lifestyle and without proper nutrition and training I would not have the energy to keep up the way I do.
The pump of energy I receive from fitness is like no other. Healthy living and fitness is my medication, it’s my natural caffeine, and my natural Prozac. I eat, sleep and breathe fitness, so it’s very easy to motivate and inspire others to do the same and feel that passion about life. I want to inspire women and especially mothers to find time for themselves and to be comfortable and proud of their bodies.
Fitness is my dedicated passion because it was what got brought me back to where I am happiest and at peace. Often after you get married or have your first child, or start your new career, you focus so much on your day to day responsibilities and you strive to be the best mother, the best wife, the best employee or entrepreneur you can be. But in order to be a great mom or be a great wife, or just be a great PERSON you have to be happy, healthy, confident and strong.
Mistakes and challenges you overcame and/ or mistakes you have seen other models/athletes make and how you would advice them.
I am extremely stubborn, so I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but as long as I learned from those mistakes and vow not to make the same ones twice, than they were all worth it. I am who I am because of them. One of the biggest mistakes I made in trying to find balance was going at everything with an ALL or Nothing Attitude. If I couldn’t give a task 120% than I wasn’t happy. Yes you do want to pour your heart and soul into everything you do. However, sometimes circumstances are out of our control and we have to alter our plans whether we want to or not. Life's not that black and white, sometimes having such a harsh attitude of “do or DIE” can set us up for failure. We all have crazy lives, between work, spouses, kids, whatever it may be that consumes our time; we're all on tight crazy schedules. I use to put so much pressure on myself that I would get so frustrated or give up if things didn’t go perfectly the way I planned. Now I’ve learned you have to continually change your goals and alter your plans, make sacrifices and compromise.
Another mistake that can really take toll is being SuperWoman – trying to always cook for the Bake Sale, planning the extravagant pony Birthday Party, volunteering to do the Christmas Craft at your daughter’s school, being head of the fundraising events, saying yes you will attend all 5 holiday parties, taking on 3 more clients on Sunday Morning (you get the idea). We want to do everything, we don’t want to miss a beat, but spreading yourself too thin is both counterproductive and unhealthy. I’ve had to learn how to say No to things I just can’t fit into my schedule. I’ve also had to learn to rely on or hire other people to take on different tasks for me – this is not something I like to do (I’m very independent), so asking for help is hard for me. But once you get to the point where there are not enough hours in the day, you have no choice if you want to get everything done. If you try to keep at the pace of non-stop ALL the time, eventually you do get burned out. Your efficiency, health, and your spirit will suffer.
AND THE NUMBER ONE MISTAKE – is not listening to your gut and following your HEART!!! Who knows what’s best for you better than you? Who knows what’s best for your family better than you? I’m not saying be completely stubborn (the way I was for years). You can take advice from positive role models that you trust, respect, and look up to. But, you really have to build up thick skin, you have to know your goals and priorities inside and out, have them embedded into your heart and soul. Know which direction you want to go in and be ready to fight for it!! Remember people like to give you their opinions or advice even if you don’t ask for it. Often we don’t realize someone’s negative spirit, or judgmental attitude until it’s too late, and we will let what they say make us second guess ourselves and bring us down, BEWARE OF PEOPLE LIKE THIS!!! Everyone you will encounter does not have your best interest in mind, and what works for you and your family may not work for everyone, but as long as it works for you that’s all that matters.
What makes you an Ultimate Fit Woman?
What makes me an ultimate fit woman is that I thrive on passion, discipline, dedication, sacrifice, and raw desire. No one determines my destiny but me… I take FULL responsibility for ALL MY DREAMS and ASPIRATIONS. I don’t do it for money, I don’t do it for FAME I do it for ME!!!
I truly believe in KARMA, BABY!!! What goes around comes around, and everyone will eventually get what they deserve, no one will take away from me what is mine, and visa versa. Everything happens for a reason!! I know that when I dig down deep into my soul and push further and harder than I've ever pushed before, the reward is always ten fold. Generally the things that are the hardest to achieve have the greatest rewards.
I also believe in sharing my passion, energy, and knowledge because: "Whatever we accomplish in life, if it's solely for our own good, then it doesn't mean that much. The things you do that affect others in a positive way are the ones that count. Whatever facet of life you're in, you have been given a gift; do the best you can with that gift."
Your future goals and plans
I feel I am ready to really make my mark in the industry, whether it’s through competing, fitness modeling, or personal training. I hope to have longevity in the industry, not here today gone tomorrow, but someone who had a profound positive affect on an abundance of people. My #1 goal is this: To continue striving for growth, knowledge, happiness, health, and LOTS OF LAUGHTER.
I also hope to be able to make enough money modeling and training to financially be secure enough to take the financial burden off my husband. I was fortunate enough to have him support our family while I pursued my dreams, and I would love to return the favor and allow him to take the time to pursue his dreams! And as far as my little princess she shoots for the stars even higher than I do, so all I have to is sit back, support her and love her!!
“Every challenge is an opportunity to discover who we are and see what we can be.”
The number one driving force behind Stephanie Villers?
That’s easy... through this all my Husband and my Pumpkin B are my ROCK!!!! I know that they are both behind me every step of the way and you have no idea how good that feels. They are the reason I jump out of bed every morning, the reason I breathe so deeply, they put the bounce in my walk, the light in my eyes, and the smiles on my face. They are the reason I ENJOY LIFE!!!
How do you make time for it all?
The truth is sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I miss appointments; sometimes I’m dog tired, sometimes I don’t even know what day it is. But I just keep plugging away and try my best to prioritize and manage my time. I try to do my schedule out one month at a time, then one week at a time, and then I still alter it on a day to day basis. I try to schedule EVERYTHING – when I’m going to the gym, when I’m cooking my food, grocery shopping, doctor’s appointments, cleaning time, laundry time, play dates, movie nights, even down time. It doesn’t always flow the way I want but I just keep trying.
How would you advice women who are just starting out or trying to get back into shape?
Start off slow… don’t jump right back into it all at once, because as fast as you get back, that’s how fast you can fall back into old habits again. Be patient… don’t expect results over night! Make yourself commit to ABSOLUTELY NO LESS THAN 6 WEEKS of dedication to getting into shape. Hire a professional... learn how to get results!!
You have to work at getting through that beginning phase - first get use to adding exercise into your schedule, at first you’re sore, you’re not use to your new schedule, and you don’t feel the energy boost yet. Get use to eating a cleaner nutrition plan, not just “trying to eat healthy”, instead being on an actual plan of balanced nutrition. Add in moderate cardio to put the icing on the cake (no real cake though- LOL).
BE POSITIVE! Stop saying - “once I lose the weight I’ll be happy”, or “once I see my abs I’ll be happy”, or “if I can only get my legs and hips smaller I’ll be happy”… BE HAPPY NOW, and it will be easier to reach your goals.
Do you incorporate fitness into family life and how?
Family and fitness go hand in hand. When you love your family and they are the driving force behind what you do, and fitness is such a huge part of your life, you have to include them into your activities. You can’t expect them to understand or support you unless you include them.
As a mother I also consider myself a role model to my daughter. It is our jobs as parents to teach our children among so many other things the importance of taking care of our bodies inside and out. Just as we as parents need goals, something to focus on - "a thing", so do our children. Fitness is my thing & gymnastics is my daughter's "thing". She’s only five and she’s on a pre-competitive 10 hours a week national gymnastic training team, with an elite coach from Romania. She like me thrives on the discipline, hard work, and healthy competitiveness.
I am fortunate my husband loves to work out just as much as I do, he is actually who got me into lifting weights in the first place, and he is who entered me into my first contest. My husband and I use the time when Bianca is at gymnastics to work out together. It makes family life a lot easier because we are all on the same page, and mentally focused when it comes to healthy living, exercising, and balanced eating. On Sundays we have started a little tradition, I wake up early and go do my cardio, then my husband and daughter wake up, and when I get back and they go for a jog outside, while I cook breakfast. My daughter looks forward to her run with her Dad, and then we all enjoy a great breakfast together. It’s a wonderful way to start off our Sunday mornings.
My husband and my daughter also come to my competitions with me, seeing my on stage in my glory helps them understand why I do what I do, why I train and diet so hard. They are so supportive and excited to be there, and it mentally helps me to make sure I’m having fun and proudly displaying my body and my hard work, because they are so proud of me. Having them there also keeps everything in perspective for me. Plus we love to share the indulging cheat meal together after the competition – I usually make myself sick, but I never learn.
Concluding Thoughts:
"Why Can't I Be Me? Personality"
Are you the type of person who desperately wants to take the world by storm but are so concerned with what people will think that you won't let yourself be you! You really want to try new things and usually do, but not before putting one toe in to test the waters.
You are constantly on the go but don't always get as much accomplished as you would like because you spend time worrying about whether or not you are right. You do have many friends but are afraid to get close to them and constantly wonder what they are saying behind your back. When it comes to knowing the right thing to say you are pretty on the mark until you start second-guessing yourself. You look calm, cool, and collected on the outside but inside you are really insecure. You like to take chances but over analyze what will happen if you do.
Imagine what you could do if you just did what you wanted. You didn’t care about what others thought, just what’s best for you and your family. You are the only one stopping yourself from doing what you want! Get out of your own way!
Imagine how different life would be if you lived each day as if it were a gift and not a burden. You could dance like no one was watching. Sing like no one was listening. Laugh until you cry, or cry until you laugh. Every time you smile, you feel it from the pit of your stomach. Every hug you give, you squeeze a little tighter for a little longer.
Find you’re reason for being, your passion in life and set your goals accordingly! You’re goals can change or update periodically but you MUST concentrate fiercely on your task as hand. Deep focus and concentration comes from both CONFIDENCE and PURE HUNGER. You can achieve ANYTHING!! Set a goal… you’d be surprised what you can do if you give it your ALL!
It's all about the balancing act! If EVER in my life I could find perfect balance of caring for my family I would be completely fulfilled as a mother, wife, and person!! I consider myself to be one of the lucky ones, so please don't mistake this by any means as complaining. Just my honest opinion on the hardships of raising children and having a family this day in age with all of the obstacles we face - financial, emotional, physical, or spiritual. I am a young mother (23 years old) I have one beautiful 6 year old daughter, and twins on the way in August!! I am fortunate to have a wonderful, magnificent husband, and a loving and supportive family! But my constant struggle with balance will be something I forever strive to conquer!! How so? Balance of mothering my children, work, time with my husband, time with my family, time with friends, personal time, and household responsibilities, chores, tasks, and self - improvement. Having healthy fears and obsessions to protect your family, trying not to border or cross into controlling or overprotecting your family. Questions that run through my head everyday... Are they really safe at school? Do they truly know how much we love them? Am I focusing too much on them and ignoring my husband? Have I truly taught them right from wrong? Would they tell me if something bad happened to them? Am I focusing too much on myself and not enough on my family? Is my house clean enough? Do I obsess too much over the house? Am I a good mom? Am I a good wife? Are day to day tasks not allowing us to plan for the future? Are my kids happy? Is my husband happy? Get the idea! The list goes on and on and on! I continue to struggle to do the best for my family and try to maintain balance everyday, but even with all of these obstacles; I wouldn’t have it any other way! Being a mother and wife is the best thing I can be. And though it brings me my greatest fears in life, it also brings me my greatest joys!
No comments:
Post a Comment