Kathy has been working with Figarelle’s Fitness over about two years now. In that time, she’s accomplished some inspiring goals! We’re proud to work with her as she is a constant motivation to all of us at FF.
1. Hi Kathy! Please tell us about yourself.
I was born in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. I moved to Anchorage from Mexico when I was 4 years old. I would consider Alaska home since I’ve lived here since moving from Mexico. I’m 27 years old and the mother of a 2 yr old little dude named Andres. I’m engaged to my fiancé Damien and we will be getting married on June 20, 2015. I’m a dental assistant and honestly love my job! I work for some pretty awesome doctors! As much as I love being a dental assistant I’m planning on going back to school to finish my prerequisites for dental hygiene and eventually attend hygiene school.
2. You’ve been working with FF for about 2 years now. What kind of changes have you made to your diet and exercise in that time?
Since starting with FF I’ve made diet and exercise a priority in my life. I use to workout every once in awhile and it was not very good. I would use the elliptical at the gym for 30mins then screw around with the weight machines for about 20mins. Nothing productive was done at those workouts.
Now I consistently workout 3x a week with FF, 2 boot camps and 1 small group pt. I would love to workout more but balancing work, home life and exercise can be challenging. I don’t want to cut out too much time from my son especially since he’s so young. Growing up seeing my parents sacrifice their health to make sure we were taken care of, I know how important it is for me to be healthy and be able to play with my son. I want to be a good role model for my son. I want him to see the good food choices I make and see that exercise is an important part of our lives. I grew up seeing and doing the complete opposite.
My diet has changed a lot since starting with FF. I used to eat out a few times during the week and eat out for lunch as well. Now I only eat out once a week and that is on my Refeed day. I used to buy things that were easy to make for days when I didn’t have time to make dinner.
Unfortunately, buying that type of food makes it too easy to be lazy and make unhealthy meals. Now my grocery list consists of vegetables and meats. This forces me to cook good meals since I don’t have any “easy” go to meals. The days I forget to thaw out some chicken or ground turkey I turn to chopped salads as my “easy” go to meal.
3. What challenges have you faced with your nutrition, and how have you overcome them?
One of my biggest challenges to my nutrition has been the treats we get at work. Although I work at a dental office you would be surprised at the amount of sweets we receive from referring offices. It’s at its worst during the holidays. We get tons of cookies and bread from the great harvest bread company; pies, Carmel apples, etc. Also I work with many people that like to bake. Brownies, pumpkin bread and banana bread are my weakness. Last week we had 6 boxes of Moose’s tooth pizza in the break room. I try very hard to stay away from the break room when this happens but I give in at times.
Another challenge is being Mexican and loving rice, beans and cheese. Visiting my parents is a challenge because they usually don’t have healthy options unless they are grilling. When they make enchiladas I have to make my own creation which consists of shredded chicken with the enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup of refried beans. They have rice, beans, tortillas, sodas, cookies and pastries. I limit the amount of time I’m there to avoid eating some of these foods.
4. You attend Boot Camp as well as Small Group Personal Training each week. What are some of your favorite things about each of those classes?
My favorite things about bootcamp is the different stations and the awesome cardio you get during bootcamp. I also like the energy of big group workouts. I really like the warm up that sometimes feels like it should be the workout 🙂 I like the variation during bootcamp, you never know what you’ll be doing. Small group is awesome! I love lifting heavier weights! When I started small group I could barely lift the barbell for BB incline press. Now I’m doing 75-80lbs on the barbell!! I enjoy the ladies that are in my small group!! Never a dull moment!!
5. What are some of your favorite exercises that we do at Boot Camp and Small Group?
Some of my favorite exercises from bootcamp are Squats, TRX exercises, tire flips and DEADLIFTS! I love squats because they remind me how far I’ve come since starting FF. At first i could barely do squats with correct form since I have knee issues. Now after 2 years of foam rolling my quads and IT bands, I can break parallel during squats like its nobody’s business!
The TRX stations are the same way. They workout your core which is something i didn’t have a lot of strength in. It was hard enough hold myself up in the push-up position in the TRX and now i am able to do that plus more. I love tire flips and deadlifts because they make me feel like a badass… period! I have increased my deadlift weight by a lot. I use to only lift the bar and now I can do 150lbs!
In small group i definitely have a love/hate relationship with skull crushers. They really make your triceps burn so good!! Another exercise I love are incline BB press. I have increased my weight significantly with this exercise. As i mentioned earlier I use to barely lift the barbell and now I’m able to press 75-80 lbs. Trap bar deadlifts and squat press are my favorites too. I love to feel the burn in my quads!
6. What do you enjoy the most about FF culture?
I love how the FF coaches “tough love the shit out you.” You will always push me when you know I can do better or go harder. I love how motivating everyone is during class. I rarely feel self-conscious even when my gut is jiggling during super band runs. Haha! I also love how dedicated the coaches are to every client and every class.
7. Over the last few months you’ve really been motivated to improve your nutrition habits. What are some things you’ve learned about yourself since adopting these new habits?
I have recently been really focused on my nutrition. I decided a change needed to be made because there was no way I was busting my ass during class and not seeing much change. At this point I knew my diet had to change. I have learned that I have more willpower than I thought.
I have been offered many bad food choices over the past 8 weeks and I have been able to stay away from most. These past few months I have felt better than I have in a long time. I finally feel like I’m in control of my diet more than ever. I have also noticed my energy has been great. I rarely feel “out of it” or tired during the day.
8. What are some “fun” foods you like to indulge in during a Re-feed day?
I have learned to love and enjoy my refeed days! My “go to” breakfast choices are two multigrain waffles with a good amount of almond butter and strawberry jam. It’s delicious! Qdoba is my friend on Refeed days. I get their naked chicken queso diablo burrito with brown rice, black beans, fiery habanero sauce and CHEESE! Also you can never go wrong with Moose’s tooth pizza on a Refeed day. Pretty much anything spicy or cheesy!
9. Over the summer you ran your first half-marathon. What was your training like for the race, and how did it feel to cross the finish line?
My training for my half marathon wasn’t the best. I worked out 3 days a week and ran for 30 mins 1-2 days a week. Next year I will definitely focus on doing more training runs for a longer period of time. Crossing the finish line felt amazing!!!
Never in my life did i think i would ever be participating in a half marathon let alone completing one. I felt pretty invincible until the evening when it hurt to walk or doing anything.
10. What is your next big goal(s)?
I’m still contemplating what my next big goal will be. I definitely want to do the Big Wild Life half marathon and be able to run all 13.1 miles of it.
I love working out with FF. They have changed the way I view exercise. I workout because I enjoy it and it’s a great stress reliever for me.