Hi Romina! Please tell us about yourself.
Aloha FF family, I am Romina Bentz, originally from Auckland, New Zealand. I met my husband, Jim Bentz, on the internet in 1996 and moved to Alaska to be with him in 1997. We have been together 20 years and will celebrate our 17th wedding anniversary this year! We have daughters from a previous relationship Kristin (36) and Lisa (33) and a son, Paoa (16).
I work in government contracting and I am the Senior SBA (Small Business Administration) Program Manager for Bristol Bay Native Corporation. I have been at BBNC for the past 5 ½ years. I love my job and my coworkers are Ohana to me just like my FF Ohana! My hobbies include hiking, travel, football and spending time with my husband and ohana.
How long have you been working with FF, and which classes do you typically attend?
I have been with FF for 3 years, I typically attend 3 classes a week. My plan is to add one small group or personal training class per week to round out my fitness program.
When you first began working with us, what were a few of the goals you wanted to achieve?
My main goals were to get fit and lose weight. I was so out of shape when I first started. Charlene invited me so many times and I was too self-conscious and frankly scared because the words ‘boot-camp’ were intimidating to me.
Once I started, the support and encouragement I received from Steph, Lela, Charlene and the FF family kept me coming back.
Do you feel like you’ve been successful in achieving those goals? Why or why not?
One thousand and ten percent, yes! I am stronger now pushing 60 years old than I was in my 30’s and 40’s. An ACL reconstruction on my right knee in my late 30’s limited my mobility and then became an excuse not to work out.
I can honestly say that FF training has strengthened the muscles supporting my knee so much that there is not a lot I cannot do now (cautiously) and my knee pain has subsided by 75%.
I have also lost 31 lbs since I started attending FF Boot Camps!! The weight loss is honestly icing on the cake. Feeling strong is what I love the most about myself, it is very empowering. I feel like I can do anything I set my mind too. Go me!!
What kind of changes have you made to your nutrition since starting with us?
I eat very little processed foods. I eat vegetables with every meal. I watch my macros in MFP app. Portion control was a major factor also.
You can have too much of a good thing and I had to manage serving sizes very closely. If I have meal or a day where I exceed my calories or my macros don’t jive, I do not allow that to dictate the following meal or day. I get back on track immediately and eat right the next meal.
You recently checked off the goal of climbing the rope in the gym. What was the key to your success with that?
I was so fearful of the rope. Steph was absolutely right when she told me that conquering the rope was mostly technique and mental.
I worked with Lela on the technique (thank you for your patience Lela!), it took me three times before I actually made it all the way to the top!
I had to change my mindset that my fear of heights and falling off the rope was not real.
Lela and Steph coached me all the way to the top. Now I climb the rope once a week because I can! Weird but it is now one of the things I look forward to doing.
What are a few of your favorite exercises that we do at Boot Camp?
I love Hip Rolls, Yoga Push Ups and, as my technique improves, I am really starting to love working with free weights.
Some things I used to hate but now love because I can do them now are: Bulgarian split squats, pistol squats, TRX pull ups and tire jumps.
Some things I need to learn to love and get better at are: Rope Slams and Ladder drills. Working on it!!
What is your routine like when you travel, and how do you stay on track with your fitness goals?
I have an album of FF workouts and Warm up routines on my phone. I can do these in my room or I find the hotel gym and work out.
How has your healthy lifestyle inspired and influenced your family?
My family (and friends) are very proud of my progress. They tell me I am an inspiration to them to get fit and healthy. I volunteer to help them get started and support their goals so that they can be the best that they can be.
My 16 year old son is very impressed with the number of pushups his Mum can do and my form! For a while we were having plank competitions on Sunday nights. He has not beaten my record yet, but I want him to keep trying ☺
What new fitness goals do you have planned for 2017?
I would like to accomplish an unassisted pull up. I want to start working out with weights and continue to build my strength and keep my bones strong. I would like to hike Bird Ridge again and I have not hiked Wolverine yet so that one too.