Margi Faze sounds like she could be one of my girlfriends.  Her story is oh-so-similar.  Overweight, exhausted mom who one day looks in the mirror and hardly recognizes the reflection staring back at her.

Been there?  I thought so.  But that is where her story’s similarity ends.

Margi made a decision to change her life and her circumstances.  She enrolled herself in the Body-For-Life Challenge.  (Unfamiliar? Body-For-Life was introduced in 1997 by EAS.  It essentially challenges people to a 12-week lifestyle overhaul then compares results with other “competitors” for a grand prize.)

In just 12 weeks, she  dropped an amazing 28 lbs and 13% body fat to reign supreme as the 2007 Body-for-LIFE Grand Master Champion.  Can you even imagine? Margi successfully morphed from overweight and frazzled mother to that of spokes model, author, motivational speaker and fitness competitor.  She has had the opportunity to meet and inspire hundreds of people on their own fitness journey.

I interviewed Margi recently about her accomplishments:

Q. Okay, as a mother of two children myself, I am dying to know how you did it! What is your typical workout day like?

On a typical day at the gym I will do circuit training for 30 minutes and do 30 minutes of cardio whether that is running several miles on the track or getting on the stairmaster, arc trainer and treadmill for ten minutes each. Then I take approximately 15 minutes to stretch and relax.

Q. Well, that doesn’t sound too hard.  So I assume then that you don’t EAT, then?

Actually, I eat five to six small meals a day.

Q. Well there goes THAT argument. Best advice you can give to those of us struggling with our weight?

I would say to remain positive regardless of what the scale tells you. You didn’t gain weight overnight! Getting fit takes time. Keep your self-talk positive, stay the course and you will succeed.

Hey, I did it and so can you!  What it takes is determination and perseverance. Make your health a priority in your life. Between diaper changes, homework, extra-curricular activities, dinners, housekeeping and more, we never find the time for ourselves. You have to make that time and stop making excuses.

Start slow and give yourself time. If you rush into harder workouts you can burn out easy and even hurt yourself. We’ve all heard the saying “slow and steady wins the race.”  Be sure to set yourself some goals, too. If you can’t make it to the gym for whatever reason, go for a brisk walk. Do jump squats and run in place at home. Make a commitment to get at least 15 to 30 minutes of cardio a day and do it. The energy that comes with exercise will help you get everything else in your list done quicker and better.

Feeling inspired yet?  I know that I certainly am! So with a little help from Margi and her new “Transformation Journal” I plan to make some changes.  I’m going to use her journal to map out my own healthy lifestyle.  I invite you to follow along with me and change your own reflection in the mirror! More information on Margi or her new project can be found here.

DON’T FORGET: I’m hosting a $250 cash sponsorship to Blogher2010 from SEED!  Find out more here!

Tags: Body For Life Grand Master Champion, frump tto fabulous, Margi Faze, Transformation Journal

This entry was posted on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 8:10 AM and is filed under Fitness, Working Mom Spotlight. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.