What I Did for Love
While on set shooting her upcoming Oxygen course Fast-Track Fitness, Dunmore caught a
glimpse of her upcoming cover and all but broke down in tears. “I literally was living out
of my car a year ago and I never thought I would be here — almost 40 — on a magazine
cover,” she says, trying hard not to ruin her makeup. “It’s like a dream. I never thought
I would have abs again, but here they are, stretch marks and all! I am proud of my body
and its marks, and I would not change a thing about it at this point in my life.”
Dunmore owns that she gave up everything for a relationship. “You live your life for love
— for family, significant others — and every bump I have hit in my life has been because of
love or a relationship,” she says. “I was married for 10 years to my daughter’s dad, and I lost
myself and my identity. And in this last relationship, I was engaged, I resigned from my job,
moved to a new city and revolved my life around a relationship that ultimately did not work
out after three years. And again, I lost my identity.”
Dunmore hit rock bottom and finally left that relationship and all that came with it —
including clothing, possessions and keepsakes — and returned to Sacramento to be with
family and friends with nothing to her name. She also sought therapy to help her buoy
back to the surface. “It took months before I could look at myself in the mirror and say, I am
worthy, I am capable, I am strong,” she says. “I could be embarrassed about it, but I’m not. I
learned so much, and if anything, I know what I don’t want now.”
Mommy Makeover
Dunmore believes that her amazing mental and physical comeback had a lot to do with
working out. “The gym was always home for me and it was my safe place,” she says. “I
was always in control of that. It is important to know that you’re the only one in control of
your health.”
As she became stronger physically, her mental health also returned — and vice versa.
“To change your body, you have to change your thoughts,” she says. “Without inner
peace, your outer peace fades.”
Today, she brackets her life around her 13-year-old daughter’s schedule — school,
gymnastics and cheerleading — and is dedicated to passing along what she has learned
about self-love and positive body image to Sofia. “Young women today have it hard —
harder maybe than we did — when it comes to body image,” she says. “Social media is a
big part of that, and I do my best to teach her to be body-positive, using myself — and my
mistakes — as the lesson. She is keenly aware of everything I put out, so it’s important that I
make her proud.
GET HER TO
THE GREEK
“I love Greek food, and one of
my favorite meals is moussaka,
which is basically a delicious
vegetarian lasagna made from
eggplant,” Chady Dunmore says.
“I have my own healthy twist
on it, with chicken for protein
and low-fat cottage cheese and
skim mozzarella to reduce the
amount of fat. And as a mom, I
can attest that it’s a favorite with
kids, too!”LEAN CHICKEN
MOUSSAKAMAKES 5 SERVINGSINGREDIENTS
1 medium eggplant, peeled and
sliced into rounds
½ large yellow onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
16 oz ground chicken
2 tbsp no-salt-added tomato
paste
¼ tsp allspice
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp dried oregano
1 cup 2% low-fat cottage cheese
½ cup part-skim mozzarella
cheese, shreddedDIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat a glass
baking dish with nonstick spray and
spread eggplant rounds on the
bottom. Set aside. Heat a nonstick
skillet to medium and add onions
and garlic. Saute 1 to 2 minutes,
or until fragrant. Add chicken and
cook, breaking up with a wooden
spoon, until cooked through. Add
tomato paste, allspice, cinnamon
and oregano and mix well. Spread
mixture over top eggplant. Add
cottage cheese to a blender and
puree until smooth. Pour on top
of moussaka. Sprinkle mozzarella
evenly over the top and bake 20
minutes.Nutrition Facts (per serving):
calories 234, carbs 11 g, fat 11 g,
protein 25 gChady Chat Catching up with Chady Dunmore
How has the fitness industry
changed in the last decade?
When I started, in order to
be relevant, you had to have
competitive titles and walk the talk. Now
anyone seems to be a fitness expert
if they lost weight once and have an
Instagram feed.
Are you a daredevil?
Not at all. I don’t even like to gamble!
What is your favorite joke?
Why don’t blind people skydive? It scares
the crap out of their dogs!
You have a twin brother — are you
guys alike or completely different?
He’s an introvert and I’m more of an
extrovert, but we both have the same work
ethic and sense of humor.
Are you a girly girl or a tomboy?
I’m 50/50. I love wearing dresses but
always wear biker shorts underneath —
just in case!What podcasts are you currently
obsessed with?
A bunch! A few are Oprah’s SuperSoul
Conversations, Til You Collapse Podcast,
TPOS Podcast, The Chalene Show,
The Best Life podcast and Leveling
Up Podcast.Are you a good cook?
I am when I actually do cook. But being
a foodie, I’m better at making reservations
than making dinner!What is one thing people don’t know
about you?
I swim holding my nose!