much more positive, and I felt more
equipped to deal with life’s challenges.
I realized finding Maria’s program
was God’s plan. As the weight started
to melt away, and I became stronger, I
increased my workouts to five days a
week, and I was able to find a day pro-
gra m to help w it h my sister’s care.
“Within 2^1 ⁄ 2 years, I lost more t han
100 pounds, and I was healthier and
happier than ever! When I returned
to my doctor, all of my health mark-
ers were normal, and she was amazed
by my progress. I’ve even par ticipated
in a professional fitness show and
received medals—being celebrated
for being fit and healthy was the hap-
piest day of my life! My story was also
featured on ShapeFit.com, a health
and fitness website, and it felt so good
to know that I was inspiring other
women like me.
“Although I still struggle with
mild depression, now that my body
and mind are stronger, I’m a better
caretaker for my sister, my daughter
and myself. I smile more, I’m more
social and I no longer dwell in the
past. I can’t wait to see what the future
holds!” —As told to Julie Revelanta healthy eating and exercise program
called Body By Maria. ‘You can begin
to change your life,’ she encouraged
me. I was stuck in a cycle of negativity
and had doubts about the program.
But Beverly asked me several times,
and eventually, I decided it was worth
a try, and I joined her.
“The classes were a combination of
cardio and strength training. Since I
was overweight and older
than many of the other
women, I was intimi-
dated, and the exercises
were challenging. But I
started slow—just 45 min-
utes, twice a week.
“Maria, the instructor,
was kind and supportive.
She told me I could do anything and
always offered modifications to help
make the class a bit easier. All the
other women were encouraging too—
they would clap and cheer me on. I
quickly realized all I had to do was go
at my own pace. Every class, I focused
on doing the best I could, and after-
ward, I felt so much better.
“Within weeks, I was surprised
to notice that my outlook wascaring for my sister, and my husband
helped with my daughter, but I needed
help with simple tasks like putting my
shoes on. Physical therapy helped me
re-learn how to do things for myself,
but it was slow going, and it only made
me sink deeper into depression.
“After my stroke, the doctors told
me that I had high blood pressure,
high cholesterol and Type 2 diabetes.
I knew that I had to
get healthy, but pull-
ing myself out of the
depression was really
hard. It felt like the
lights had gone out on
my life. I thought about
asking my doctor for a
prescription for anti-
depressants, but I didn’t have
insurance at the time and the out-
of-pocket cost was too expensive.Loving life again
“In 2014, things started to turn
around. My friend Beverly was wor-
ried about me because I had changed
so much from the outgoing and social
WI person I’d been, so she asked me to tryLL^ST
ERLING/
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ER
LING^ PHOTOGRAPHY;^ H
&M:^ JANINE^ CARTHONE/^9SHADESBY
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IENCETEXT
:^ A
LYSSA
SYBERTZ.health
8/26/19 First for women 33
Step-ups
QUIETS DEPRESSION
SAVED MY LIFE!”
This calls on the hamstrings
to lift the backside.
TO DO: Stand tall with
your feet shoulder-width
apart. Lift one foot up
as if stepping up.
Return your foot to
the floor. That’s one
rep; do 10 with each
leg. If you are unbal-
anced, try stepping
on a staircase, steadying
yourself with the railing.Wall push-ups
Utilizing the deltoids, this
move slims the shoulders.
TO DO: Place your palms
on the wall shoulder-width
apart. Walk a few steps
back until your weight
is on your toes, then
straighten your arms.
Bend your elbows to
slowly bring your
chest toward the
wall, then press back
out. Do 10 reps.Stationary lunges
Lunges strengthen the quads and ham-
strings to trim the thighs.
TO DO:Take a big step
forward with your left
foot so your right heel
comes off the ground.
Bend both knees until
your left thigh is
parallel to the
ground. Press
back up. That’s
one rep. Do 10
with each leg.“As I became
stronger,
I also became
healthier andhappier!”