60 AUGUST 2017 | ironmanmagazine.com
IRON MAN: What were you like
growing up? Was fi tness a part of
your life?
ROSE DINUCCIO: Growing up as a
kid, fi tness was a part of my life. I was
involved in gymnastics from the age of
3 to 12 and always loved being active.
It wasn’t until my teenage years until I
stopped really being active all the time.
IM: You underwent a pretty impres-
sive transformation to be the fi t
person you are now after some rough
years in your teens. Walk us through
that journey.
RD: My fi tness journey really began
when I was 21 years old. I had put on
over 45 pounds at the age of 20. I had
never been over 110 pounds in my life,
but I had started hanging around with
the wrong crowd of people when I was
17 causing me to lead a very unhealthy
lifestyle for three years. I was addicted
to opiates and smoked cigarettes. It
wasn’t until I really hit bottom that I de-
cided I needed help. I moved to Florida
and went to rehab and in that time ... I
put on all the weight. I was fi nally eating
food again, and not just once a day
anymore. My body didn’t really know
how to handle that. In just four months,
I put on 45 pounds, went from a size 0
to an 8 in pants. Fast forward a year into
my sobriety I was weighing about 138
pounds living back in Massachusetts. I
met my current boyfriend when I came
back to Massachusetts. After we were
together for about six months, we start-
ed working out because we were sick of
just going out to dinner every night and
wanted something different in our lives.
I didn’t know then that fi tness would
become such a huge part of my life.
IM: Sharing your story must be dif-
fi cult, but also very empowering. How
has overcoming addiction changed
your approach to life?
RD: I’m currently over fi ve years free of
opiates and couldn’t be happier with
how my life has turned out. I love more
than anything being able to share my
story with others, allowing them to not
give up hope that their goals are achiev-
able, as long as you put in 110 percent
every day and never give up on your
dreams. I also love to give hope to oth-
ers that might be going through a simi-
lar situation that they can beat it, too.
It’s all just in how bad you truly want it.
You are your only limitation! Everyone
has some type of an addiction, whether
it be good or bad. I look at it as replac-
ing one addiction with another, but now
my addiction is a healthy one!
IM: Why do you think you get such a
positive response in social media?
RD: I think I get such a positive
“You are your
only limitation!
Everyone has
some type of
an addiction,
whether it be
good or bad..”