oxygenmag.com 115
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Wholesale Changes
In 2018, Koukos started on the road
to self-improvement. She threw
out all her junk food and started
keeping a food diary. She pushed
herself to go to the gym, but she
admits it was miserable trying to
power through a 30-minute cardio
workout on a machine. She decided
to give yoga a try, and that’s when
everything clicked. “I met a yoga
teacher I really connected with,”
Koukos says. “She kept me moti-
vated and made me feel good in my
own body, which was something I
had never experienced.”
A big piece in that puzzle was
nutrition, and her yoga teacher also
helped here, introducing her to new
ways of fueling her body that didn’t
include sugar and processed foods
as daily staples. Koukos also elimi-
nated foods that caused adverse
reactions in her body, such as bloat-
ing and nausea, and adopted a
Paleo-like lifestyle.
“After making these changes, I saw
an incredible diff erence,” she says.
“The hardest part was fi nding good
recipes because wheat, dairy, soy and
grains are in so many things.” She
adjusted quickly, however, and has
since discovered some new favorite
foods such as (gluten-free) avocado
toast and a cacao and banana almond
milk smoothie to die for.One year later and Koukos has lost 45 pounds and
found her calling: to become a 200-hour registered
yoga teacher. “Yoga is my passion and my way of
life,” she says. “I would be lost without it, and I want
to be able to share this practice with others.”
Among those infl uenced by her transformation
are her grandparents, who at 88 years old support
her practice and even work out with her regularly.
“And my dad has been extremely supportive since
the beginning,” Koukos says. “This has been an
incredible journey, and I hope I can inspire and be
an example to people of all ages to live healthy and
happy.”Wise beyond
her years
Seventeen-year-old Margaret Koukos overcame years
of childhood struggles to fi nd a new passion in fi tness.of pasta, frozen
pizza, and mac and cheese wasn’t necessarily
about enjoyment or taste for Margaret Koukos
— it represented one of the few things in her
own life over which she felt she had authority. Her
parents were splitting up, and her resulting depres-
sion led her to cease any and all physical activity and
gained a ton of weight starting in seventh grade.
“Eating was my way of coping and releasing
stress and anxiety,” Koukos says. “It comforted me
knowing that it was the one thing I had control
over — what I ate, when I ate and if I was going to
purge or not.” By the time she was a sophomore, she
weighed 185 pounds.Before and
after photos of
MargaretWant to share your ory? Email us at success [email protected]!stats
Margaret Koukos/
Highland Park,
Illinois
age: 17
height: 5’3”
weight lost: 55 lbs
occupation: StudentMargaret’s
favorites
Exercises: For
arms, overhead
shoulder presses and
biceps curls; for core,
forearm planks and
reverse crunches.
Inspiration: Oxygen
cover model Lori
Harder. She reminds
me to be authentic
and to dream big. She
turned her vision into
her reality, and that
is what I am striving
to do.
Mantra: “You are
exactly where you are
supposed to be.” I truly
believe everything
happens for a reason,
and what is meant to
be will be.By Jared Evans