. When I began my fitness journey, my only goal was to develop an exercise habit, while strengthening my muscles to try and rectify muscular pain I had been having for years. My other concern was what extra strain would my body undergo if I was to get pregnant in the future.
This is when I began to work with Mariana. Mariana not only understood my long term goals, but also understood what it was my body needed exercise-wise to not only ensure I did not cause further damage to my muscles, but instead to repair and then strengthen them to the point where I was pain-free.
Mariana’s work out plans are catered to each of her clients needs and are a testament to her knowledge of personal fitness. There were countless times where I was not feeling well, or had strained an area of my body unrelated to working out, and Mariana was able to create an accommodating work out on the spot, demonstrating her intensive knowledge about the body and exercise.
The biggest test of our relationship came when I did end up pregnant! Not only was I now at a stage where I was fit, not in pain and had developed an exercise habit 8 months after meeting Mariana, but my goal of being healthy by the time I started a family was met. At this point, Mariana and I continued to work out and she immediately catered the work outs to my pregnancy, including the symptoms I was feeling due to it, and also assisted in teaching me exercises and plans related to pregnancy-related issues (such as strengthening the pelvic floor).
If you had asked me back when I first started this journey whether I could imagine being pregnant and working out, I would have laughed. Now, I can proudly say that thanks to Mariana, I remain active at 38 weeks and maintained my habit of exercise on my own!
All of the goals I had expressed to Mariana in November of 2018 were met by the time I was pregnant and have continued to be met during the pregnancy. While I had attempted in the past to become healthy, I always failed because I either could not do it alone or the individual I was working with did not understand my needs in a way that was conducive to real, positive change. Mariana listens, however, and really gets to understand you as a person in order to help you get to your personal finish line!