Our Member of the Month voted by the Primal Movement PT community is Melissa Ponte.  Mel has been chosen because of her consistency with her program and for setting such a great example for both the community and her boys.  I took a few moments after her last FIRE session to chat with Mel.

 

 Member Spotlight: Melissa Ponte and Her Favorite Exercise

Congrats on being chosen for Member of the Month Mel!

What is your Favourite exercise, Mel?

I love the Hex Bar Deadlift!! I feel so empowered when doing it.  I never in my life thought I would be able to do something like this.  It makes me feel so strong!!  I know that it’s made a difference in my body and how I do things.  Jet came running up to me the other day and I lifted him like it was nothing.  My body just did what it has been taught while deadlifting to provide that power to pick up a ‘dead’ weight!!  I thought ‘Wow! I couldn’t do that a few months ago.’  I was really happy with that!

So if deadlifts are your favorite exercise, do you have a least favorite one?

I’m not sure if I have the least favorite exercise.  There are ones I prefer more than others.  I suppose if I have to pick one it would have to be the quad press and the burpee.  These are hard because I feel I lack upper body strength and confidence.

You are halfway through your third MP 12-week Challenge, do you have a favorite meal that you would like to share?

I love the Chilli Con Carne.  I could eat that for every meal!  I like to add spinach and other extra veggies to it when I have it.

What does your current training routine look like Mel?

I do two FIRE sessions a week and 2, sometimes 3 ICE sessions each week.

Can you share with us why you work out?

Well of course I want to get fitter and improve my health but I think it has a lot to do with getting the right frame of mind.  When I look back on how far I’ve come in the last year I know that I’m a different person.  I guess this is one of the reasons why I do this.

Do you have any tips for others within our community and beyond on how to make a healthy lifestyle work?

Plan, Plan, Plan.  It all comes down to making sure that you plan to make sure that you succeed.  Also, don’t be scared to take that first step.  Don’t wait until you are ready.  Just take the plunge and go for it!

What do you do to stay motivated? What are your goals?

I think about how what I’m doing is helping my kids.  Also, my trainer is always there to keep me motivated.  I also love how I can play around with my hubby push him around and hold my own.

My goal would be to be happy.  It used to be about how I looked but now I just want to feel good about myself.  I’ve never been truly happy and I am now and that’s more important to me than being a size 12/14.

Wow. Thanks for sharing a few minutes with us Mel and for being so open with us.  We all look forward to seeing how you progress on your journey.