Shine on Mama Challenge
2020 European Winner!
2020 No More Excuses Winner: Rosie Rivera
Every year we host the No More Excuses Challenge. It’s meant to transform our mothers physically, spiritually and emotionally in the course of 12 weeks. We are so proud of all the entries this year, as we are ALL winners when we prioritize our health and make great habits that promote positive change.
Congrats to our winner, Rosie Rivera, who journeyed the last 84 days with strength, perseverance, focus and discipline. You have won $500, a Stealth Core Trainer, an X bands package and No Excuse Mom gear!!!!
Here is her story….
The mile markers I have set for myself had to be attainable as well as conducive to my injuries following my accident. I was rear ended and forced under another vehicle’s rear chassis, while at a complete stop on MD-100 W, on my way home from work last summer. I experienced and struggled with depression, severe weight gain and chronic anxiety. While this was taking place in my life, it was more load bearing on my soul and mental capacity to get out of bed, going through the days weeping and crying with disbelief of my current situation at the time. I distanced myself from friends, which is completely out of the ordinary seeing that I am a huge social butterfly and kind person. I was blinded by my current health and mental state that I could not see the support my friends where trying to give me. At this point one of my friends informed me of the NEM’s group in Tanyard Cove, MD and that I should come join them on a walk. Something in me made me get out of bed that day and start that initial walk at the mall. It took a lot of the will that I had lost and did not have at that time to get up and participate! In which I am so blessed and honored that I did, because during this walk I met our amazing woman and coach Grace! She is such a guiding light and inspiration not just to me but our group. She motivated, and encouraged me so much!
After joining the challenge, I was enticed. Throughout these last few months, I have experienced and felt so much growth in myself, which has influenced my family. We all altered our eating habits as a family! My husband and my daughter push me fiercely every day to keep up this new lifestyle. My daughter has lost 30lbs and my husband 34lbs! I’m so grateful to have this new outlook on life and be an encouragement for others as well as myself, while not reverting back to the old me.
It is not easy to get up and make a turn around if there is no motivation. It is the will of God that will get you through this, and in his image this group came into existence. It shined a path for me to follow in order for me to see the better me that my friends and family where tying to get me to see. I am blessed and so thankful for this opportunity, and being accepted with open arms is the greatest feeling when you are facing something in life. I will keep encouraging other women to come and join us. This group is a true-life changer and a wonderful opportunity to meet and fellowship with other women like me. You never what someone is facing until you get out there and give it your all with a complete stranger.
2020 No More Excuses Leader Winners
Congrats to all our leaders who participated in the No More Excuses 2020 Challenge. Everyone who set out to achieve their goals and followed through all 84 days are winners – truly!
One of the core beliefs of our NEM Leaders is that in order to lead others, you must lead yourself. Just like a parent, we must be reminded to prioritize our health despite the ongoing challenges in our lives, especially when leading a community!
All of these leaders exhibit strength, resilience, leadership and faith! First place wins $300, second place wins $200 and third place wins $100!
1st Place Winner: Lenka Zvardonova
Co-Leader: Oscadanica, Czech Republic
| I realized that luck is predictable… If you want more of it, you have to catch more chances, be more active and show what is inside of you. These words engraved to my mind and they are pushing me forward. My name is Lenka I am 37 years old I have two boys 18 and 5 years olds. I am part of NEM for 3 years. I started at meetups with other moms and kids with our leader Pavla. Last summer I became a co-leader in Oscadnica. I loved exercising since I was a baby and everything that goes with it. I have never been really overweight. During my second pregnancy I started having some lower back pain and it didn’t disappear after the birth. When I couldn’t even sleep I decided to do something about it and started to exercise. I joined the group and it changed my life completely. I started to exercise regularly, my muscle increased, and the pain disappeared. I can see my priorities changed as well and my thoughts are on different level than before. I even realized there are some positive things in the bad situations that happened. I have two jobs, a big house, three men, a dog and a vegetable garden. I have the more than I can manage! I try to enjoy every free time actively. Because my husband is quite busy with his job, most of the activities I do with my little son are alone. No, I’m not complaining. I believe thanks to taking him with me on activities my son was able to drive a push bike when he was 1.5 years old, when he was 2 he was cycling without safety wheels and at 4 he was able to ski. My older son started to exercise with me 2 years ago when I first joined the pot challenge, and I am really happy that he is looking after himself with and following healthy lifestyle. There is nothing prettier than motivation of others and when you can see the results of them not just at your own home. I joined the challenge because the time was just right after Christmas, to lose the extra fat, and the vision of better body in April was inspiring. Let’s be truthful without the motivation it’s difficult to start anything. This challenge gave me not just a better and stronger body, that can do even more, then I thought, but I feel healthier, stronger, and better than when I was 20 years old PS I am finally feeling great that I can wear bra size B instead of D, because I couldn’t jump because of this before!
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2nd Place Winner: Shevonne Stills aka Vonnie
Co-Leader: Sacramento, CA
When I first entered the 12 week challenge I was determined to get back on track with my health and lose weight. I was pretty hard on myself during the pot challenge 2019 and once that ended I binge ate all through the holidays. So this time around I wanted to focus more on healthy meals 80% of the time, workouts 5 days a week and allow myself to rest on weekends and as needed.
Over the months I put more of my energy towards our NEM community. Encouraging members to do selfcare once a week, and to move their bodies whether they were at home or outdoors.
Then COVID-19 became a more serious issue than I expected the 2nd week of March and it did change my whole mindset. I was afraid for my daycare business and scared for my family. Every morning I prayed and meditated along with working out to help ease my mind. I knew had to think outside my box. I asked myself how can I challenge myself and keep fighting through adversity? I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Then I realized, I should and could only focus on things that I CAN control. I knew I could control MY health (also the health of my family), and that’s what I did. I became more open minded to share my workouts, daily routine and healthy meals. Not only with the NEM community but also on my personal social media pages. I challenged myself to run 1-2 miles a day and to use a jump rope as a HIIT workout. The things I would have never imagined myself doing in January are now essential additions to my fitness and health journey as I continue to strive through adversity.
As I continue to strive for the best during these difficult times, I will continue to uplift, and support everyone in my community as a mother and Leader for No Excuse Mom!
3rd Place: Amber Thang
Leader: Tracy, CA
Wow! Can hardly believe It’s been 12 weeks, At the beginning of this challenge I was extremely focused on our #Nemtracy group and its progress! I had big ideas, and was so excited to see them coming to life! The group was so active in the winter months that I was expecting huge turn outs when the weather started to improve! We had events, races and fundraisers all in the works! The group was looking great, My “wheel of life” on the other hand may have been a little off balance. My family and self care may have been….out of focus. Then covid-19….
At first I was in denial, “Im not gonna change anything! This is crazy its gonna blow over!” No school meant no work for a few weeks which sounded like a chance to catch up on life I could use.
Then, “what, no TP? She is beautiful 5/k is canceled, shelves are empty, lines are hours long, what the heck is going on? Now, I’m feeling a little scared and definitely confused! Still determined to ride this out, keep the ladies in the group engaged with LIVE workouts and contests! …then I hit a wall, it seemed to come from out of nowhere and I just felt angry!!… followed by sad and scared all over again! Somewhere around quarantine day 16-18, I felt like I was caving in, it was one thing, then another, finding out this will go on for a minimum of another month, that school was canceled for the year, that my hubby was now unemployed with me, that I couldn’t be there when my grandson is born, That my son who has Autism, who is struggling the most, will likely be back to where we were without the specialized care he needs! I was struggling, he was struggling, my daughter was struggling, the ladies in the group were struggling and everything good seemed to be fading away!!
If I was not a leader, I may have simply accepted defeat, sunk into a depression like many times before and begun undoing all of the work I had put in over time !! But NO, NOT THIS TIME!! My kids needed me, this group of women needed me, I needed me… to be strong, to keep it together, to keep it real and to keep moving! If I gave up and simply stopped movin, stopped making videos, stopped posting and encouraging, what would happen?? I didn’t want to know, the thought literally made me sick to my stomach! So the next phase was naturally acceptance followed by determination. This is not the spring I had hoped for, planned for and looked so forward too, but I will remain committed to my community in this time that they need me the most and I clearly need them! I will change, rewrite and recreate my ideas and find ways to keep members engaged that may require me to think outside the box! I have also come to appreciate this down time with my family and to re-think my priorities a bit. My family is my “reason” and they need to be a priority as well. So as I reflect on the past few months, as hard as this has been, I know in the end this too will only make us stronger and our connection greater! I didn’t feel like I made any physical progress and waited to do my stats and pics last. To my surprise, there has actually been progress, without this challenge, I would have likely missed it, so thank you! 🙂 I guess the lack of french fries and chips at work (Chili’s) may also have helped out a bit! 😉
2019 Leader Winner: Sabrina Brewer
Congrats to our NEM LEADER pot challenge winner, Sabrina Brewer of Tracy, CA for being an incredible inspiration and following through on our 12 week challenge! We have over 300 NEM Leaders making a difference throughout our world! Join our upcoming No More Excuses LEADER Challenge starting January 20th and ending on Easter HERE!!!For $35 you will receive a No Excuse Mom leader tank, a 12-week accountability journal and a chance to win $300, $200 or $100!
Congrats to our leader! You have $726 extra shopping money this season and we hope you get something extra awesome for yourself!
Be inspired by her story here!
Hello, my name is Sabrina Brewer. I am a stay at home mom of 3 children. Ages 12, 8 and 2. I have been married for 13 years and counting! I attended my first No Excuse Moms meet up in San Leandro, Ca in 2015. Then we moved and I found the Tracy, Ca group. I have always enjoyed being a part of this group so when I was asked to be a co-leader I was very intrigued, however very hesitant. I knew I wanted to help others and I knew I wanted to also better myself. But this was a choice that I struggled with because I couldn’t help but let fear get into my head. I was worried I wasn’t fit enough or disciplined enough. I truly felt like, “How can I lead other women when I feel like I still have so much more work to do on myself?? How can I get up in front of people and lead a workout when I will be struggling through it myself! Out of breath, a sweaty, jiggly mess!”
I know these are very damaging thoughts, however they were real and true feelings that I had. Then after much encouragement from my leader Amber Thang I decided to get out of my own head and give it a shot. And now I am so very happy and thankful that I did! Being a part of this amazing group has been such a gift! The support, inspiration and motivation that the ladies in this group give has helped build my confidence and has encouraged me to become a better me. I am in such a better mindset now than I was just one year ago. I have a lot more self esteem and a more positive thought process about myself and what I am capable of. I am in a much happier and healthier place not only mentally but also physically. Being a co-leader has been amazing. I love working with other women who inspire and motivate. . They help me believe in myself more than ever.
So that is why I decided to do the pot challenge this year. I had started my healthier lifestyle in January and I wanted to finish the year off strong. I wasn’t as successful with weight loss as I’d hoped. However, I was very active throughout the challenge and I know I have gotten stronger as well. The thing I struggled with most was being disciplined when it came to my food choices. This has always been the harder part for me. But even with my food struggles I still has some good healthy progress. Although I know I could have had more success if I focused more on my diet. My goal for 2020 is to get my diet dialed in. I have some big hopes and dreams and I know that with the support from all of you amazing women I will achieve them!
2019 Leader Winner: Rhoda Zaide
Congrats to our NEM LEADER pot challenge winner, Rhoda Zaide from the Philippines for being an incredible inspiration and following through on our 12 week challenge! We have over 300 NEM Leaders making a difference throughout our world! Join our upcoming No More Excuses LEADER Challenge starting January 20th and ending on Easter HERE!!! For $30 you will receive a No Excuse Mom leader tank, a 12-week accountability journal and a chance to win $300, $200 or $100!
Congrats to our leader! You have $726 extra shopping money this season and we hope you get something extra awesome for yourself!
Be inspired by her story here!It was a very memorable time for me, from July-August 2019. I finally had the courage to ask Maria Kang to lead a No Excuse Mom Group in the Philippines. I was still overweight and not in my preferred shape. One thing I know for sure is that I can Lead.I started my “back to my fitness routine” plan last November 2018. I was 195 lbs and 5’5 in height. I was very bottom heavy. I feel that my knees are starting to suffer. I didn’t have a goal weight to lose. I just want to be active again. Having the mindset of “one thing at a time”, I went to the gym 8 am daily for 5 days. For the first 3 months, I run for 20-30 mins prior to hitting the gym. Running made me more focused. It was very hard at first. I cant do much diet because I still breastfeed my toddler at night. I chose to eat a lot of greens. I weighed myself after 3 months-175lbs!
Come July 2019, I weighed my self again just to get some confidence for myself before I made the Direct Message to Maria Via Instagram. I was 169 lbs. I am gaining muscles!
While I am forming the No Excuse Mom group, this life changing time came. My husband had a heart attack! He has to have a 4-valve angioplasty. Scariest thing in my life! On his 1-week confinement at the hospital, I never missed a gym workout. My daughter never missed a school. My small diner business kept going in spite of my divided attention. I kept my promise to myself to never give up no matter what. NEM group became my “silver lining”. I survived the week because of my intent to keep going no matter what. My motivation kept going higher and higher because I have 7 and 3 year olds.There are so many what ifs in my head. If my husband is going for a full recovery (as what the doctors told him because his body recovers fast), I am definitely on it. Recovery period came, here comes food prep, medications, physical, emotional and mental exercise…all together. Whew…
When I feel so exhausted from all the things I have to focus on, I pray. Nothing can stop me from seizing each day with all my might. Each day that passes is a precious gift that I am always thankful for.
Come to present day, I am 154.4lbs. Size Small-Medium. Can do dead-lift of 215lbs. Burpees is part of my happiness. Gained so many life experiences, friends who truly cares and a husband who is back to his regular self (exclusion: the sugar and cholesterol in his diet). Everything seems better, I am not the same person physically, emotionally and spiritually. I am happier.
All these events that happened to me during the Pot Challenge period is a gift that I am really thankful for. I am happy I lead the group, It made me more accountable to do more and be more than I was. I was motivating members to not skip a day, I showed them that a 100reps 16kg KB full swing can be done from Day 1-Day 84.
My most important realization is that: Lead by showing them that you are able to do it. Show them the result. There is no need to use words when they see it from you. I remember one co-leader told me: “Rhoda, whenever you come to the gym, you show us your brave face in spite of what was going on with you”.
2019 Leader Winner: Denise Lalikova
Congrats to our NEM LEADER pot challenge winner, Denisa Lalikova for being an incredible inspiration and following through on our 12 week challenge! We have over 300 NEM Leaders making a difference throughout our world!
Join our upcoming No More Excuses LEADER Challenge starting January 20th and ending on Easter HERE!!! For $30 you will receive a No Excuse Mom leader tank, a 12-week accountability journal and a chance to win $300, $200 or $100!
Congrats to our leader! You have $726 extra shopping money this season and we hope you get something extra awesome for yourself!
Be inspired by her story here!
Hello my name is Denisa and I am mom of two boys 5 and 2 years old.
I am currently on parental leave but I am working from home as a makeup artist.
I love to meet new people and support them in healthy lifestyle. I also love baking healthy recipes and trying new ones.
Two years ago I took over a group in our town from our leader who had to move away. I wanted to help women from our city to stay active. I am really happy when I see new moms joining in and see changes in them. More exercising means more health and energy. This gives moms motivation to work on themselves and move forward in their everyday lives and challenges. In our groups we create amazing friendships and we always know how to help each other
I joined the challenge so I could move forward. My goal was to transform my body, make my core and arms stronger. I lost 1.7 kg, 4 centimeters in my waist and 1 on each tights. I’m really happy that I can see the difference on the pictures.
I can wear one size smaller trousers. My goal was to manage regular push up. I can do 5, so I exceeded this goal. I still have some more work to do and I would like to form my butt more.
I started this challenge full of energy. The first two weeks I worked out three or four times a week at home and with our NEMs outside. Then I was sick and I had to take a break but after a week I continued and exercised twice a week. I trained with my body weight and I ate healthy. Due to some health issues I follow the sugar-free diet and I limited white pastry so this really helped. I said to myself I am not giving up. I worked on my endurance but also listen to my body. I can feel I have more energy every day. I tried to spend some time outside every day. In good weather I went with kids on bicycles and even ice-skating. I challenged myself to climb up a tall tree. I could see a difference in my body and I was happier with myself. I started to look after my body better, I added special care with high quality cosmetics, wellness, thermal swimming pools and saunas.
Now when I writing this story I am really happy about myself and I don’t want to lose more weight, I want to gain some muscles. I want to work on my physical condition, endurance because this is how I make myself grow in other parts of my life too. It was amazing to see transformations in other women from around the world. This support and energy is indescribable. I have to work on my English more but this is different challenge. I will continue to reach my goals and to be happier, healthier and stronger.
2019 Overall Winner: Taryn Elder
Congrats to our overall pot challenge winner, Taryn Elder, for being an incredible inspiration and following through on our 12 week challenge!
Join our upcoming No More Excuses Challenge starting January 20th and ending on Easter HERE!!! For $50 you will not only receive an email consultation with Maria Kang, a 200-workout ebook, No Excuse Mom tank, 12-week accountability journal and a fitness/nutrition guide, but you will also get a chance to win $1000 worth of money and prizes.
Congrats to our overall winner! You have $2,178 extra shopping money this season and we hope you get something extra awesome for yourself! Many of our No Excuse Moms followed our official NEM program, where they used a fitness calendar, logged in their meals, participated online/in-person and overcame their excuses!
Be Inspired by her story here!
I’d always wanted to have a fit pregnancy, to be that mum capable of anything and inspiring others. But I guess life had other plans. Prior to the birth of my first son, I suffered a miscarriage and my obstetrician wouldn’t allow me to exercise for the first 14 weeks. I returned to training but due to the break it was mild and I had a lot of fear that something would go wrong. I was determined to do things ‘right’ the next time. Fast forward we began trying for our second. My third pregnancy was an ectopic, which ruptured resulting in emergency surgery and the loss of my fallopian tube. We were staring down the barrel of IVF. More surgeries, hundreds of injections, six embryo transfers and another miscarriage, I was now on my fifth pregnancy. This journey was the most stressful and mentally damaging time in my life. I was emotionally eating, specialists kept stopping my training, I gained a huge amount of weight, had a mainly sedentary pregnancy and completely lost me.
Whilst I’m completely thankful for our beautiful boy, the NEM 12-week challenge could not have come at a better time. I wasn’t going to be silly and waste the newborn stage but I was excited to get me back.
My goals and outcomes for the challenge were:
1. Lose 5kg – I have lost 8.3kg
2. 10,000 steps 3x a week – Tick until week 9, due to weather I was unable to take the pram out.
3. 30 minutes of movement 5x a week – Tick for all but one week.
4. Commence swimming lessons – Tick. I chose swimming lessons in order to be safely active with my children.
5. Park run once a month – This didn’t happen, the heat and timings with breastfeeding I couldn’t make it.
6. 2x weightlifting sessions a week once cleared – Strength sessions commenced a few weeks in and have continued throughout.
The biggest things I learnt came from my fitness pal. It gave me a better understanding of calories, portion control and to be flexible. It made me accountable, even if I ‘slipped up’. Tracking allowed me to acknowledge and move on. I’m now more flexible and confident in my approach to nutrition.
Things that side tracked me mastitis, it was painful and disheartening when you start to get into the groove and then have to stop. With the support of my 12-week challenge online community I rested for the week, then moved forward. I was unable to breastfeed with my first, so breastfeeding itself was a challenge. Balancing life and exercise with demand feeding is difficult I had to be flexible with things and accept what I could and couldn’t do.
Moving forward, I’m yet to meet my goal weight so I’ll continue tracking food and increasing exercise as my body allows. What I appreciate most from the challenge is finding myself again, a body and mind I can be proud of that helps me be more present, happier and a better mother and wife.
2019 Region 15 Winner: Jennifer Norris
Congrats to our Region 15 pot challenge winner, Jennifer Norris for being an incredible inspiration and following through on our 12 week challenge! Region 15 consists of Australia and New Zealand!
Join our upcoming No More Excuses Challenge starting January 20th and ending on Easter HERE!!! For $50 you will not only receive an email consultation with Maria Kang, a 200-workout ebook, No Excuse Mom tank, 12-week accountability journal and a fitness/nutrition guide, but you will also get a chance to win $1000 worth of money and prizes.
Congrats to our regional winner! You have $145 extra shopping money this season and we hope you get something extra awesome for yourself! Many of our No Excuse Moms followed our official NEM program, where they used a fitness calendar, logged in their meals, participated online/in-person and overcame their excuses!
Be Inspired by her story here!
The NEM 12 week challenge came at a perfect time for me. I was a new mom with a 12 week old daughter, juggling my time between her and her two older brothers (aged 3 and 4 years). I had not had time to concentrate on myself for what felt like a long time, and exercise and healthy eating had not been enough of a consideration for me since I had become a mother.
I knew I could not make changes unless they involved my whole family in one way or another. The 12 week challenge gave me the inspiration to look after myself and work out in ways so we could all be healthier. Two of my goals involved my children and family, both to integrate them into exercise and to spend quality time with them.
No Excuse Mom has helped me achieve all of my goals. I had not been going to the classes before the challenge, but have gained so much from attending. Not only can I exercise with my children present, but I have also discovered new playgrounds to take my children to. I have also increased my own well-being by spending time with other mums. I hope this time will also inspire my children to realise exercise is a regular activity.
Along with the classes, I have completed workouts at home with my children there and at nap times. At home, I also looked at our diet which had become very reliant on carbohydrates. My husband has been very supportive in changing this. This has benefitted us two directly, and our children who now see us eating a wider variety of foods and are encouraged to try new things. Mealtimes have become a more fun time of day.
My motivation to focus on myself has made me conscious of what I eat and why I snack in particular. I have tried to ensure I am busy and occupied to avoid unnecessary eating. I think the change to my diet has been the significant factor in the changes I have seen during the challenge. These changes will inspire me to continue eating well, making good choices and making time for myself going forward.
2019 Region 13 Winner: Veronika Sefrana
Congrats to our Region 13 pot challenge winner, Veronika Sefrana for being an incredible inspiration and following through on our 12 week challenge! Region 13 consists of Europe!
Join our upcoming No More Excuses Challenge starting January 20th and ending on Easter HERE!!! For $50 you will not only receive an email consultation with Maria Kang, a 200-workout ebook, No Excuse Mom tank, 12-week accountability journal and a fitness/nutrition guide, but you will also get a chance to win $1000 worth of money and prizes.
Congrats to our regional winner! You have $145 extra shopping money this season and we hope you get something extra awesome for yourself! Many of our No Excuse Moms followed our official NEM program, where they used a fitness calendar, logged in their meals, participated online/in-person and overcame their excuses!
Be Inspired by her story here!
Hello,
my name is Veronika. I am mom of two kids (6, 5 years old).
I hesitated to sign up for this challenge. The fact is that after maternity leave and start of my job I have a bad feeling of having lack of time for family, household, activities, myself. I am still, after two years, looking for ways to get back to my regime and well-being. At the beginning of the challenge, I started a new job and I knew the time rush will be greater.
But the enthusiasm of my friends from the NEM group inspired me and so I went for it.
The first month was euphoric, wonderful. The work is really my dream job (although I still have to learn a lot and graduate). Trips alone with a partner to the mountains, with the whole family … just a month full of action. And I was doing the exercises at home as planned – tabata, HIIT.
In the second month I was running out of energy. The feeling that I could not catch up on everything what I have to do, was even stronger. This also decreased the desire to exercise. I rested for a few days and decided to change the type of my exercises. I started running and a did some weight lifting home from time to time. Before that I preferred home workout type of tabata, HIIT, jump rope and cardio.
In the third month I slowed down and had to shut down because I broke my leg during one beautiful autumn run. At first I thought that I could do some exercises for my abs, my arms, my shoulders on the floor… but the mood went down. I was worried about the new job, my inability to help my partner at home, with my children, shopping, cleaning….
I stopped exercising, unfortunately even the diet was not very ideal.
Now, before the end of the challenge and the end of my sick leave, I realized that I had to relax with demands on myself and my loved ones too.
I can’t have a regime that I had and very much loved on maternity leave. I need to rethink my goals and plans.
Although my transformation or change in the figure will probably not show. I don’t count the disproportion between the left and right leg 🙂 (left calf 32, right 37), but the transformation is happening from inside. I have my new plans and goals. I don’t need to have a perfect household, mood, activities, be perfect in the work or have the perfect figure. I will relax and enjoy mainly my family, my dream job and I will try to find a few days a week for myself to exercise because I enjoy it and need it.
Have a great Christmas time.
Best regards to all of you.
Veronika from Czech Republic.
