Etaya

Female

32

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Mom of 6, wife, and Cardiovascular Registered Nurse in an Intensive care unit.

Oct, 2008

I've always been such a tomboy and very athletic growing up. Trust me, I still have the scars to prove it!! The little boys in the neighborhood where I grew up always had a tough time keeping up. I played sports such as basketball and volleyball as a teenager and went through many phases from riding a skateboard one minute to climbing trees the next. I had a very rough upbringing that led to alot of wrong choices later on in life...that is until my first child, who was born in 1997. From that point on my life took a 180 and everything just seemed to fall into place!!! I married my highschool sweetheart, went back to school and graduated with a Bachelors degree in nursing...and this is after not having stepped inside a classroom since the tenth grade. It was the tenth grade and at the age of 15 that I decided to drop out of school. The plan was to further my education and complete my Masters in Nursing in spring of 09. However, I have since been bitten by the bug and have decided to use spring of 09 to obtain my Certified Fitness Trainer and Specialist in Perfomance Nutrition Certificate for personal growth and then I'll head back to college...maybe. Somewhere along the way I gave birth to 4 more children...and the love to one beautiful stepson...so yes ladies and gentlemen that's a total of 6 children. Along with the schooling, the husband, and the 6 children also came the added pounds and the self neglect. My weight has been pretty much up and down since the birth of my first child at 20 years of age. Again, I've always been very athletic in nature and built. Back then I put in my body whatever came my way without a second thought. I wish back then someone would have told me that the body changes, your metabolism changes...and after having children, especially 5 physically...the body is never quite the same. After the birth of my last child, in July of 2007... I was pretty much at a lost for words. I just didn't feel like the same Etaya... hell, I didn't even look like the same Etaya. I still to this day cannot believe how big I actually got and how I could do that to my body. On the day I was scheduled to deliver my son, I remember jumping on a scale that read 230 lbs (I'm only 5'3). My 6'1 husband was with me and his reaction was..."damn baby that was my playing weight when I played football in college!!" But aside from that, what really did it for me was when a fellow employee made a comment stating "us big girls have to stick together"...and I had already just given birth to my son months ago. I was shocked and very hurt...never in my life had I ever been called a big girl or would have dreamed I could be placed in the same category (no offense ladies)...but that's exactly what I was...which led me to where I am now. January 2 of 2008 was when I finally decided that something needed to be done and I would be a big gil no more! I've made alot of progress with more to come. So I'm not interested in guys picking me up or even girls for that matter... remember I've got a husband and no one can quite take on 6 small children the way that he can. I am however, interested in meeting people like me. People with similar goals who are willing to share and give advice(the negative is always welcomed)and take some in return.

Nothing can described how you feel after completing a workout...especially one where you able to lift a little heavier or run a little further. I love tattoos and I have since learned to appreciate and love bodybuilding in the same manner...it's body art and there is nothing more beautiful!!!!

Knowing that not only am I doing this for me but for my children as well. By putting me first and taking care of me...I'm ensuring that I am able to be there for them at my best years down the road!!! Being a Registered Nurse in an intensive care unit I am exposed to the wear and tear that is placed on the body throughout the years, especially a body that wasn't well taken care of. Many just don't get it...it catches up to you. I don't drink, smoke, or do drugs and now I'm slowly learning about the right types of food that I need to fuel my body. Again, I've always been active...that is until I started putting myself on the backburner. I am a mother, I'm a wife, and I'm a nurse...taking care of others...that's just what I do!! Now I'm learning that I count as well and unless I take care of me first, I won't be around in years to come to take care of those who matter most in my life...my children!!! What also keeps me motivated and lifting harder is seeing muscles in place I never knwe they could exist... the body is beautiful!!!

After the birth of my 5th child, I weighed 230 lbs...my all time heaviest. Although, I've still got alot of work ahead of me and I am no where near my goal...I've worked very hard to reach this point and it's nice to see those faces of disbelief when I tell them I have given birth to 5 children...which is something I announce very proudly...and I don't have the body to prove it!!!

Rock it!!