Page 28 - Demo

28 || FITNESS MAGAZINE || JUNE 2015 || EDITION 2FMM: Do you and your fellow housewives spend time hanging out together regularly like the Real Housewives in those shows do? Any drama?!MP: We do hang when we can. Usually it is for a project we are working on. We all lead very busy lives. We own our own businesses and have families. I can%u2019t say there isn%u2019t any drama, because sometimes there is. When you get five strong women together with different opinions, there is going to be conflict. But, nothing like what you see on TV. We are mature enough to state our opinion and respect our difference of opinions. FMM: What was the most interesting aspect of winning one of the world%u2019s largest titles-%u201cMiss Bikini Universe?%u201dMP: You know, I won that title at the age of 32. At the time, I was one of the oldest competitors there. The age range was 18-34 years old. After the age of 35, you are put in a %u201cClassic%u201d category. After winning this title, this competition taught me more than just hard work in the gym and staying disciplined with my nutrition. It taught me that I can accomplish anything I want at any age. I am a late bloomer in life; I have always been behind and that%u2019s ok. In a weird way this competition taught me to embrace myself more. Life actually began for me. Now I live in the moment and never take anything for granted. All you have is today. FMM: You focus on training women-what is the most common complaint or worry about fitness that you hear from women? And your advice?MP: The most common complaint is their booty. Today the booty is one of the most popular body parts to train. We can embrace the booty thanks to celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and the Kardashians. Women also worry they are going to get too big if they lift weights. I say, %u201cLook at