Page 94 - Demo

94 || MOST FITNESS || APRIL 2016The personal trainer began cheerleading in Canada for the CFL%u2019s Toronto Argonauts, before relocating to Los Angeles where she would cheer for the Raiders as a Raiderette. Having spent ten years with the organization, she would become an assistant choreographer. During the off-season, she was working in Europe as the director of the London Monarchs and the choreographer for theScottish Claymores, both part to the European NFL. While cheering for the Raiders, Ramona was sent to represent the NFL on a promotional tour to Germany largely in part because she spoke German. Traveling with cheerleaders and football players from various teams by bus throughout Germany visiting military personnel at their bases - still open but closing down slowly. The tour ended in Berlin, %u201cAt the final military base I received a large piece of the Berlin wall signed by military personnel, a special memento I treasure to this day.%u201d It was the year the wall had come down, %u201cbeing a history buff I was very fortunate to be there at the time and enjoyed taking the tour bus through what used to be East German the country I was born in.%u201dWe discussed the leap from cheerleading to fitness and learned they go hand in hand. During her second year as a Raiderette, she began to gain weight. Instructed to lose the weight for the team, %u201cI didn%u2019t know the proper way to do it.%u201d Trying every diet from the Beverly Hills diet to Pritikin to Vegetarian to %u201cjust not eating for three days before a game then gorging on nachos after the game.%u201d It wasn%u2019t until she met a trainer on one of her late night one-hour cardio sessions, who offered to start training with her. %u201cI was introduced to the world of weight training and proper eating and found my new sport, Fitness Contests.%u201d She entered the first ever Ms. National Fit contest which took place in Las Vegas and would include a routine, an evening gown segment where you answer a question, and a swimsuit posing segment. Out of fifty competitors, she made it to the top ten. Ramona would continue for many years after being able to combine dance and gymnastics and weight lifting which %u2018fit%u2019 the fitness expert perfectly. amona%u2019s truest passion is helping others towards their journey to a better %u201cmind, body and spirit.%u201d MOST touched on her willingness to help others and the sheer selflessness that compels her to get involved. %u201cHaving been blessed with opportunities in my life, I thank God daily for these, I feel it is our duty to give back when we receive, and this giving back just continues the cycle in our lives.%u201d She goes on to say, %u201cAs someone who has always enjoyed a level of fitness Photo: Hazem Helaly