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www.MOSTmag.com || MOST FITNESS || 57and third place trophies in fitness modeling and earned its most sought after prize: the People%u2019s Choice Award. The year before, Maya took home first in the Bikini category, and in May, 2015, she was selected as a brand ambassador for the international sports retailer, Decathlon.arning the People%u2019s Choice Award is a testament to Maya%u2019s ability to relate to all people from different walks of life, which stems from her multi-cultural background as a Dutch-Lebanese growing up in Africa and England. As the host of MTV Get Fit in Lebanon Maya lights up television screens each week with daily fitness solutions, exercise ideas, and motivation and inspiration for women regardless of their age or skill level. She is very conscious of what resources women have to work out with and uses creativity and her own expertise to help them achieve their goals. The toned, beauty hasn%u2019t always been this way though. It took reaching a point of major dissatisfaction at being overweight and unhealthy, in order for her to take on the challenge of living a healthy lifestyle and pursuing professional body building. Determining to make the change, no matter what it took, Maya shared her triumphs of self-transformation and her discoveries on her website, Start Living Right, which quickly amassed thousands of followers. Her admirable fitness journey and dedication to a sport that is not practiced in her country, got the attention of the media and people all over the Middle East. An endorsement from the Lebanese Ministry of Youth and Sports, was all it took to skyrocket her momentum. What started out as just a hobby, quickly evolved into a career as an entrepreneur creating the first fitness app of its kind in Lebanon, modeled after her existing website and becoming a top ranked Apple download. Trailblazing the path for women all over Lebanon and throughout the Middle East to get fit and healthy, Maya is the personification of self-transformation. As a coach and motivational speaker, she has leveraged her story that is so akin to many others, to encourage and assist everyone in making a lifestyle change. How she does it herself? %u201cI always try to establish an emotional connection to my goals,%u201d she says. With her dumb bells held high, Maya gives MOST Fitness her formula for living the right way.