Yahoo Parenting

'Hot Mom' Is Back With a New Calendar

Beth GreenfieldSenior Editor

Updated Tue, October 28, 2014 at 4:50 PM UTC

Maria Kang, 32, mother of three — The project’s leader reveals bits of her own struggle with self-love along with her photo in this year’s calendar: “In my twenties I battled an eating disorder, and later struggled to lose weight because my metabolism shut down from years of disordered eating. I didn’t truly begin to love myself until I became pregnant with my first son, and would later give birth in 2009, 2010, and 2011. During this time period I continued to eat healthy and exercise — most often thinking of the phrases: Consistency, Discipline, Focus and Faith. I firmly believe that ‘thoughts become things,’ and that whatever you feel internally always manifests externally.” Kang shares many more of her thoughts and tips in a forthcoming book, “The No More Excuses Diet,” due for March release.
Courtesy of No Excuses Moms

Rachel Augustine, 34, mother of three — She writes: “Thunder thighs. This is what my own mother called me at age 10. I was not an overweight child, but I developed curves early and was larger than my lithe little sister. She was called ‘pretty’ while I was called ‘strong.’ I will never know why my mom felt this way, as she died suddenly when I was 12. I think, like most survivors of trauma, I ate my feelings.” After steadily gaining weight over the years, Augustine has now been working out daily for more than a year, losing 50 pounds and discovering her love of weight lifting along the way.
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Samantha Abadilla, 24, mother of three — “I started my weight loss journey in 2013 after gaining almost 70 pounds during pregnancy,” she notes. “I was very self-conscious and knew I needed to change my priorities. My oldest daughter was born with cerebral palsy so most of my time is spent driving her to appointments while also tending to my two younger children. It isn’t easy but I know that if I am their primary caregiver, then I need to take care of myself, too!”
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Brandi Zerges, 31, mother of five — “In January of 2013 I weighed 175 pounds. I struggled keeping up with my five children and my everyday life with my [Hashimoto] disease wearing me down. In June of 2013 I made the choice to change my life. I jumped two feet into my fitness goals and have not looked back…I am now healthy, happy, a better mother to my five children, and loving life.”
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Lainie Lewis-Poljak, 38, mother of three — “My fitness journey began in 2004. My mother died from cancer and I vowed to bthe best I could possibly be for her and my child… After meeting the man of my dreams in 2009, I suffered from infertility, miscarriage, and dealth with high-risk pregnancies for years. I was also put on bed rest, had a colicky baby, and a premature birth…I had the best mom in the world. I am eternally grateful for her. I love my life to the fullest and in honor of her I have found complete and total happiness as a ‘no excuse mom,’ and hope that I have spread the love of working out to people around me!”
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Jenny Mire, 31, mother of three — “I was not always healthy. I was not always confident. But this is what I know for sure: I am the mother of three beautiful girls who move me to be fiercer, steadier, and greater. I have the responsibility of shaping the world in these young minds, and knowing they are watching is reason enough to care about my health…I hope they will understand the beauty born inside, learning to care for their bodies, and the great breadth of their potential.”
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Joanyett Lacre Mays, 42, mother of three — “Prioritizing my health hasn’t always been easy. I struggled with disordered eating and full-blown bulimia in my teens. After losing my mother to lung cancer in 2007 and becoming a single mother three years later, I overcame my depression when I discovered my passion for running. Today I’ve run 13 half marathons, seven 5Ks, a handful of 10Ks, and experienced Ragnar in three different states!”
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Jessica Marie Moreno, 24, mother of three — “After work and kids, I hurry to the one-hour late-night boot camps, get my Zumba on, and motivate my local No Excuse Moms to never let anyone make [them] feel inferior [about their] health. The only way out is through.”
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Gabriella Davila, 29, four kids — “May 10th, 2010, is the date I immigrated to the USA. I was six months pregnant with two young children. My husband was leaving for a long work assignment overseas and I became depressed being pregnant, living in a new country, and learning a new language…Four days after my fourth pregnancy I started my fitness journey. I stopped drinking Coca-Cola (it sued to be six a day!) and began walking, even if it was cold. I joined a weight-loss program and stopped emotionally eating. My life has improved in so many ways.”
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Holly Johnson, 27, mother of two — “For a long time I lost sight of what was healthy and struggled with the meida’s ‘ideal’ fitness image…I’ve realized that I am a mother. As moms, we bring life into this world and we fight hard to be healthy and fit for them. I want to be disciplined and to teach my boys discipline. The best things in life are fought for.”
Courtesy of No Excuse Mom

Maria Kang, 32, mother of three

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The project’s leader reveals bits of her own struggle with self-love along with her photo in this year’s calendar: “In my twenties I battled an eating disorder, and later struggled to lose weight because my metabolism shut down from years of disordered eating. I didn’t truly begin to love myself until I became pregnant with my first son, and would later give birth in 2009, 2010, and 2011. During this time period I continued to eat healthy and exercise — most often thinking of the phrases: Consistency, Discipline, Focus and Faith. I firmly believe that ‘thoughts become things,’ and that whatever you feel internally always manifests externally.” Kang shares many more of her thoughts and tips in a forthcoming book, “The No More Excuses Diet,” due for March release.

Courtesy of No Excuses Moms

Working out can be a huge challenge for any woman, but mothers face their very own special set of roadblocks, typically a wicked mix of exhaustion, guilt, and leftover-snack gobbling (just for starters). It’s something Maria Kang — fitness guru, mother of three, and social-media pot stirrer — understands well, and has made her mission to help moms tackle. If her name has a familiar ring to it, it’s because Kang gained national notoriety about a year ago, when her “What’s Your Excuse?” photo, along with her opinions about obesity and its negative effects on society, went viral. The powerful image was polarizing, with critics accusing her of “fat shaming” and fans finding inspiration enough to kick off their own fitness journeys. It’s led Kang to start a thriving No Excuse Mom Group, a nonprofit, global system of workout clubs for mothers, now with more than 600 locations (up from last year’s 300) around the world, from California (Kang’s base) and Florida to China and New Zealand. Its goals are simple: to encourage health, friendship, and community.

On November 1st, to provide an extra boost to moms everywhere, Kang begins shipping out copies of her “2015 Fit Mom Calendar,” featuring inspiring photos and stories from 24 “no excuse” moms. “We asked our mothers to show the world what an every day mother looks like, without covering scars, stretch marks, or cellulite,” Kang tells Yahoo Parenting. “Health does not look the same on everyone, and it was important for our daughters and sons to see that beauty and fitness comes in all shapes and sizes.”

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Maria Kang, 32, mother of three

Rachel Augustine, 34, mother of three

Samantha Abadilla, 24, mother of three

Brandi Zerges, 31, mother of five

Lainie Lewis-Poljak, 38, mother of three

Jenny Mire, 31, mother of three

Joanyett Lacre Mays, 42, mother of three

Jessica Marie Moreno, 24, mother of three

Gabriella Davila, 29, four kids

Holly Johnson, 27, mother of two

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