Mona Liza “MO” Reyes

Mona Liza “MO” Reyes

33 years

San Jose, CA

Personal Trainer

Fitness

I was born on October 19, 1976 in Subic Bay, Philippines. Daughter to Victor and Leonie Reyes and little sister to brother, Levi. Upon moving to California in 1977, we made our first home in Treasure Island. Family and religion placed high importance in the Filipino culture. At an early age, I learned the value of hard work and being "frugal. Believe it or not, I was very shy growing up. Lacked alot of confidence, so I was very soft spoken and only spoke when spoken too. Although I played sports in elementary and junior high, I didn't play sports in high school as I feared I wouldn't be good enough to make the cut during tryouts. Fast forward to years later and in 2002 I decided to run my very 1st marathon in Honolulu. Crossing that finish line was the "aha" moment that would change my life forever. It took me 7 hours, 19 minutes and 22 seconds to complete the 26.2 miles and what was meant to be a once in a lifetime experience, now became a newfound love and "addiction".

I finally decided to stop making excuses and decided to join a 6 month training program with an organization to complete the Honolulu Marathon that December OF 2002. Everyone who knew me well, even placed bets that I wouldn’t follow through. Maybe that was the exact negativity I needed to fuel my fire. When I crossed that finish line, 7 hours, 19 minutes and 22 seconds later – my whole perspective of the world completed shifted. I thought, if I could do THIS, what ELSE could I do. 7 months later, July 2003 I competed in my very 1st figure competition. Seeing the transformations that took place as I dieted, trained and lifted weights created a healthy addiction, where competing became my newfound love & passion. I quickly abandoned my old habits of late nights drinking & partying and readily replaced them with protein shakes and early morning cardio sessions. In my mind, there were many things that is out of my control – may it be the outcome of relationships, work environment, finances or family situation, but the one thing I felt for once in my life I did have control of, was the transformation of my body and my mind. My debut as a figure competitor in July 2003 was supposed to be one of those things to cross off my list of ‘things to do’. Never once did I think in a gazillion years that I would be here 4 years later, sharing my story with others to serve the purpose to inspire and motivate.

Choosing to living a healthy lifestyle is the ONLY thing you can put 100% into and you know you’ll get exactly the same in return.

Keep myself surrounded in he presence of other goal-driven and athletic people

July 2008* 16th place, NPC USA Figure Championships June 2008 1st Place, NPC Junior Cal Figure Championships Sept 2007* 13th Place, NPC North American Figure Championships July 2007* 16th Place, NPC USA Figure Championships July 2006* 16th place, NPC USA Figure Championships May 2006 1st place and OVERALL title NPC California State Figure Championships May 2006 2nd Place, NPC Contra Costa Championships July 2005 4th Place, NPC Los Angeles Championships May 2005 4th Place, NPC Contra Costa Championships March 2005 3rd Place, NPC Max Muscle Naturals Los Angeles Championships Oct 2004 6th Place, NPC San Francisco Championships Sept 2004 4th Place, NPC San Jose Championships May 2004 6th Place, NPC Contra Costa Championships Nov 2003 7th Place, NPC Los Vegas Classic Championships Sept 2003 6th Place, NPC San Francisco Championships July 2003 7th Place, IFNB Sacramento Championships *National-Level Competitions Distance Running History: Dec 2005 Honolulu Marathon Oct 2004 Nike Women’s ½ Marathon Jan 2004 Walt Disney World Marathon Oct 2003 Jungle Run ½ Marathon June 2003 San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon Dec 2002 Honolulu Marathon

Jump USA – www.jumpusa.com (sports equipment)

Plyometics and agility training. Weight training: shoulders & biceps – all exercises.

Knoxx – www.knoxxgear.com Sweenie – www.sweenie.net Jump USA – www.jumpusa.com