A story of a Filipina World Champion Defining Fitness Holistically The society today has defined the idea of being fit by six-packed abs, toned body, leaner figure, and balanced muscular structure. Then comes Maria Evans, the game changer, the woman who confidently redefined "fitness" in her own way - being fit not only physically but psychologically as well. The 34-year-old Filipina coming from the city of Victorias in Negros Occidental, ventures the wonders of Fitness and Psychology as a Pro Fitness Model Champion and a Psychologist. Yes, you read it right -a champion in a Pro Fitness Modeling of the prestigious iCompete Natural (ICN), an international federation that promotes natural bodybuilding, modeling, fitness, and bikini events. THE BEGINNING OF PASSION "It started in 2010 when I finished university and landed my first job in clinical psychology. I wanted to be an all-rounded and fit psychologist and I know health is important in order to perform my job well. I was a beginner in the gym and had a personal trainer that helped me in doing exercises without causing any injury," Maria tells the start of her fitness journey in an exclusive written interview with TCI. It was such a beautiful blessing in disguise as the goal of Maria to be a fit psychologist holistically, brought her to the ramping stage, to medals of achievements, and to be a legend in the world of fitness. Year 2017, under the spotlight, in front of the international crowd, Maria won her biggest title in natural bodybuilding as Miss Pro Bikini World Champion in Bali, Indonesia. For her, it was "a surreal moment", she did not expect the award and was contented already gracing the world's stage, but as she wore the medal, she realized that the real award was not given on that stage with spotlights and shutters of cameras, it was waiting down the platform - a medal of love from her husband, who was then her boyfriend, after the event. "The best feeling was coming off stage and getting a hug from my husband, who was there with me the whole journey. A celebration with your loved ones is the best feeling! The trophies are just the icing on the cake," she shares. When asked why she chooses ICN as the platform for her competition, she answers "it's like choosing a university; you would only choose the university that is referred to by someone you trust or look up to. My coach supports natural bodybuilding and as an athlete, I do too." "Moreso, ICN is a drug tested federation, meaning drugs or steroids are prohibited, which I greatly respect," she adds. ICN played a big role as to what she is right now, not only as a champion but as a person as well -it gave her more confidence and discipline in her holistic well-being, discovering things in her inner self that she did not know she had, and changed her perception on determination. Indeed, it was a written fate for her to be a champion in her passion. THE BALANCE BETWEEN PSYCHE AND PHYSIQUE Before creating a legacy in the stage of fitness modeling, Maria first experienced the challenging processes of natural bodybuilding. Healthy and disciplined lifestyle, proper nutrition, workout trainings, and time management became her culture of living. The world champion also reveals that there were times when she wanted to stop her fitness journey. "Our lives do not naturally evolve around looking good, having a 6 pack, and always training and eating healthy...there will be times where I just want a break," she admits. With all the intense workouts in preparing for her competitions, her fitness program includes "a break", where her body can restart, because she perceives fitness as "a journey and all journeys have bumpy rides", so taking a break is necessary for her. As she continues to take the route of her chosen career, she finds motivation in setting realistic goals, by knowing what she wants, usually by seeing an inspirational show or someone she looks up to, as Maria believes that "you must first be inspired in order to get motivated". When out of the ramping stage and not facing the international crowd for a competition, Maria spends her time advocating about mental fitness and motivation, she also gives psychological talks to people about taking not only the physique but also the mindset in a much healthier condition -these all nourished from her finished degree in Psychology. The psychologist is also a certified bookworm, reading 1-2 books every month, according to her interview with Focus Magazine New Zealand. "You think because you understand 'one', you must also understand 'two'. Because one and one make two. But you must also understand 'and'", this was the quote of the book Maria read entitled "The Fourth Trimester" by K.A. Johnson shared on her Instagram account. The quote reflects her lifestyle, the value of the conjunction "and" was emphasized in her passion, it was not only her figure that was well-toned and healthy but her mindset as well. Her psyche and physique are both trained to be fit. MOTHER: THE GREATEST TITLE SHE WON August 2020. It was not with spotlights, heels, and bikinis, but with a hospital gown and in a private room that she won her greatest recognition -giving birth to her first child and officially becoming a mother. "Being pregnant was an amazing journey, how your body goes through all the changes, how my waist came from 23cm to almost 10 times the size. But it was all worth it, bringing a child out into this world is a huge blessing," she says. Becoming a mother encouraged her to adjust her goals and to adapt to the changes of her responsibilities; it was not easy for her to suddenly alter her 3 to 4 years of training and competing into a completely new routine, training days were exchanged to cuddle days with her baby, and she passionately embraces all of those. "As a competitive female athlete, although I felt at loss with my conditioning, entering a new chapter of motherhood is very exciting, seeing a brand new human being grow every day," she expresses. Becoming a wife and mother did not limit her to continue her career, they just reminded her that she must not forget that she is her own person and that she should continue pursuing her own passion. While being a model to the fitness stage, a wife to her husband, and a mother to her child, what's next for Maria Evans? "My next big project is releasing a psychology course, which covers the basic healthy lifestyles, time management, bodybuilding competitions, social and mental aspects of fitness," she reveals. A tale of profession and passion, in this world where some people perceive fitness only to a physical level, Maria Evans zooms her lens to the depth of fitness - to tone not only the muscles but the mindset as well, to have not only ripped abs, but also balanced mental developments -thinking outside of the box and viewing life holistically. "How'd you do it?," people ask her. And she answers them with these words, "you have to start from doing it...there's no better personal achievement, gratitude, and satisfaction that putting in the work instead of just watching others work and wishing for good luck to come".
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“Now, where to begin?” Let's start by revealing that the question above was asked by a certain character from the recently top trending hit movie on Netflix, “Enola Holmes”, starring Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, Sam Claflin as Mycroft, “the chameleon”, Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria, and of course, Enola herself, Millie Bobby Brown, who you may know better as Eleven in Stranger Things. Released on September 23, 2020, Enola Holmes is a mystery and adventure film on Netflix directed by Harry Bradbeer, based on the book “The Enola Holmes Mysteries: The Case of the Missing Marquess” by Nancy Springer. A story about the teenage sister of Sherlock and Mycroft named Enola Holmes who is in search to find her missing mother. But who is Enola Holmes, anyway? Is she like Nancy Drew? And why do people so drawn to a historical character presented in contemporary times? You will find out. It all started one morning on Enola’s 16th birthday, instead of blowing the candles and feel joyous, she was left dreaded by the disappearance of her mother, leaving her odd assortments of gifts, clueless why her mother’s gone or where did she go and left into the care of her brothers, Sherlock and Mycroft, that the latter insisted to send her to an all-girls school that will transform her into a “proper” lady. "Alone" the name Enola if read backwards, has her own other plans in mind, desires more to find her mother who left her with a series of cryptic clues. During her trip to London to find her mother, she crossed paths with the Viscount Lord Tewksbury, Marquees of Basilwether (Louis Partridge) who is also running away from his home and being chased by a mysterious man who is trying to kill him. Louis Partridge is perfect for the role of a young Marquess, with those charming visuals and bright smile, will make the viewers fall in love with the looks.
The musical accompaniment brings excitement and color to the film, reasons why the audiences enjoyed watching the film more until its denouement, the song rendition was great, though it was fast-paced. Putting one's self into the shoes of the character, makes the audiences and film characters connect with each other, amazing delivery of lines, actors undeniable gave justice on their portrayal of the characters. The cinematography was great and they played perfectly with the color scheme, they ration the red, leading up to the moment in the middle of the film when Enola’s red dress shown. This represents her stepping up on the adult world as she took possession of her bold look. Set design and costume, well played! The vintage buildings plus the costumes – especially of the suffragettes, added aesthetic to the film, frame by frame is a picture-perfect scene. Analyzing the characters, the contradicting attitude of Sherlock and Mycroft towards Enola makes the film's message interesting and deep. Sherlock's appreciation to Enola's detective ability symbolizes the support to women's independent capabilities, while Mycroft's controlling Enola's seemingly unkempt demeanor, sticking for the conventional culture of women being prim and proper, is a social representation of the continuous fight for women's liberation and independence from the patriarchal superiority. The missing mother of the Holmes siblings is a metaphor for the missing truths in the society that one is eager to find -for justice and peace of curious minds. And for this film, it was Enola who is the main searcher for the unrevealed truth. Indeed, the film is not only an adaptation of literature, but it is also an art representing the societal realities of the past and even of the present. In an interview with Cosmo PH, Brown said that she and Enola share many similarities, “Enola is very brave, She’s also very honest. Her humor is exact as mine. We have a heart. We care a lot, and she values her family and that’s the same as me, so we share many similarities.” No doubt she successfully gave life to her role as Enola. Trivia, did you know that Millie Bobby Brown is also the producer of Enola Holmes? The movie showed different types of people – a brave woman who is willing to take a risk and find her own journey like Enola, a not so stereotypical man like Tewksbury, who loves flowers and his treehouse, or a protective brother like Sherlock. Overall, “Enola Holmes” is about a young woman who is in search of her mother, realizing that she is also in search of herself -a tale of bravery and self-discovery. Amidst the gap of film's setting to the present, existing in the year 1884, Enola does not fail to represent the youth of today -curious, adventurous, risk-takers, and always in search of the truth behind the clues and mysteries of life that are surrounding them while embracing their sense of youthful independence. Enola Holmes reminded us that being young is not a hindrance to choose your journey. And just like what she said, "you have to find your path". And the future is up to us! |
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