Maria Mickles works out at UNO's wellness center. In about a year, she's dropped 40 pounds.
Maria Mickles runs during a workout at UNO's wellness center.
Maria Mickles works out at UNO's wellness center.
Maria Mickles lifts weights at UNO’s wellness center, where she works out five to six times a week.
Maria Mickles works out at UNO's wellness center.
Maria Mickles works out at UNO's wellness center.
Maria Mickles works out at UNO's wellness center.
Maria Mickles had tried revamping her diet and exercise routines before.
It was always an on-again, off-again relationship. She didn’t know what to do at the gym.
But last summer, Mickles got serious. She eased into an exercise routine through group fitness classes.
In one year, she’s down about 40 pounds. Now she feels confident and comfortable enough to hit the gym solo. She squeezes her workouts in around her full-time class schedule and job. Mickles, 21, works out five or six days a week.
“Knowing other people there and starting with group fitness, I’ve become more confident when I go there,” Mickles said.
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Q: When did you start working out and why?
A: I got serious about a lifestyle change last summer. I took advantage of the group fitness classes we have at UNO. I ended up doing more than 150 group fitness classes one semester. I was meeting all these instructors and other participants. It really motivated me to keep pushing.
Q: Describe your workouts. How many days per week do you exercise?
A: I typically work out around five to six times a week, mostly weightlifting and cardio. I’m mostly on my own now. A lot of group fitness classes are in the morning, and I can’t fit that in.
Q: What is your current fitness goal?
A: Toning. I’m not really focused on a number on the scale anymore. I want to set some personal records with weightlifting.
Q: What has been your biggest accomplishment?
A: Making fitness and balanced eating a lifestyle rather than a forced or brief diet. Now, it’s naturally part of my day.
Q: What has been the toughest hurdle and how did you overcome it?
A: I think two of the toughest hurdles would be self-comparison and dependability on the number on the scale. I always have to tell myself to live one day at a time. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. So as long as I do that, and if I do good today, that’s all I can do. I don’t go on the scale as much as I used to because a number really doesn’t tell you how far you’ve come. It just tells you a number.
Q: What helps you stay on track?
A: Accountability and the overall wanting to make health and well-being a lifestyle. At the end of the day, I put a focus on me.
Q: What is your gym pet peeve?
A: People who don’t put the weights back where they found them.
Q: What do you do when you aren’t in the gym?
A: I’m in school, I work on campus and I have an internship. That’s kind of filling my days.
Q: What is the piece of equipment, supplement, clothing, etc. that you can’t live without?
A: My Fitbit. I need my Fitbit. It takes the guesswork out of a lot of things and makes calorie counting a lot easier.
Q: What advice would you give to someone who is just starting their fitness journey?
A: Don’t let self-comparison and fears dictate how you choose to live your life. I think those two things involve mental health. Mental and physical health go hand-in-hand. If you want to do something for you, go do it, because no one knows what tomorrow brings.
Gymgoers share what motivates them, pet peeves and their proudest accomplishments
You never know who you might run into at the gym.
There's the man who's exercising as he waits for a heart transplant. Or the woman who's made Jazzercise workouts part of her life for more than 30 years.
Some workouts see moms accompanied by babies. Elsewhere you'll find folks well into their 90s who stick with exercise.
Check out their stories.
After Joe Adams had a heart attack, he underwent numerous procedures to get his heart in working order. Just when it seemed things were on the right track, his heart started to fail again. Read more.
Tamara Mosby-Montegut started working out as a stress reliever. Now she wants to keep up with her husband when he tackles 50 pushups in a row. And she wants her daughter to follow their healthy examples. Read more.
Varun Narayanan wanted to shed the pounds he packed on during the holidays a few years ago. He dropped from 230 pounds down to 195. Now he treks up active volcanoes. Read more.
After giving birth to her fourth baby, Susan Sawyer wanted to drop the baby weight. She took up Jazzercise. Sawyer's stuck with the dance-based exercise for nearly 35 years. Read more.
Jessica Hawley thought her third pregnancy was different because she was having a girl. But baby number three was another boy. The pregnancy felt different because she was more fit this time around. Read more.
When Gary Gundy started having trouble getting up after squatting down for target practice, he knew it was time for a change. The La Vista man dropped 80 pounds in three years. Read more.
Valerie Heath started shedding pounds by using the family's Wii. Now she belongs to a CrossFit gym and works out six days a week. Read more.
To be around for her family, Ashlei Spivey needed to get in shape. She joined a boxing gym. Now her workouts leave her feeling like she stepped out of a movie. Read more.
Betty Watt survived a sometimes trying career as a middle school teacher. Then she beat cancer twice. And the whole time she was a regular at the gym. Watt and her husband Charlie workout at least five days a week. Read more.
Erika Hanna sometimes has a pint-sized workout buddy during her morning classes. Her son Henrik, 18 months, offered hugs as she held a plank position and occasionally chased a loose exercise ball around the room. The studio gives Hanna a chance to stick close to her kids while staying on top of her own health and fitness. Read more.
Gwen Leyden wound up spending a week in a wheelchair because of a chronic condition. Leyden gradually was able to walk without using a cane. Later she started using the treadmill and eventually worked up to weightlifting. Read more.
With high blood pressure — and the possibility of needing cholesterol meds — Rich Hazuka was headed down a dangerous path. He dropped 75 pounds thanks to diet changes. When he plateaued, he took up exercise. Now he's off his blood pressure meds and has no need for any cholesterol medication. Read more.
George Mach can't help but wake up well before dawn. With that free time, the early riser started a gym routine. He hits the gym three days a week. Read more.
As Gregg Learned aged, arthritis made physical activity a chore. He struggled to walk across the parking lot at work. But joining a gym has helped Learned to stay on his feet. Read more.
At one time, Laura Adams could barely finish a lap around the walking track. But the Bellevue woman, who weighed 300 pounds, stuck it out and dropped 115 pounds. Read more.
Vince Huerta has always tried to keep active. He decided to give powerlifting a shot and now, the Omaha South grad holds a number of records for the weight he's hoisted. Read more.
Paul Stultz takes swimming seriously. He joined a Masters Swimming club and is working on nailing strokes like the freestyle and butterfly. But one of his biggest accomplishments was hiking the Grand Canyon. Read more.
kelsey.stewart@owh.com, 402-444-3100,
Kelsey Stewart
Kelsey covers health and fitness for The World-Herald. Follow her on Twitter @kels2. Phone: 402-444-3100.
