A woman who traveled across borders for sports and passionately promotes living an active lifestyle shares a snippet of her life as she continuously emerges stronger than ever to pursue after what’s close to her heart – motherhood, and fitness.
As a young woman, Nicole paved her way and stood out in this sport – her 3rd dan taekwondo black belt speaking. As one of the representatives of the Philippines in the World Taekwondo Championship in 2004, she also brought home a bronze medal from the U.S. Open 2000 in Las Vegas Nevada, and a silver medal in the Korea Open 2001 held in Seoul Korea. She also loved board sports such as surfing and skating, being the first female downhill longboard champion in 2009 Colinas Verdes Downhill Longboarding. A decade later, the title of her being a mother was added.
Being an athlete for Nicole never stopped until this day. She was compelled to reinvent herself and embrace the change in every stage of her life -her body, her time, her access. For Nicole, these things were never meant to be easy but are rewarding. If you’ve been following her on Instagram, you’ll see that she consistently promotes maximizing time indoors through her workout videos. She even shares how she and her husband bond with their kids, from playing outdoor games, planting, and training taekwondo. Onto their third baby, Nicole’s pregnancy didn’t stop her from rocking self-love body positivity.
“I do it because I love it! It’s my passion and it’s part of my identity. This is one aspect of my life that needs to be carried on even if I’m a mom. It makes me feel like my old self and I love the benefits that I get from it. I want to live longer to enjoy and watch my kids grow.“
More than physical fitness and sustenance of her athletic background, Nicole wanted to create a habit propelling her to get up in the morning and give her purpose and fulfillment. Something that she evidently enjoys and shares to her kids and husband.
“Working out helps a lot in so many ways especially when things get overwhelming. It is important to pause and reset. “
After a busy day, Nicole also loves to unwind and relax in bed watching Netflix. If there’s a person in the household who needs extra me time, we agree that it would be the Moms.
You should answer too!
Being a mom is never easy, you have to be available 24/7 and there’s no day off. There’s also a constant pressure that I put on myself to ensure that I’m raising them well.
Watching them grow and loving me back without hesitation. Just hearing them say ” I love you mama, you are the best” is the most rewarding thing to hear and feel.
They taught me to love more and to enjoy simple pleasures in life. They make my life colorful and I’m so blessed to be a mom.
The most memorable milestone for my kids during this pandemic is that they learn how to plant, clean and cook. We do things together and they love it. As for being a mom, I learn how to pivot and make things work. I was able to reach the goals that I want during this pandemic too. Everyday is quality time for us.
Being a mom during a pandemic is a bit tougher because you have to supervise and be there during online distance learning and all hats are played ( teacher, mother, tutor, playmate etc). I love that we get to do things together and they enjoy every bit of it but when it comes to school hahahaha It’s a different thing. Trust me, patience is very important.
Reach out, Be Heard, Be Felt.