- November 27, 2024
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An Ormond Beach woman transformed her body — and her life — after seeing an unflattering photo.
BY EMILY BLACKWOOD | STAFF WRITER
Between a job as a nurse and respiratory therapist, and taking care of three boys, it was easy for Angelika Grubel to put her health on the back burner.
But when she saw an unflattering photo of her with her husband, she vowed to change her look by the time she turned 40, which was only six months away. At the time, she weighed 165 pounds.
"I thought, 'There is no way I am going into the next decade looking like this,'" Grubel said.
By the time she turned 40, she weighed 132 pounds.
During her weight-loss journey, she became addicting to running and wanting to run a marathon. Even though she ran into some problems with her knee that she had to work on for three months, she did meet her goal.
A few half-marathons and triathlons later, Grubel has a new goal for the Tomoka Marathon: to run it under four hours. She said her family has been the best support system and will be at the race to watch her succeed.
"Training for a marathon is very demanding for the family," Grubel said. "I get up at 4 a.m. to run my hours. The family has to be very understanding. On Sunday morning, instead of church, I'm going to run for hours. You need a very supportive husband and kids."
Grubel credits her weight loss to three things: a change in diet, cardio work and weight training. For Grubel, diet was the biggest issue, especially because her husband is a doctor who has a very full social calendar.
"You work out for one hour, and you've got 23 hours to screw it up," Grubel said. "We would go out to a fundraiser, and I very rarely have alcohol now. People look funny at you when you order a coke or an iced tea. The first question is always, 'Are you pregnant?' It was hard for other people sometimes, more then it was for me."
Since she first dropped the weight, it's been easy for her to keep it off since she fell in love with the lifestyle changes. She even changed career paths and became a personal trainer to help people like herself.
"I know how hard it is to take that first step into the gym and feel so intimidated," Grubel said. "I struggle, too. It's not always easy. Life is too much about instant gratification. It's hard work, but it's worth it."
