|
 Full name: Maria-Gorretti de Jesus Correia Francisco
Born: February 2, 1980
Birthplace: Coimbra, Portugal
Height: 5’4”
Weight: 117-122 pounds
Eye color: dark brown
Occupation: nurse practitioner
Siblings: one younger brother, Jason
Pets: two cats, Nisha and Simba
Competitive level: SAF Elite
Favorite body parts: calves and smile
Favorite “diet” foods: sweet potato, avocado, pineapple and almonds
Favorite “cheat” foods: chicken shwarma
Favourite cardio exercise: Running intervals
Favourite weight-training exercises: leg press, lat pulldown and triceps rope pulldowns
Favorite movies: Gone With the Wind, The Sound of Music, It Happened One Night, The Goonies and the Indiana Jones series
Favorite TV shows: Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, Seinfeld, Family Guy
Favorite music: "Thriller" (Michael Jackson), "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson), "Man in the Mirror" (Michael Jackson), "Holiday" (Madonna), "Like a Virgin" (Madonna), "Flashing Lights" (Kanye West), "Hips Don't Lie" (Shakira), "Good Life" (Kanye West), "Irreplacable" (Beyonce) and "Calle Ocho" (Pitbull)
Hobbies: traveling, cooking, baking, watching movies and going for coffee with the girls
My family comes from a small town in Portugal where fitness was never emphasized. The motto was to “live life to its fullest,” but this often met indulging in delicious food that’s not necessarily healthy.
When my family immigrated to Canada, I was a curious and active six-year-old. We were always outside, whether we were picking vegetables in the fields of the farms near Simcoe, where we lived, or going out for a day of family fun at the winter fair. My passion for fitness grew from a desire to find even more challenging physical activities.
While growing up, I stayed active and played many sports including: cross-country skiing, tennis, soccer, basketball, baseball, badminton and volleyball. I started going to aerobics classes and step classes when I was 14. I began to develop a passion for fitness and started to learn about healthy eating. I loved being active and enjoyed wakeboarding, skiing and hiking outdoors.
When I was about 18, I started to get into weight training, but I was always afraid of becoming bulky and muscular, so I only would do a few dumbbell exercises. It wasn’t until a few years ago where I started to really learn more about the benefits of weight training and how much it can really change a woman’s physique yet still keep her healthy feminine curves.
I competed in my first fitness modeling competition in October 2006. To my surprise, I came 5th. I loved how it motivated to keep me dedicated to the gym and healthy eating. I competed in my first SAF competition in November 2007 in the open Fitness Model model category where I came 4th. I found it to be a very well-run show featuring woman who were role models for how I wanted to look.
I have since competed two more times with SAF, one of which was in June of 2008 where I placed 3rd in the Fitness Model category and became part of the SAF Elite. I also competed in the 2009 SAF Elite Championship.
At each SAF show, I have been blown away by the positive atmosphere and beautiful woman. It is such an honor to be part of the SAF Elite with some of the most beautiful woman in the fitness industry. I believe SAF truly is an organization that is a motivator for real woman in terms of proper nutrition and healthy lifestyle.
Sometimes it is difficult to find the time to stay focused on living a healthy and well-balanced lifestyle. There are times when I have struggled juggling working 12-hour shifts as a nurse and being a nurse practitioner student at university. This is when I look at the woman of SAF to keep me focused on the overall goal of just living the best and healthiest and positive life you can!
|
