ZAMANTHA QUINTOS

Crissy Thibodeau and my cousin, Hugo Vazquez.

Crissy is a great motivator to eat healthily. She teaches us easy ways to do this. Also, she makes exercise fun and always has encouraging words to say.

I am co-owner of Quality Tile, with my husband, Luis.

I am married.

My fitness goal is to be my healthiest self and to help others be healthy too.

I was born in Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico. In 1984. I played volleyball, was a majorette, and a cheerleader. I went to college at Universidad Autonoma de Tamaulipas, in 2001. I married my husband, Luis, in 2006. I was in the hospitality field and Luis was a computer engineer. We started our family in 2008. We now have 3 beautiful children, Jayden, Valentina, and Alanna. We came to America in 2013 for a safer and happier life. We now own a title company, in Florida. Even though it is a completely different career than what we had in Mexico, we are happy and safe.

For my training plan, I did a consistent full-body workout, with weights 2 hours per day,  I did 1 hour of Zumba and additional cardio six days a week.

I like to incorporate HIIT when I need intense cardio.

Liquid carnitine and Revolution thermogenics and Magnum Quattro protein.

I dance with my whole heart!

Since I was very young, my dad would say, “No matter what you are doing, ALWAYS give it your best.” Now as an adult, when I feel like I cannot do something, I remember his words, and give it my all!. My mom led by example. She has been in 3 major car accidents. Each time, even though she was given a bad diagnosis, she has proven, with persistence, nothing is impossible.

Status is not full of fitness models like other magazines. They feature “real life” people, living a healthy lifestyle.

It would be an honor to represent my country.

Would he ever consider doing an “Around the World” edition, featuring athletes from different countries?

Warren immediately made me feel comfortable.

-I am a perfectionist and like everything in its place.

-I love to sing even though I am a terrible singer.

-I cannot hide my emotions.

-I love the smell of the rain.

-I love to decorate.

-I enjoy going to ranches and horseback riding.

My biggest inspiration is my cousin, Hugo Vazquez because of his dedication to bodybuilding. Another inspiration is my friend Amber McLean. Her transformation story inspired me. Also, all the women at Thibod inspire me. Regardless of age, they are strong and healthy.

I wish to inspire all the people who are out of shape or have a medical condition. Just because they are overweight or have an injury or condition doesn’t mean that they cannot make healthy changes. If I did it, they can too!

A few years ago, I was in a terrible car accident that ruptured discs in my back. It took a year and surgery to walk again. Because I could not walk, I gained a lot of weight and was very depressed. I was in terrible pain and even strong painkillers did not help. The pills made me feel overmedicated and forgetful. I started to distract myself with social media. Every day, I would notice my cousin, Hugo Vazquez´s motivational posts about his training for his bodybuilding competitions. He showed how fitness could be exciting and made it look easy. I got excited about the thought of working out and told my family. They said I was crazy and discouraged it. I knew that I needed to get off the pain pills to show my family that I was serious. It was a battle and I hurt all the time. I stopped taking the pain pills and persisted in telling my family that I wanted to work out. They would say I was crazy. I kept saying it, until one day I decided to show them that I could do it, and I did. Hugo guided me and gave me a training program and a meal plan. He encouraged me and told me to not give up. I have been at the gym almost every day since then and have lost 40  lbs.  From the beginning of my fitness journey, I have loved the gym and Crissy’s Zumba class. From the first day, everyone at the gym, made me feel comfortable and like family. They motivated me and pushed me to do better and get stronger.  I realized I would much rather feel the pain from muscle soreness than the pain from injury. My cousin got me to start the gym, but once I was there, Joe and Crissy made me want to continue showing up. They motivated me and taught me about consistency. And with Crissy, I learned that exercise can be so fun!

My life goals are to further my knowledge about fitness and nutrition and helping others do that too, especially in the Spanish speaking community. I would love to help with this, one day. I would also love to own a gym, in Mexico.

1. Perseverance always brings its reward

2. With effort and dedication, nothing is impossible.

3. You can be your own inspiration.

4. It is never too late to start dreaming big.

5. Dreams are always achieved when you believe and fight for them.

I listen to J Lo and Reggaeton while training and anything on my Latin music playlist.

Some of my favorite actors are Salma Hayak and Sandra Bullock, Vadhir Derbez, Eugenio Derbez, Dwayne Johnson, Bruce Willis, Nicolas Cage, and Kevin Costner. One of my favorite movies is “Instructions Not Included” and “The Game Plan.”

Some of my favorite books are the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyers, and “A Beautiful Question” by Frank Wilczek.

1. Authenticity

2. Perseverance

3. Generosity

4. Respect

5. Loyalty

I would tell children to start out with one hour daily of physical activity. If weight training, to always have knowledgeable adult supervision, to prevent injury.

“With love and patience, nothing is impossible.”

“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.”

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do, are in harmony.”

“The best dreams happen when you’re awake.”

“The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.”