Meet Vanesa Zuluaga
My name is Vanesa, I am 29 years old. I was born in Colombia, but I came to the USA at a very young age. English was hard for me to learn!! I recently moved to NJ. I have a twin brother, and my mom is a twin as well! I know usually doesn’t happen, lol, but here we are…
So, before my fitness journey, at a young age I felt in love with soccer. I played so well. I played every day! My dream was to become a pro soccer player. I was in the journey to do so. I played middle high school, and I was given a scholarship to play at a college, but then my junior year I got injured during a game. I was out for senior year and lost my scholarship. Still, I wanted to keep this journey, so I kept playing with friends. A year later I met with some people who had connections with a pro soccer team and wanted me to try out for them. Well, I took the chance, but that morning as I was playing (very well too), it happened again. I felt the same click as the one day during junior year! Well, this time around it was worse! Since I didn’t have anything done the first time it happened, now I got results back I needed surgery for ACL, meniscus and cartilage!
As years went by and I was going through my rehab from my injury, I met a guy name Julio. He was a bodybuilder. I had just been clear to train aain, but I was in a very bad place where I was giving up on everything. Soccer was my dream. I didn’t see anything else. Well, Julio came to talk to me and mentioned fitness, but I took it as a joke. I never though I would be lifting weights again. I couldn’t even walk right. I had crutches... Let alone eat 6 meals a day! Lol im Colombian. I eat plantains and arepas! Once I gave this a try, IT CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER!!! I found a path. I, myself, can help people mentally and physically.
"I always knew I wanted to help people."
You know that saying, "You don’t know what you have until its gone.” Well, I know what is like not to be able to walk, bend your knee, to need help to get up out of bed. Every day I train I feel blessed and lucky to be able to do it! I thank God I have another day, and I get to train.
Sure thing there are days that I'm tired, that I don’t feel like training, but I take days off as they are necessary, mentally too. That’s normal, but I get right back on schedule the next day!
What is the best thing that has happened to you as a result of prioritizing your health?
Health starts with food. It is so important. I say this because now-a-days it is so easy to get involved in fad diets, unhealthy paths, etc...
In a way, food feeds our soul. The best thing is feeling great, being energized, and having motivation. If you prioritize your health, the benefits are incredible. Your energy is different. Your momentum and your drive in life is different!
If you could tell your younger self one thing, what would it be?
My younger self was a little crazy. I lived in Miami, and I loved to dance!! I had the Miami life. I partied. I didn’t care about food. I was a very good student always, but I drank with friends. It's not something I regret because I never got into any trouble or anything. It was something in my life I had to get out of my system, I guess. I don’t feel like I miss that stage in my life anymore, but I would tell a younger me to start caring about health and START TO LIFT!!!!!! I feel like my muscles would be more defined right now!! Haha!
"I would tell a younger me to start caring about health and START TO LIFT!!!!!"
How do you fit exercise into your schedule?
So, I've had to do it all trying to fit exercise into my schedule. I've worked retail, I've worked at a gym, I've worked 9-5 schedules, I've worked overnight…. I've done it all. One thing Julio taught me was to prepare and be ready, otherwise you prepare to fail!
So, I cook all my meals 1 day and have them ready. Sometimes I have done 2 workouts a day. I split the workouts if I had to. I had late nights, early mornings.
At this moment in my life, I just bought a house. I always wanted to have a gym, so I made my whole basement a gym! So I train and do my cardio there!
I have clients that are steady, so I have a few in the AM and then a few in the afternoon. I workout in between sometimes. If I do have a client during the day, then I would train in between and do my cardio after my last client of the day!
PLAN PLAN PLAN!
I like workout out with a schedule of a certain muscle a day! I can't get myself into doing CrossFit training often. I like to be on my zone, lift at my pace, and if I like a certain exercise I want to do more sets then I can do!
I love to travel and eat food!!!!!!!!
My ideal day would be wake up train, go out on a boat to some island, eat some good food, stay the night...EAT SUSHI! lol
Now if you talk about ideal week, I would definitely travel somewere every week. I love learning new cultures and food, and every time I travel anywere, I find their gym. It is cool seeing the equipment they come up with and way that other countries train!
SUSHIIIII!!!!!!! And I love dessert... Chocolate everything!!!
What is on your fitness playlist?
OH, I listen to everything. Every time I post my workout videos, my background music goes from reggaetón to salsa then house music. There can be some hip hop in there. Lol, It's everywhere!
What is your favorite Purus Labs stack, and how do you use it?
Every morning I take my Probiotics with half serving of L-Carnitine!
If I am training after my second meal. I take my D-Pol with Condense pre workout with my second meal.
While I train I have 1 scoop of Everyday Amino!
If I am not hungry after training I take 1 scoop of Myofeed
If I do eat right away then I leave the Myofeed or Ketofeed for my 6th meal of the day, since it is a lighter meal, before bed!
I love to do my Myofeed with oatmeal in the AM, too.
I switch it up depending on the day and what I am training!
I take 10g of Glutamine every day. 5g before I train, 5 after I train.
These are my every day supps. The others I add on. For example, NOXygen I use when I train shoulders and arms.
"...Prepare, and be ready. Otherwise, you prepare to fail!"
Follow Vanesa on Instagram!
Follow Vanesa on Instagram!