We had a sit-down Q & A session with the amazing Zama Chonco, She is one of the best examples of balancing one's life we’ve ever come across, she answers our questions in her very colorful but at times serious personality. Scroll down and start reading an leave a comment below about Zama in the comment section.
1. Based on your career how strict do you have to be with yourself in maintaining set body weight?
Well I’m a lawyer so my career doesn’t really get affected by my weight, its more my brain that clients are interested in. But from a yoga instructor perspective, the great thing about yoga is that Every Body is a "Yoga Body".... so as long as I keep fit and able to demonstrate poses I don't need to maintain a particular weight.
2. What does it take for you to stay consistent and focused on building your body? My focus is to be healthy and comfortable with my body and in my own skin. Life is too short not to drink that glass of wine and eat that slice cake so I just try keep it balanced. I eat healthy most of the time and work out as often as possible.
3. How do you make time to work out and body build? Its pretty difficult during the week with my demanding day job so its usually one or two classes a week after work. Then weekend early morning Hot Yoga classes. When possible I boxing on a Wednesday morning. I’m trying to explore different types of exercise as well so I attend some Barre classes and hope to try pole dancing soon.
4. What is your daily routine like? I wake up make my green breakfast smoothie and head to the office around 8h30. If its a good day I go to yoga at 6h30 for a 90 minute class. If I don’t have to go back to the office I'll head home and have a balanced dinner and catch up on some series.
5. What did it take for you to get to the body type and weight you are in now? I gaat it from my momma lol. No seriously I'm grateful for my genes. My siblings and I did a lot of sport growing up. I did gymnastics and dancing which both require and foster strength and flexibility and instill a lot of self discipline which is great but also in my case not the most positive self image. So I have had to stop looking at the number on the scale and rather focus on how I feel in my body.
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6. When things get difficult and you feel like giving up what do you say to yourself to keep going?
I am competitive and a bit of a perfectionist so I enjoy knowing that im doing a yoga pose (asana) correctly or finishing a run within a certain time. But the biggest part of my journey thus far has been to accept that each day is different, some days I'll crush it some days I'll crawl through it and the only competition I am in is with myself.
7. What do you consider hardship?
Hardship is experiencing suffering or difficult circumstances... in yoga you are encouraged to find comfort in discomfort. You are acutely aware of the discomfort and acknowledge it and find a way move through it without it consuming you. Hardship is the same.
8. How did you get through the worst thing that has happened to you?
Therapy! Family and friends are fantastic and critical support systems in life. But some in for some battles you need the sounding board of a completely neutral third party who's sole is to listen without judgment and help you find a way to help yourself out of a dark place.
9.Do you have a motto you live by?
"The only way out is through"... its the tattoo on my ankle.
10. If you could give a younger version yourself advice what would you say?
Love yourself, Be curious, Not everyone is going to like you, you are not money,
Invest in yourself continually...your mind, your body and your spirit, Play to your strengths,
Invest in your core relationships... the grass is greener where you water it,
Don’t take people to seriously... they mostly have their own shit going on,
Laugh loud, laugh long, laugh often, Be grateful for all your experiences bad and good,
Give with an open heart.
11. Tell us a little more about yourself?
I’m a self propelled quirky individual who is on a continuous journey of self discovery.
My journey thus far has lead to be an admitted Attorney, Notary and Conveyance with a masters degree in commercial law. My sporting background in gymnastics and dancing is probably the reason yoga has been a pretty natural fit for me and my fitness journey. As yoga is a moving meditation it also helps center me and given me space to create more space for self discovery which was unexpected. This lead to me completing my 200 HR Yoga Teacher Training last year. I am still building up the confidence and creating the time and space in my life to actually start teaching yoga.
12. What motivates you?
The desire to be better than I was yesterday. My siblings. They are pretty awesome individuals who truly understand me, inspire and motivate me to push through and most of all remind me that regardless, I am enough!
13. How do you personally define pain?
Pain is a reminder that this is life. Its extreme discomfort that forces you to stop and adjust or you adapt. The trick might be learning when to adjust and when to adapt.
14. How do you personally define joy?
Joy for me is the feeling of being perfectly and incandescently happy.
15. What is your end goal?
I'm not sure I have an end goal - none of us are making it out of here alive....but I do have a constant goal...... to be happy. To be happy with WHO I am; to be happy with WHAT I have achieved. To be grateful for the time I have here on this earth and those I get to share it with.


