Tell us a little about yourself!
Well, Hi haha Im Mona-Jane Hannemann. Born and raised, and I guess a proud Kiwi girl (New Zealand). It was a dream of mine to visit Hawaii, and love had me settle here and its truly some sort of Paradise. I love the ocean and that has definitely grown in many ways from living here. Im a mum, wife, nature obsessed, fitness addict and adrenaline junkie, always looking for some kind of adventure that hopefully involves ice cream along the way.
What inspired you to get into health?
I have always been active and into sports my whole life because I purely just enjoyed and thrived off it. As I got older I became more aware of 'health' as opposed to just being sporty or active. Through the different sports I played and their differing physical demands, I became more intrigued by the bodies ability to do certain things. So I guess in a way it has always been in me to be interested by it all, but as I got older I was able to recognize how it made me feel and how being active has a positive effect on my overall wellbeing. But it wasn't till I was married and pregnant that I had more of a desire to better my whole well being and overall health. Physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually etc. I guess having a family and children inspires me to be the best version of myself so that I can be what I need to be to raise these little spirits and be there for them. How can I look after others if Im not looking after myself?
What are your tips to living a simple life?
-Remember there is always someone worse off, I think this helps to always be grateful for what you have and helps you to focus on necessities vs wants.
-Make the most of what is freely available to you; nature, ocean, park benches for workouts, fruit trees etc
- Make goals, write them down, have them in a place you can see often. Helps to keep your daily doings and purchases in perspective. Is it getting you closer to your goal or not?
-When you buy something new, get rid of something.
-Create routine or daily rituals, but be open to spontaneity.
- Dont compare yourself or your things to others. There is no problem with striving to be better or looking up to someone as inspiration, but I like to visualize imaginary walls, blocking you from seeing anyone else and ask yourself if it is still something you would want to do for yourself.
-Drink water!
What do you like to do in your free time?
I guess most people know I like to workout haha. But I dont really consider that free time since its always part or my day. Other than that I love to get outside and feel the sun. I love to surf with my boys and friends, we try to get in the water everyday if there's waves, otherwise just beaching it is a must. If it's a beautiful day it feels incomplete if we don't at least get in the ocean. I enjoy hiking and exploring new places, and love to go on bike ride adventures, usually to get an ice cream or smoothie somewhere haha.
What would your advice be to someone who is just getting into fitness?
I am so passionate about the benefits that exercise could have on you. It should be something that you enjoy doing-not a punishment, and has the ability to upgrade your life on multiple levels. That doesn't mean it shouldn't be challenging, but it is a time that you give yourself to work on yourself. Give it a chance, be patient with it, and find what it is you love to do!
-Find something you enjoy! If you don't start with something you enjoy then you probably wont commit and will get burnt out. So find that activity be it dancing, swimming, bike riding, whatever it is and have that be the base of your cardio foundation, then go on to build and strengthen from there.
-Do it with a friend! First off its a cool way to catch up, but having someone to rely on, and someone relying on you to show up definitely makes it easier to commit and get out of bed, or get going. Also, someone to push you, and enjoy and share the journey with.
-Invest in yourself! Though you don't need the fanciest gears to get the job done, treating yourself to some nice workout gears will get you excited and feeling good about your new adventure.
How do you balance your health goals and being a busy mom?
To be quite honest I am still trying to figure out this whole balancing act. Im not the greatest at it, sometimes it gets overwhelming trying to be on top of everything to my best ability, and my personality hates doing half pie jobs. So I would rather not do something if I'm not going to put a good effort into it ha. So yeah a lot of times things like emails or blogging etc and even washing haha get neglected. When we are on the go I definitely am more focused on being present where we are, enjoying things with my family instead of computer work. We are usually doing alot more active leisurely activities instead of structured workouts which is always nice, but I love to go on runs in new towns and cities to explore it and if Im feeling the need I will just do a quick 20-30min sweat wherever we are. When we are home I try my best to stick to our seemingly organized chaos routine haha. For me getting in my workouts first thing in the morning is key, that way the rest of the day I can focus on my son when he is up and getting his energy out, and then when he naps I try to get work done, and then when he goes down at night its like my productive person comes out and thats when I get most things done. Its definitely a work in progress, and have realized the need to set timelines or allocate time to specific things otherwise they will get neglected for ages (like this interview haha).
Favorite ways to destress and relax?
Exercise always does it for me! Chemically it makes sense as exercise increases your endorphins which makes you happier! I like to get outdoors when I’m stressed or frustrated, breathe the fresh air, run, surf or swim in the ocean. It calms me and breaks me away from the chaos.
All photos by our favorite Heather Goodman