Mona-Jane Hannemann is living an idyllic life with her three-year-old son Roca and husband Max in the rolling hills of Hawaii.
But the 25-year-old, who is originally from New Zealand, is just like every other mother – trying to find time to exercise while avoiding all the ‘junk’ food we know shouldn’t be eaten.
‘For most of my life I’ve been known to eat heaps, and I mean HEAPS, of sweets, chocolate and ice cream,’ she writes on her website, Rocamoon.
Mona-Jane Hannemann is living an idyllic life with her three-year-old son Roca and husband Max in the rolling hills of Hawaii
But after her husband challenged her to cut out ice cream for five weeks, Mona-Jane decided to improve her diet and keep her body moving.
And the results are obvious.
The energetic mother has the abdominal muscles of someone who works out at the gym every day – but she has a much more realistic approach to health and wellness.
But the 25-year-old, who is originally from New Zealand, is just like every other mother – trying to find time to exercise while avoiding all the ‘junk’ food we know shouldn’t be eaten
‘For most of my life I’ve been known to eat heaps, and I mean HEAPS, of sweets, chocolate and ice cream,’ she writes on her website, Rocamoon
‘What I eat is a rather tricky thing to put my finger on because I kind of just go with the flow for the most part and don’t plan too much, plus I love variety and usually eat what I feel like in that moment,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘I’d say I have a more holistic approach in regards to diet and nutrition. While my diet is far from perfect, I try to eat as whole and natural as possible.
‘I believe in moderation and don’t cut any specific food groups out. I’m not one to eat a lot of meat but if I do it’s usually seafood, I’m not a huge fan of red meat.
‘I try to eat organic where I can, but it can be expensive sometimes. I also try my best to get the nutrients I need from food as opposed to supplements or pills – mother nature knows best, right?’
But if she were to try and configure an average day on her plate, Mona-Jane said it usually begins with either a smoothie or toast for breakfast (pictured with Max)
And while the day is a good balance of healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates, she’ll happily reach for the sweets come dessert
But if she were to try and configure an average day on her plate, Mona-Jane said it usually begins with either a smoothie or toast for breakfast.
‘I snack on fruit throughout the day, maybe a salad, sandwich, leftovers or smoothie bowl for lunch and dinner is usually salad and veggies sometimes with rice or tacos are a favourite,’ she said.
And while the day is a good balance of healthy fats, protein and carbohydrates, she’ll happily reach for the sweets come dessert.
‘Ice cream, chocolate or something,’ she said. ‘If I’m trying to be extra clean i’ll have an RxBar or ‘nice cream’.
But she balances it out with her fast paced life – which mostly includes being outdoors and encouraging her son to move
‘Exercise is a huge part of me and what I love to do, whether its a structured workout or just doing active things throughout the day,’ she said
Mona-Jane likes to mix up her training with pilates, hiking and surfing
But she balances it out with her fast paced life – which mostly includes being outdoors and encouraging her son to move.
‘Exercise is a huge part of me and what I love to do, whether its a structured workout or just doing active things throughout the day,’ she said.
‘I try to get my workout in first thing in the mornings before my husband leaves for work so that he is home with my son and because it is less likely to happen if I don’t do it first thing.
‘So that often means early morning wake up calls for me. Otherwise I just get my son involved with me at home, which is usually a HIIT workout of some sort because they are quick and get your heart pumping and sweat going.
‘I try to get my workout in first thing in the mornings before my husband leaves for work so that he is home with my son and because it is less likely to happen if I don’t do it first thing,’ she said
‘If it’s too busy to get a structured workout in, or Roca’s not really feeling it, we enjoy going on bike rides and runs, a swell as surfing and hiking to get the body moving,’ she continued
‘If it’s too busy to get a structured workout in, or Roca’s not really feeling it, we enjoy going on bike rides and runs, a swell as surfing and hiking to get the body moving.
‘When Roca was a little smaller he was great to use as extra weight resistance but now that he is a bit bigger I try to get him to copy along with me to keep him occupied.
‘On runs he usually enjoys bringing his bike along for the first part, and then he’ll get into the stroller, which is often where he ends up falling asleep.’
As a family they’re often at the beach or exploring the many fruit stands and bakeries on the island.
If she had to choose her favourite all over exercise it would be the burpee – which targets your core, triceps, biceps, quads and glutes.