Mommy fittest

She used to be overweight, out of shape. But Maria Beall developed a spectacular body. She became an aerobics instructor and then a swimsuit model. She won the Mrs. Virginia America title, partly on the strength of her breathtaking figure.

How did she get into the shape of her dreams? We asked her that ourselves. And the answer was definitely not what we expected. "I had a baby," she said.

Please don't stop reading. There's more to her story, and we wouldn't want to mislead anyone who's looking around for a weight loss method.

At the HEARTalker exhibit at the 2000 Supershow

Having a baby isn't always the key to fitness, and some women have been heard to complain that motherhood ended their lean years for good.

What happened to Mrs. Beall was rather unusual. Giving birth caused her to lose an extraordinary amount of weight. "It was hard labor," she recalls.

But the thing that happened next was even more important. She decided to use the unexpected weight loss as an incentive to lose even more. She took up aerobics, and she got fitter and slimmer, and she molded herself into the woman she wanted to be.

Today, she's working on a degree in exercise science, and already has one in marketing). She holds five fitness certifications and is a fitness director, and she also works with her husband, a partner in a multi-million-dollar software firm. She has three children (her oldest son is now 14) and she's "living life to the fullest." And, of course, she's a beauty queen.

Having a baby was just the beginning. The real lesson you should learn from this vivacious Virginian is to work hard for what you really want in life and to take advantage of every opportunity to get it. That's what Maria Beall did, and that's why she looks the way she does.

So now you understand. We would never recommend having a baby as a way to lose weight. You should have a baby only for the right reasons, and if you want to change your body permanently, you have to change your life. So if you're thinking of getting pregnant just to lose a few pounds, you're being very foolish.

Especially if you're a man.

Heart photo by Joe Whiteko / PNB; other photos courtesy of Maria Beall