Young moms Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante and Chantal Umali: Self-care is sexy

There’s something you hardly see in one sentence: the words “sexy” and “mom.”

To illustrate, 26-year-old actress Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante mimics the stereotypical grumpy mother who has let herself go: “‘When I had you, I stopped work, I didn’t go out with my friends, kaya ako tumaba dahil kaka-alaga sa iyo!’” Last spotted as Medium Allison in the 2015 Tony Awards Best Musical Fun Home in Manila and mother of a seven-year-old daughter, she elaborates, “To be a good mom, you have to give everything and forget about yourself: cook, clean, make money for the household, you stay up looking after the kids, help the kids do their projects.”

Chantal Umali, former child star of Tender Juicy Hotdog’s “He loves me, he loves me not” campaign and TGIS fame-turned-ashtangi and yoga guru at Yoga Philippines — herself the single mother of an eight-year-old daughter — agrees. “We are so unkind to women in this country; we’re so hard on them when they try to help themselves. Especially when you’re a mom and you spend money or time to take care of yourself, people judge you because they think you should spend any extra resource you have on your kids.”

With the two onboard in the recently unveiled Marie France campaign, their success story is a message of empowerment for mothers — and all women: that “sexy” is how we can keep giving more of ourselves to what we truly care for.

THE PHILIPPINE STAR: What is your personal definition of “sexy”?

CHANTAL UMALI: A person who is very comfortable with her own body and looks in the mirror and is kind to her body. If you look in the mirror and you like what you see, that’s a sexy body.

MIKKIE BRADSHAW-VOLANTE: Being slimmer or heavier isn’t what makes you sexier. It is not a shape or a size; it’s an attitude. There will come a time that you want to change certain things, and that’s fine. Also, something that I found out recently as a mother is that sexy is being kind to other women, ’cause we got to look out for each other.

CHANTAL: Yes! As if being skinny gives people license to be mean to those who are not.

Chantal Umali’s favorite Marie France treatment is Varapulse, a radiofrequency machine that melts fat on the legs and thighs.

As mothers, why was it important for you to feel sexy?

CHANTAL: When you’re a mom, all the more you should be taking care of yourself. I don’t want my daughter to think that when she has a boyfriend, husband, or partner, she can let herself go. Being with someone isn’t the goal. When you are happy with who you are, you give your children permission to be happy with who they are when they’re at the same age.

MIKKIE: You need to be the best version of yourself for your kids. They’re going to mirror that. Little girls in this age are up against so much pressure to look a certain way, act a certain way. I want to be able to show my daughter that I can be happy with who I am, healthy and happy, just by being the best version of myself.

Can you walk us through the journey that led to this weight loss?

CHANTAL: As a Filipino kid, your mom stuffs you to show you that she loves you. I was overweight all my life. While I was still doing TV shows growing up, sinasabi nila, “Ay di ka nila kukunin kasi mataba ka.” There was so much pressure to be at a certain size, and I couldn’t get to that size. Parang mental torture. So sabi ko, “Huwag na lang, ayoko na.”

I had postpartum depression in 2011; I was overweight, so I said I was going to improve myself. I started my yoga practice, which helped, I felt better, but the weight loss plateaued. I was working out, I was eating right, but I wasn’t losing weight. Genetics is a factor. Also, when you’re not eating the right food at the right time, it messes up your system.

I had done everything I could to address my issues, so when Marie France said they could help, I was scared for them, not for me. When you come to Marie France, they let you see a doctor, a nutritionist, show you your problem areas, then the treatments they can do. I went into it really hopeful but not expectant. I woke up one day, six weeks into the program, and my problem areas were responding rapidly.

MIKKIE: I’ve suffered eating disorders since I was very young. I had developed acid reflux from all the vomiting, which damaged my vocal cords. I’ve been on diets pretty much my whole life and I work in an industry where I put myself on display all the time. I’m my own product.

Over the last two years, it got more difficult for me to lose the weight. If I wasn’t doing a show that wasn’t dance-intensive, it wasn’t going to happen for me. It got to a point where, before stepping onstage, I would think, “Pull up more, suck in your tummy, wear higher-heeled shoes.” Before that, the stage was where I felt most comfortable. It was my home, my happy place.

I got so desperate that I was scheduling my liposuction — to hell with all the complications — and then I got a call from Marie France. The universe conspired to stop me! There were comments that this doesn’t work and I was one of those people. Why not a treadmill instead? But I was so wrong. I’ve never gotten these kinds of results, especially targeted results in my legs, with anything else.

What are your favorite treatments in your four-month program?

CHANTAL: Varapulse, a radiofrequency to melt the fat where they just rub my legs and thighs. It doesn’t feel like anything so I was kind of worried that it’s not going to work, but so far that treatment has been the best I’ve had. It shed off a lot of fat from my legs. I also like Endermologie+ and TriPollar because it’s like a massage with a side effect of losing inches.

Mikkie Bradshaw-Volante likes the FMS Elite, which burns 1,000 to 2,000 calories in 30 minutes while she lies down and watches TV.

MIKKIE:  I like the FMS Elite. It’s like a cold, electronic rubber mat. If you get cold easily, it can be a little uncomfortable, but I don’t mind. I’m burning 1,000 or 2,000 calories in 30 minutes by just lying down, watching television — sure, why not? In the heat, even after an hour or two and everyone’s sweating, I still feel cool. Varapulse is also very effective on me.

Any celebratory wardrobe changes?

MIKKIE: I wore shorts for the first time. I walked out of the dressing room and my husband Nyoy said, “I missed your legs!”

CHANTAL: I’m wearing shorts today! My legs sagged before, so I had a bilbil on top of my knees. I went to the beach last week and nag-two-piece ako, girl! First time ko yun — ever!

Congratulations! With your busy schedules, were there any challenges sticking to the regimen?

CHANTAL: It’s an escape. It’s like a spa. You put a nice robe, you are being pampered, and the treatments feel so nice. It’s a nice opportunity to take a moment and meditate. I come in the afternoon to take naps!

MIKKIE: (Laughs) Are you kidding me? It’s like a treat! I come in the mornings to have the rest of the day open. It’s nice to just tune out. As moms, as people, it’s not easy to have the chance to just turn everything off and recharge. For me, this is it.

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