Nia Vardalos on how to stay healthy while parenting

Winnipeg’s
Nia Vardalos
(My Big Fat Greek
Wedding) is no
stranger to hard
work and hectic
schedules. But when
she and husband
Ian Gomez
(Cougartown)
adopted a
three-year-old
daughter in 2008,
motherhood really
tested her stamina.
How does she stay
healthy?

Before I shot My Life in Ruins, I was just not feeling well. I had to make some changes.
I lost weight, but losing weight is not the answer to everything. Then I became a mom,
and that’s when I really saw it.

In order to keep up with my daughter, I needed to make some changes. Adding vitamin
supplements – along with eating a healthy diet and exercising – led me to feel better and
sleep better.

Unlike many actresses, I do not have a fitness trainer or nutritionist. I just rely on
my doctor and advice I get from other people. If I responded to any pressure whatsoever
from Hollywood, I would have had a boob job and a nose job b y now!
– As told to Julie M. Green

Nia is a spokesperson for Life…Supplemented
(lifesupplemented.org) and author of the recently
published Instant Mom, a memoir of motherhood.

Originally published in ParentsCanada magazine, May/June 2013.