Angels Among Us: An Interview with Fitness Mom Sheryl Lau
This self-proclaimed “simple woman” is originally from Canton, Ohio, but moved to Austin, Texas in 1997 where she has been dropping jaws and client’s weight ever since. Sheryl Lau went to college at Purdue University initially on a scholarship as a Zoology major. She was the youngest of four siblings and had to work her way through college—paying for her own tuition after her scholarship money ran out. Due to the number of hours she was required to work as the assistant manager of a County Seat in Indiana while attending school, she decided to move back home to Canton, Ohio. At that point she went to Stark Technical College and received an Associates Degree as a Legal Secretary. Upon her return to Ohio, in 1991, she obtained her first Personal Training certification through the NGA. At that time, she used it minimally training a few clients at a local gym.
Sheryl’s fitness career really got started in 1997 when she moved to Austin, Texas. She had moved to Austin to live with her boyfriend who was a Professional Natural Bodybuilder in the WNBF. It was at this time that she got certified in Kickboxing and started training really hard to compete. As anyone knows, it isn’t easy to lead a lifestyle training and dieting for competition, but, when your significant other is dieting and competing at the same time, it makes it much easier. Sheryl Lau originally started out competing in bodybuilding, as the figure and bikini divisions were not around at that time. Her personal relationship ended after three years (as did her competing in bodybuilding), but during that time she received another personal training certification through ACE. Then a few years later she decided to continue her education and received a third certification through ISSA.
Over the next ten years, from 2000 to 2010 Sheryl Lau went through some rough times personally but was blessed to become a mother in 2003. During these ten years her life was devoted to mainly raising her beautiful daughter mostly as a single mother. Being a full-time mom and also working full-time as a manager of a fitness club was stressful but Sheryl knew what was best for her and her daughter. During the duration of her employment at this facility, she received further certifications as a Mat Pilates Instructor, a Spin instructor, and taught boot camps, as well as doing personal training. Sheryl Lau isn’t one to just settle—she pushes to be the best in everything she does. From the time her daughter was born until she turned five in 2008, being a single mother, her fitness level dropped to where she was mainly power walking and teaching classes. She had little time to make it to the gym as she has no family in Austin to help take care of her daughter. Sheryl Lau did what weights she could at home, but her priority was raising her child.
Sheryl Lau: Time For a Change
After her daughter turned five, and upon the suggestion of numerous friends, Sheryl Lau made the decision in January of 2008 to do something for herself. She decided it was time to focus on her for once, and she decided to compete that April in her first figure competition. She started training like a madwoman for the next four months. The day finally came to step on stage and at that time she didn’t so much love the competition itself, but she loved what she learned about her body during her training and loved the changes she saw during that time. From that point on, it truly became her lifestyle. It was during her progression over the months she trained to compete that she started working with some local photographers to capture the progress she had made with her physique. For the next two years she competed in both the NPC and the INBF and started working with numerous photographers to build her modeling portfolio.
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Modeling is challenging but rewarding to Sheryl. It was more something she fell into, as opposed to something she has always looked to do. The hardest part for Sheryl Lau is trying to figure out how to balance being a single mother, working full-time, making time to train and do cardio, and finding time to prep food. Because of this, she has found that she has to have some form of cardiovascular equipment in her house. With the equipment right there for her she is able to get up while her daughter is sleeping to get her cardio out of the way.
It’s More Than a Lifestyle for Sheryl Lau
When you realize how leading a healthy lifestyle enhances your life, it is not hard to continue. How could one not want to do something that enhances your relationships, makes you healthier, increases the longevity of your life, makes you feel better, sleep better, and look better? Sheryl Lau works for a company called Revelation Fitness as a coach and their Lead Client Manager. Revelation Fitness is a company that outlines 12-week programs for their clients to transform their lives and bodies. For her, she wants to be a role model for her clients. Sheryl mentioned how can she expect someone to look to her for advice in nutrition or respect her as their trainer if she doesn’t live the life she is asking them to lead?
Some kids think it’s weird that their parents don’t indulge in sweets, pizza, ice cream, and many other comfort foods. Her daughter loves what her mom does and is her biggest supporter. From her daughter’s birth, up until today, she has always seen the lifestyle she leads and knows how much effort she put into it. Sheryl Lau mentioned she has been blessed to have always worked for companies that allowed her daughter to be at work with her on occasion. She has actually gone with her on many occasions to train clients and teach classes over the past year. Her daughter is also active and loves to go on walks with Sheryl and always wants to be a part of her training when she can. There were mornings that her daughter actually asked her to get her up early when Sheryl got up to do cardio just so that she could do the same as her mother.
To maintain her jaw-dropping physique, Sheryl Lau trains six days a week. She is currently doing 40 to 50 minutes of cardio a day. These sessions are either done on an incline wearing a weighted vest on the treadmill, on a stepmill, or on an elliptical machine.
Her strength training is broken down as follows:
Monday – Legs
Tuesday – Shoulders and Chest
Wednesday – Back and Traps
Thursday – 2nd leg day consisting of shaping movements
Friday – Arms
Abs she trains on Tuesday and Friday.
Eating the right foods is crucial in having a tight, lean physique. Sheryl’s diet consists of chicken, tuna, eggs, turkey, lean beef occasionally, and Greek Yogurt as her protein. When competing, her protein sources are mainly eggs, chicken, turkey, and fish. Her carbs consist mainly of Ezequiel bread (when not competing), oatmeal, low-glycemic fruit, and sweet potatoes. Sheryl eats lots of spinach, green veggies, tomatoes, and avocadoes and almonds/almond butter for her fats.
In terms of foods that Sheryl Lau craves, she mentioned that she honestly doesn’t have many foods that she craves. Over the past few years, the foods that she used to crave no longer have their appeal. For her, she just enjoys being able to eat food when she wants it and the quantity that she wants. Two things that she does enjoy still and looks forward to eating when she can, is warm home-made sourdough bread when not dieting for a shoot or competition and Harvest Grain and Nut pancakes from IHOP (hungry yet?).
The future is very bright for this gorgeous fitness mom. Sheryl Lau would like to be involved in any project that would influence those that lead unhealthy lifestyles to change their thinking, look to the future, and make better decisions regarding their health for their own lives and for the lives of those that rely on them or love them. She just loves helping people and loves giving. If she can devote her time for the benefit of someone else, she is always willing.
A Stepping Stone During the Journey
Life isn’t always full of beautiful rainbows—sometimes it gives you lemons. According to Sheryl, 2011 was the worst year of her life. Not only had she just gone through her second divorce in November 2010, but 2011 was a rough year for her in many ways. Four weeks out from competing at the Emerald Cup last March, she had to stop training due to a heart condition. For someone who isn’t a quitter, it devastated her to be told that she had to stop her training, or she would be at risk of having heart surgery. She couldn’t possibly continue training when it might possibly affect her being able to take care of her daughter. Sheryl Lau was diagnosed with the condition when she was 21, but the medication that she was on stopped working and with the stress she was under due to personal reasons and the intense stress on the body from competing, her condition worsened. She felt like she had failed herself.
In June 2011 she was offered an amazing employment opportunity in Maryland. By herself, she packed up her home in Texas and moved to Montgomery Village, Maryland. After only six weeks she was offered her own facility to General Manage at Fitness First in Maryland. Due to how this move was affecting her daughter, she had to pack up her apartment in Maryland after only 6 weeks there and return to Austin. The adjustment was just too much for her daughter. She needed to live where she was close to both Sheryl and her father. Now, you would think that these events already were enough for one person to endure in a year by themselves with no family to support them, but upon her return from Maryland, Sheryl Lau was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She went through surgery and her surgery was followed up by radiation treatments.
She honestly hit the lowest point she has ever been at in her life last year. With the help of her friends and many angels that she feels God brought into her life last year, she was able to endure and come out a stronger person. Her life is much simpler now, her daughter is happy, she has a successful and rewarding career, but now she wants to tackle the things she feels like she had to quit or give up last year—her modeling and competing. Her goal this year is to be the best person that she can be at 41 and be the best role model she can be for her daughter and for the people that look up to her.
What Does the Future Hold?
In ten years, Sheryl Lau hopes to be running her own business. She spent the past 15 years trying to learn something from every person she encountered in the industry and in life and hopes to be able to put what she learned to good use. She is a firm believer that we should always be trying to better ourselves in some way daily. This may be physically, mentally, or spiritually. Regardless of whether or not she is able to pursue her own business, her goal, after everything she has been through and not knowing where her life would go when she was diagnosed with cancer, is to just live life healthy and happy. To Sheryl, life is all about the simple pleasures.
When asked if there is anyone she would like to thank for helping her get to where she is today she said:
“I first and foremost have to thank my parents. My folks live in Ohio, and honestly, I haven’t seen them in a year, but they are always there for me and have always supported me in my decisions. Fitness is not something that was ever big in their lives, but they are always behind me.
Secondly, I would have to thank my Uncle and my best friend, for always being there for me, in good times and bad. He is my biggest supporter, loves me for me, and would come running from New York at the drop of a pin to come to mine and my daughter’s aid if ever needed.
Next, I would like to thank the Angels that came into my life this past year to help me in many ways. I will not name them, as they know who they are. These Angels are people that were not in my life as friends at the time but became friends over the last few months, as they believed in me, and unselfishly did things for me in the lowest point in my life. If it wasn’t for these Angels, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I will forever be grateful to them and will live the rest of my life paying forward the many things that they did for me in my time of need.
Next, I would like to thank Ernesto Osorio as my trainer. Ernesto has such passion for the sport and this industry and has used this passion to enable many of his clients to reach their goals and dreams. After a year that was so full of disappointments for me, Ernesto is taking his passion for the sport and the industry and guiding me down the roads I need to take to reach my goals this year. I have full faith that with his guidance I will accomplish my goal of being in the best shape of my life at 41 years old that I can be, and will enable me to take my competing far this year as a Masters Figure competitor. Ernesto has taught me many things over the past few months and has an amazing way of pushing me to reach my full potential. I have a lot of respect for him as a friend and as a trainer. I couldn’t be in better hands.
Along with this, I want to thank every photographer I have ever worked with. I have learned something from all of you that I have been able to take with me to the next step in my career. I have been blessed to get the opportunity to work with some amazing talent. Tony Mitchell with OAMG, you honestly gave me the best experience I have ever had as a model and I so appreciate everything you taught me. You are so professional, both in your demeanor and in the end result. I look forward to working with you again.
I want to thank every client I have ever worked with, as each of you has taught me something about life or challenged me to improve my skills either as a human or as a trainer.
Mackenzie Paige, my beautiful daughter, I thank you for your love and support. You make me want to be the best woman and mother I can possibly be. Seeing a smile on your face every day is the driving force behind everything I do. I never want to let you down in any way.
And to my team that I work with at Revelation Fitness, I thank each and every one of you for your unique skills and strengths you each have. You all have taught or given me something that I have been able to use to become a better trainer. I thank you for your knowledge and for your support.”
*I conducted this interview on behalf of FitTreasures Magazine who has now gone out of business. The interview and title image was approved for use through its original use on the FitTreasure Magazine website.*
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