of Odebrecht Infraestrutura (Infrastructure), where she works, she joined a running group that is accompanied by a professional sports counselor. What started out as a hobby has become such a commitment that racing is part of her life. “The professionals in the group give me important tips, which make me run even better! Foot placement, pace, eating habits, and learning how my body responds to all this,” she says. “I didn’t know the difference between lean and fat body mass and their importance for performance and wellbeing. I only cared about the numbers on the scales.” Exercising has become a pleasure, says Izabela, who lives in Belo Horizonte. “Everything in my life has improved. Today, I eat better, have more energy, sleep soundly, and, of course, there’s my body’s response.” Married with one daughter, Izabela has shared her new habits with her family. She has even managed to encourage her once-sedentary husband to follow in her footsteps. “He’s changed his eating habits, lost 30 kilos (about 66 pounds), works out at the gym, and now we go running together!” she says,
The pool is his second home “Love” is the word André Mombach uses to describe what he feels for swimming. It all started when he went to a birthday party as a child. The house had a pool, and
Sérgio Silveira: plans to row until he’s 75
photos: Ricardo Chaves
clearly pleased with the outcome.
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the kids decided to take a dip. André plunged in too, but he couldn’t swim. “I almost drowned, and my mother immediately signed me up for swimming lessons.” That’s how this love story began. The pool has become his second home. During the toughest period of training, he used to wake up at 4 am in the harsh cold of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, and practice every day. But he didn’t complain. “When I’m in the water, I go into a meditative state. I think about life. I come up with good ideas for my work and studies,” says Mombach, 20, a Braskem Laboratory Analyst who is working towards a degree in Power Engineering. In 2009, during Carnival on the Rio Grande do Sul coast, he and his friends were frolicking in the ocean when one of them strayed from the group and “fell” into a pit in the sea floor. If Mombach hadn’t swum against the current to get him out of there, that story would have had a tragic ending. Swimming is part of Mombach’s life. He had a brilliant career as a young athlete, and racked up the scores he needed to compete in the adult category in national
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