Photo: Erin Oprea. (USANA Health Sciences)
USANA’s newest Fitness Ambassador, Erin Oprea, also holds the titles of mom, author, former U.S. Marine and celebrity trainer.
Oprea’s passion for fitness served her well in the military, which she joined because, in her words, it looked like fun. “I joined the U.S Marines when I was 20 and loved getting into trouble during boot camp,” Oprea said in the company’s announcement. “I couldn’t help but enjoy a little bonus amount of push-ups. I don’t think they realized that I was completely okay with their ‘punishments.’ ”
She would go on to serve two tours in Iraq, becoming the first female platoon leader to be attached to the infantry in a war zone. In addition to discipline and structure, the military taught Oprea that a solid workout does not require fancy equipment. “Getting in your exercise when and where you can is very important, and it’s more than likely never in a gym. Fifteen minutes here or 30 minutes there will have to suffice,” said Oprea.
The Nashville-based fitness guru shares her approach to healthy living in a book, The 4 x 4 Diet: 4 Key Foods, 4-Minute Workouts, Four Weeks to the Body You Want, released last year by Random House. The foreword was penned by country music star Carrie Underwood, who has trained with Oprea for years.
Explaining what drew her to USANA, Oprea points to the quality of the company’s ingredients, as well as its versatile product offerings. “I am a big fan of being able to modify what I eat to stay consistent with how I want to stay healthy. USANA gives me that flexibility in their products.” One of the newest innovations from the nutrition company is MySmartFoods, a line of protein shakes and bars that allows customers to pick and choose the proteins, flavors and nutrient boosters that work for them.
