Adriana Lima is no stranger to the fitness world, which is why it seems perfectly natural that she’s come on board as PUMA‘s newest brand ambassador.

Last year, Lima ended a 19-year stint as a model for Victoria’s Secret, a gig that required a rigorous health and fitness routine to maintain a certain body-standard.

Although fitness is a huge part of her life, Lima struggled to find a regime that worked for her. Here she is in conversation with Cosmopolitan:

“Working out and sports have always been part of my life,” she says, although not every type of exercise has stuck. She’s tried aerobics, lifting weights, yoga, you name it, but it wasn’t until she took up boxing when she was 19 that she found her fitness calling.

At PUMA’s Mode XT event in Miami in December last year, Lima strapped on her gloves and sparred with her coach Dino Spencer, and later with Olympic champion and fellow PUMA ambassador Usain Bolt.

“The first time I saw boxing in my life, I was six years old,” Lima said. “My mom’s friend came into the house and brought boxing gloves, and this lady to me was the coolest woman.” She finally tried it out herself when she was 19 and never looked back.

“It wasn’t easy, but I wanted to challenge myself to learn. I’m 37 now so almost 20 years ago back in the day, boxing wasn’t really known for women, and I believe that now it’s different. It’s global. I felt very empowered after learning the combinations, and then I could see how strong I can be. I never saw myself like that, so it really gave me confidence.”

Lima loves the intense full-body workout, alongside the benefits of improved core strength and better balance.

Although she said she’s not one to compare, she thinks [women] are more technical than men when it comes to boxing.

“I think we are better with coordination,” she says. “It takes a lot of coordination to be moving your legs a certain way and your arms a certain way, and I think we have that on our side naturally.”

The PUMA Mode TX shoe is the perfect companion to Lima’s training routine. The full-length PROFOAM midsole, which provides lightweight rebound, combined with its HYBRID Foam, makes your workout experience more comfortable and effective.

The Mode XT is designed to endure weight training, strength training and callisthenics as well. You can see it in action below:

To find the perfect companion to your training regime, whether you’re a yogi or a badass boxer, start by visiting PUMA SELECT to check out the full range of products available in South Africa.

[source:cosmopolitan]