Bea Fabregas-Ramos' Tips For Moms Who Want To Start Working Out

Bea Fabregas-Ramos is known for being a fun and hands-on mom to Tyler (Beyonce’s friend!) and for her TikTok dances. But did you know she is a former tennis player? In an interview with Smart Parenting’s Editor-at-Large, Rica Parelejo-Bonifacio, Bea shared her journey into fitness and health.

Growing up in a fitness-oriented family

Bea grew up seeing her mom and dad being active. “My mom was a dancer and my dad played college tennis in the States. So I grew up seeing my parents working out,” she recalls. This early exposure deeply influenced her. “My dad always said, ‘When you start early, there’s a discipline you will have always.’ I feel that now more than ever. My motivation is I just know that my body needs this,” Bea reflects. Her parents’ active lifestyle set a strong foundation for her passion for fitness.

Bea said that she found another motivation when she became a mother, “I want to be healthy for my baby. And that’s what my parents were always saying, ‘Gumagalaw kami because we want to be healthy.’ My dad would say, ‘I want to run with my grandchildren, I want to be the active lolo.’”

Fitness as a personal journey

For Bea, fitness is deeply personal. “Working out and exercising are personal experiences for me,” she says. This is why she prefers not to work out with her husband, Nikko Ramos. “When I’m in shambles, I’m overwhelmed, I go back to movement. I’m just like I need to get this done, I just need to be able to focus on this task right now. And then everything will follow. So that’s why I like working out in the morning,” Bea shares. During the pandemic, she frequently posted workout stories, inspiring others with her commitment to health.

The transition to motherhood

After having her son Tyler, Bea had to adapt her fitness routine. “Right now, I have a regular routine because Tyler is at the age where he goes to school, so I have that two hours in my day. Tapos nasisingit ko yung workout ko dun,” she explains. However, the transition wasn’t easy. “I thought I knew how to balance everything, but motherhood is a different kind of exhaustion,” Bea admits. She had to learn to be gentle with herself, a stark contrast to her athlete mentality of pushing through no matter what.

Bea emphasizes the importance of finding what works for each person. “When new moms ask me how I got back into movement, I say, ‘If you see an opportunity, grab it.’ Tulog siya, tapos na yung dishes, o wala na akong gagawin, okay time to move,” she advises. “You have to find it within you. If it’s just squats, stretching, just anything to move, to reconnect with your body and feel healthier, that’s okay. Because you’ll build it eventually. And I just had to teach myself that.”

Bea hopes to pass her love for fitness to her son Tyler. “He’s already saying, ‘I want to play tennis.’ Pero mahirap naman at this age, I bought him a little racket pero natamaan ako sa mukha, kasi di ba, there’s no control for it. But we do what he enjoys as much as possible. He’s climbing, he’s hanging, I see that. The more he sees other kids in the playground, kahit hindi niya kilala, he’s braver to try new things.

“And I also tell him, ‘Mama’s gonna work out, baby. Mama’s going to the gym,’ and I tell him, ‘I’ll be right back,’” she said.

The ups and downs of parenting

Bea admitted that motherhood brought her new challenges. “For me, the struggle was being a career person who loved my career and being a mom. I don’t know why mothers are so hard on themselves, but I’m so hard on myself. Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing enough when in fact, I am doing quite a lot of things.

“There are days when I have work and he has school, and then I go home and I feel it’s a mix of both. But sometimes when I’m just my old self and work the whole day, I'd feel, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t see my child. I’m a horrible mother.’ There are times when I’m just with my child the whole day and ask, ‘What did I do today?” she added.

“I have to catch myself and remind myself, you were a mother today and you were there for your child today, and that is amazing.”

Bea also shared the best part of parenting, which is watching Tyler grow and experience life. “Just seeing him experience, seeing him grow up, every single day. I have to remind myself, when I’m putting him to sleep or when I’m just holding him, or in moments when they’re not hyper and just want to lie down with you, that this is what it’s all about. This is the greatest gift that the Lord has given me, this moment right here. And I try to lock it in my heart and collect it.”

Fitness and working out help Bea navigate motherhood, so she hopes that mothers out there also take the time to work on their fitness and self-care routine so they don’t forget how beautiful and worthy they are as moms. She aims to inspire other moms to find their rhythm in motherhood through exercising.

Bea Fabregas-Ramos was Smart Parenting’s Mom We Love for March, read her cover story here.

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