Michelle Van Haas
~ Bikini Model/Fitness Trainer ~
1. I was born in Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD. Raised from 6 months old until I was 21 in Los Angeles, CA. I attended Beverly Hills High and moved to Maryland one year in 11th grade and lived with some relatives. I came back to the Bethesda when I was 21 years old. In 2019, I moved back to Beverly Hills to be closer to my daughter, who having nothing to do with me, moved there for 7 years after accepting a job with a celebrity trainer, Gunnar Peterson. I didn’t acclimate well and wanted to return home here where I own a property and had built by brand and reputation. 2. I attended Santa Monica And Montgomery College. Although I was gifted and talented and on the honor role. I moved 3x in high school. This made it difficult for me to complete University requirements. I wanted to Major in Child Psychology and Minor in Art History or Religious Studies. I got pregnant and tried to finish while raising my daughter as a single mom, but didn’t. I attempted to go back to college 5 years ago and take the two classes I needed for a degree, Chemistry and Algebra and it was a total sh*t show. I couldn’t handle it. Haha 3. I spend much of my teenage and 20s managing my weight. I tried everything and then one day I saw a fitness bodybuilding show. The ladies were beautiful and muscular. They were doing a combination of strength and flexibility moves with a dance routine. I knew I could handle it having a dance background and having become a yoga teacher. I looked into it. I hired a coach and in 8 weeks I hit the stage. I went from a size 8 to a 0. I won the show and became a national competitor right away. That was in 2002. I competed until 2015 in fitness, bikini and figure for the NPC/IFBB. I became an International Federation of Body Building (IFBB Pro). I stayed fit and created systems for keep bodybuilding healthy. I also developed the Accelerator Fat Loss Program which was implemented in 11 clubs for Merritt Athletic Clubs in Baltimore where I also developed a weight management center in 2005. I eventually became #1 as a Director for Golds Gym on the East Coast and Worldwide for Personal Training. I was the Winner of their National Weight Loss Challenge. The competitor that was assigned to me lost 56lbs and 13 inches in 12 weeks. 100lbs in 6 months. She was unrecognizable. The system works! 4. I grew up with parents who were actors and modeled in Hollywood. All of us did commercials. I had a leading roles for Burger King, Sears, Wheaties and Pepsi as a kid. I never wanted to be a model, but did my first photo shoot for my acting Comp Card at age 7. From there, I was always asked by various photographers to shoot, but my mom was really the model, not me. I just did it mainly for magazines and because someone wanted to build their photography resume. I have only paid one woman to shoot me. 5. Fitness is a lifestyle that helps you optimize your energy so you can be your best this lifetime. It helps you reach new potentials. It gives you freedom and helps you feel unlimited aside from keeping you healthy. Managing your body is everything to getting you where you need to go and what you need to do everyday. Nutrition is 80 % of the results you get. Food can harm or heal you! Exercise is important because we were made to move. Cardio helps you burn calories and increases circulation. Weights help you burn fat and gain lean muscle. Muscle is what keeps your skeletal system strong and supported. You can’t burn body fat the same without it. Weight training is the only way to sculpt your body. Weights also help you burn more calories than cardio even. Together you can create a nice balance, but it’s important you hire a coach, like me if you aren’t sure how to match the nutrition to your workouts. 6. I’m a Transformation Specialist. It’s life changing to transform your body from fat to fit and from unhealthy to healthy. The sky is the limit! When I became a fitness competitor I achieved levels with my physique I never imagined could be me. I was 34 when I started and got my pro card in my mid 40s. I continued to body build until 2020. I got in the best shape of my life that year. I specialize in weight management overall for females who want a holistic approach. I also coached a leading bodybuilding sports team called Team Knockouts from 2011-2018. I still coach women for the sport, I just don’t run a team. Imagine coaching 80 women on stage a year. They drove me nuts. Females are too emotional, competitive and caddy. It was a lot going to 21 shows a year and dealing with all their ups and downs. No one is happy, but the winner! 7. I am in the process of completing a trilogy. Right now it’s a sequel. My memoirs will be complete soon. I wrote two books. The first one to be released this year is called Flashbacks of A Flower Child: Peace, Love, Light and Go F*CK yourself. I’ve been featured in so many magazines. Muscle and Fitness Her, Best Body, NPC News Online, Rx Girl, Rx Muscle, Fitness Rx, Oxygen, Natural Muscle and for the International Sports Science Association. Multiple news stations and newspapers have written about me and my programs or featured me as an expert giving my opinion on this or that. The best place to read some of these features is to check out mu blogs or media on michellefitness.com or Quickfitrx.com. These are my personal websites. Team-Knockouts.com is down for now, but I’m considering starting the team again. I plan to come also publish a manual on the Accelerator Fat Loss Program and Synergystics, a mind body approach to wellness, soon! 8. My game plan is to publish my books and speak about them. My memoirs are full of valuable life lessons that I intend to expand on. I have been a speaker for hospitals, organizations and heads of health clubs. I would like to return to that, as well. I’m considering become a yoga teacher trainer and also holding retreats. They will have a mind, body and spirit focus. I’ve always been goal oriented and believe in meditation. I do kundalini yoga regularly. I believe that when we raise our spiritual vibration we become super attractors. We can harness our energy in a way that anything is possible. However, It really is a balance of output and input. We must create, but also know when to surrender. The ultimate outcome is what God intends.