Mina Starsiak Hawk, known for her role on HGTV's "Good Bones," has captivated audiences not only with her home renovation skills but also with her openness about her personal journey, particularly her fitness and weight loss experiences. Her story is one of hard work, dedication, honesty, and self-discovery, resonating with many who admire her commitment to both physical and mental well-being.
Embracing Fitness Amidst Life's Challenges
Recently, Mina shared a video on Instagram of herself working out at home, acknowledging that she had fallen off her fitness routine but was determined to get back on track. This vulnerability is a hallmark of her public persona, as she openly discusses the challenges she faces and how she strives to overcome them. In the caption of her workout video, she emphasized the importance of hard work and dedication in achieving amazing things in life, encouraging her followers to persevere even when faced with difficulties.
"Most really amazing things in life don’t come without incredible amounts of hard work and dedication," she wrote. "Most people don’t have that in them. So be content in a simple life (there’s nothing wrong with that) but if you want more…. Be ready to work your a** off, over and over and over again."
Mina revealed in her Instagram post’s caption that she works with a trainer, who happens to be her husband, to help her stay fit. HGTV star Mina Starsiak Hawk is sharing how exercise and prioritizing her fitness is helping her get through some recent struggles in her life.
The Importance of Exercise
In her workout video, Mina is seen doing a variety of exercises, including jumping jacks, squats, and weightlifting. Each exercise has its own set of benefits, contributing to overall fitness and well-being.
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Jumping Jacks
Gymless states that the exercise has a lot of benefits. “Jumping jacks is an effective total-body workout that can be practiced nearly everywhere. It works on your heart, lungs, and muscles simultaneously. The primary muscles worked are the glutes, hip flexors, and quadriceps.
Squats
Piedmont states that squats have a lot of benefits. “Squats are a compound, multi-joint movement, which means they exercise several muscle groups. When you perform a squat, you work your calves, quads, hamstrings, glutes, core and part of your back.
Weightlifting
According to The Mayo Clinic, doing exercises with weights is very beneficial. “Strength training can help you manage or lose weight, and it can increase your metabolism to help you burn more calories. Strength training may enhance your quality of life and improve your ability to do everyday activities. Strength training can also protect your joints from injury.
Balancing Act
Starsiak Hawk also encouraged her followers to work on their physical health and to put in the "hard work and dedication" to achieve "amazing things in life." “So, I’m back on the wagon; the workout wagon, the hustle wagon, the figure out what my new dream is and make it happen wagon,” she continued. “Today felt easy bc I felt good. I felt motivated and like ME again. But the real test is to keep it up on the days that don’t feel good. 27.
Navigating Business and Personal Challenges
Mina's journey hasn't been without its challenges. She has been open about complications around her and Laine’s business and personal relationship. The duo’s HGTV show, which premiered in 2016, returned for a limited run in August amid an ongoing feud between the mother and daughter. The last episode of “Good Bones: New Beginnings” aired on Aug. 28, 2024.
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In the special season, Starsiak Hawk and Laine worked on separate projects in different states, straying from the show’s past format. The episodes aired a year after Starsiak Hawk revealed on an episode of her “Mina AF” podcast that she wasn’t getting along with her mother. “The current state of affairs is my mom and I aren’t in a great place,” she said in August 2023 before adding that there was also a strain in her relationship with half-brother Tad Starsiak.
But in September 2023, she told People that she had “a knockdown drag-out (fight)” with her mom before filming the eighth season of their show. After speaking about their “rocky relationship,” she said that “it’s very challenging when you aren’t working from a super stable base to then throw in TV, which will just completely f--- your world up if you let it. And it’s really, really hard for people not to let it.”
Reflecting on Transformation and Self-Acceptance
ETHGTV star Mina Starsiak Hawk recently took a moment to reflect after experiencing a transformative year. On Instagram, the mom-of-two posted photos from the summer and fall to show her slimmed down figure, but she revealed that originally, her personal goals for 2021 never included weight loss.
"I spent the first half of last year working on my professional development, which ultimately meant working on my own mental and emotional development," she explained. "During that first 6 months I learned one of the most important thing[s] about being outwardly successful is time for myself and confidence in myself. "So moral of the story: Do you! Whatever that looks like! As long as it's authentically you it's the most perfect YOU there is."
She credited her attitude to her personal trainer, her husband Steven, and her therapist.
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Addressing Misconceptions and Promoting Honesty
After the post, she received a message from a woman who asked her, "Didn't you have lots of surgery done? This isn't just from exercise and eating right." Starsiak Hawk replied back, clarifying that the "before" photo she posted was actually after her surgery, which included a tummy tuck and liposuction. She also said that her slimdown is really just from working out, as she still doesn't follow a strict diet. Though her husband cooks "delicious and nutritious meals," they also eat burritos, pizza and more. "It's all about balance."
The star also told the social media user that they should be considerate when discussing body image with strangers."It doesn't bother me one bit to correct you, but maybe be kinder to other people," she suggested. "You never know who is in a place where they aren't as strong as they could be. Just some gentle advice.
Mina Starsiak Hawk doesn’t hold anything back! The realtor has been open about her weight loss journey with fans since rising to fame on HGTV.
Embracing Surgery as a Personal Choice
In 2021, Starsiak Hawk made news unrelated to home renovations and DIY projects when she revealed on Instagram that she had gone under the knife for a series of procedures, including a tummy tuck and liposuction. Starsiak Hawk's surgeries came not long after the September 2020 birth of her second child with husband Steve Hawk, Charlotte Hawk. Her first child, a son named Jack Hawk, was born in 2018.
Speaking to Parade about making this decision, the HGTV personality said, "There are so many ways you can go about trying to get back to how you feel like yourself, and for me, the best and the right path was with surgery." She added, "I think as women, we feel like if we have to struggle for it, then we're allowed to have it. Like, it can't just be easy.
While pregnant with her daughter Charlotte, Mina Starsiak Hawk told fans on Instagram that she had diastasis recti. Cleveland Clinic states that diastasis recti is when the stomach muscles separate, causing an individual's stomach to bulge out. Mina Starsiak Hawk traveled to Toledo, Ohio, for her procedures in December 2020. She told People that she wanted to repair her diastasis recti and get rid of her C-section scar.
Weeks after her surgery, Starsiak Hawk went on Instagram and discussed the work she had done. She revealed, "I had my stomach muscles repaired along with a tummy tuck. I had lipo and they took some of that fat and put it in this odd dent I have in my butt, lol. According to People, the surgery took five hours, and in February 2023, Starsia Hawk posted old photos on Instagram of what she looked like before and after surgery.
The Role of Weightlifting and a Supportive Partner
In an article for Indy's Child, Mina Starsiak Hawk discussed her fitness journey and disclosed that doing cardio did not help her get desired results. She explained that her husband, Steve Hawk, encouraged her to start lifting weights, which resulted in him becoming her trainer.
Speaking about what weightlifting did for her, she wrote, "Not only could I FEEL the results, I was starting to SEE them. My clothes all fit, which is huge. Getting dressed each morning was on autopilot, where before it had been a battle that often ended in frustration and tears. And that was enough for me. I was sold.
Prior to the surgeries, Mina revealed that she weighed around 160 pounds. “I actually stopped drinking five or six months ago and kicked up the weightlifting part of my, already daily, workout routine,” she wrote. “My goal with neither of these changes was weight loss. But I feel great. Mina rocked a two-piece athletic set at home.
Addressing Criticism and Promoting Self-Love
While Starsiak Hawk told People that she's received praise for discussing plastic surgery and weight loss, not everyone shares this sentiment. In 2022, an individual called Starsiak Hawk out about getting surgery.
In 2023, Starsiak Hawk spoke at length about her plastic surgery with her plastic surgeon, Dr. Peter Koltz, in the second episode of her podcast "Mina Af." Discussing the episode on her Instagram, she addressed the negative feedback she's received about her surgery and weight loss, writing, "Yes, I worked my tail off to feel strong again, and how I wanted to feel. But even if I hadn't, even if I had a dozen surgeries and it came EASY…. Who cares??!
“What has always been super important to me with the show, with my social media, with everything, is to just be honest about it,” she said during an appearance on “I Love My Kids, But…” podcast in August 2023.