Natalie Mariduena on Her 30 Lb Weight Loss Transformation

Natalie Mariduena is going public with her life changes.

After being featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit in 2020 and 2021, the 26-year-old content creator decided in July 2022 to commit more fully to her health.

"I wasn't taking care of my body," Mariduena tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I would work out from time to time, but it just wasn't a priority."

The former athlete — she played soccer from age 4 through college — had lost much of her cardiovascular fitness.

"I could barely run, and my overall health was not great," says Mariduena, who has 3.4 million followers on Instagram, where she is also known as Natalie Noel. "I wanted to see what I could push my body to do, and what I could accomplish if I did make my health and fitness my No. 1 priority."

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In six months she lost 30 lbs. under the instruction of her childhood friend and trainer Ilya Fedorovich, who owns the fitness and supplement company Xeela.

"He was doing a lot of really inspiring motivational transformations with other friends of ours, and he approached me and was like, 'If you want to get into the best shape you've ever been in, let me know!' "

Mariduena had recently finished filming a travel show for the Discovery Channel and felt ready to take on the challenge. "There were a lot of good foods and indulgences," she recalls of her travels. "I felt finally committed. I wanted to do it for myself."

In the beginning, Mariduena worked out at least five times a week.

"One of my bigger goals was to run a 6:30 mile, which I've never done before, even in my soccer days," says Mariduena, who was recently named the president of YouTuber David Dobrik's company. "Outside of just weight loss, I wanted to set an actual fitness goal to push myself."

She started out at an 8:30 mile. "I really had to cut my time, which meant a lot of sprints and practice to get my body prepared." She eventually shaved off nearly two minutes, just shy of her goal.

In addition to cardio like running and boxing, she also lifted weights to achieve muscle transformation and gains "so that everything looks nice and toned."