In the ‘80s and ‘90s, Kathy Ireland turned heads, appearing on countless magazine covers, including three of “Sports Illustrated’s“ famed swimsuit issues.  But it was a casual snapshot that turned her head, and transformed her life and health.

After her third child, Chloe, now 9, was born, Kathy (also mother to Erik, 16, and Lily, 11) says, “Taking time to exercise or develop a healthy eating plan for my husband and me seemed like a luxury I could no longer afford.”  She ate on the run, skipped workouts, and “barely had time to brush my teeth,” Kathy recalls.

Then last year, Erik showed his mom a photo he’d taken while she was baking cookies at home in Santa Barbara.  It was unflattering, showing Kathy with her stomach protruding visibly.  “Chloe said, ‘Mom, you look pregnant,’” she recalls. After Kathy looked at the picture, “I wanted to push the delete button.  I saw someone who looked overwhelmed, overstressed, overworked, overweight, over….everything.”

When Kathy stepped on the scale, she was surprised to find that she’d put on an extra 25 pounds.  And statuesque though she is at 5’10”, the added weight was all too obvious.  “The pounds just kind of crept up on me,” she says.  “A pound a year.”

Erik’s photo of Kathy circulated on the Internet, accompanied by a flurry of media attention. But it wasn’t the public focus that spurred Kathy to action.  “It was my health.  Everyone kept saying, ‘You’ll lose weight and put on a bikini and go on Oprah,’” she said.  “But nobody was asking, ‘What are your cholesterol levels?  What about your triglycerides (a type of blood fat)?’ For me, it wasn’t about looking a certain way; it was about being healthy.”

Kathy had already had quite a wakeup call, with the death of a 42-year old family friend – and father to three – from a sudden and unexpected heart attack.

“John,” as Kathy calls him, was thin and had no previous symptoms of heart problems.  But tests done after John’s death showed that he had higher than normal levels of triglycerides, and of C-reactive protein (a substance that can increase the risk of heart disease).  “Apparently he didn’t always eat well, didn’t make enough time for exercise, and didn’t know the true status of his heart health,” Kathy says in her book “Real Solutions for Busy Moms”.  John’s death left Kathy wondering what her own blood tests might reveal.  But the demands of her life distracted her until Erik’s snapshot.

Kathy began working with a personal trainer/nutritionist, cutting out between-meal goodies and eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.  “Salads are a big part of the family food plan now,” Kathy says.

She refocused on the benefits of leisure and recreation – walking, biking, hiking, swimming, and surfing.  “Organized programs aren’t as exciting to me as doing fun things that incorporate physical activity,” Kathy says.  She also stretches regularly, which helps with her not-so-great posture and a knee that still acts up years after a ski injury.

Kathy’s back now to her fighting weight.  And she has a message – or two – for other women.  “There’s no shame in weight gain, and beautiful people come in all shapes and sizes.  But don’t put off your health. It’s too important.  Every mom I know has a to-do list. Put yourself and your health on that list.”

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