Fit4Mom 3rd Anniversary Celebration!

Allow me to set the scene for you: in a small apartment lives a first-time mom with her baby.  Her hair is swept up in a non-Pinterest-worthy messy bun, dark circles under her eyes from several months of lack of sleep, and it’s debatable whether she is wearing workout attire or if that’s simply the t-shirt she never changed out of from the previous day.  Her eyes continually glance at the clock, waiting for her husband to come home.  However, she knows once he is home, she won’t have much to show for her day other than a trash can full of diapers, a pile of soiled onesies, and maybe a new knot in her back from holding her baby all day.  She doesn’t want to admit it, but she is lonely.  Some days, she wanders around Target with her son just to be around other adult human beings.  Other days, she cries at home remembering how life was before motherhood: working full time at a job she loved, hanging out with friends late into the night, spontaneous weekend trips to Austin.  Now her days and nights seem to be a blur of feedings, begging her baby to sleep, diaper changes, and wishing her friends had kids too.

I was that mom four years ago.

Then I found FIT4MOM.

In April 2012, I entered a drawing online for a free 10 Class Pass for the new FIT4MOM franchise in Bryan/College Station.  I won!  If I had not won those classes, I don’t think I would have set foot in a Stroller Strides class.  Why?  1) I am frugal.  2) I was …still am if you count chasing children all day… an avid runner and felt strongly that I would never ever pay for a fitness program.  It seemed silly to invest money in an exercise membership, when I could simply put on my running shoes or do an 80’s workout video at home (embrace the side ponytail, people).  However, I cannot express to you how sore I was after my first Stroller Strides class!  It sounded like a literal walk in the park with your stroller, but let me tell you, I got my butt handed to me… along with my biceps, triceps, hamstrings, and abdominal muscles… via resistance bands and body weight exercises.  I was hooked.

When I used my entire 10 Class Pass, I was in a pickle.  Should I betray my standards of not paying for fitness OR miss out on something I had grown to love?  I picked up a small job on the side to pay for a Stroller Strides membership.  It was worth every penny.

Not only did I find myself getting stronger, but I also had something to look forward to each day.  There was something ever-so comforting about hanging out with other women in the same stage of life.  A third of the moms had a form of un-identifiable liquid on their shirt from their kids.  If a mom showed up late, no one wondered why she could possibly be running behind schedule.  A little one would start fussing, and the instructor would pick the baby up to comfort him so that his mama could actually complete her workout.  Let’s be real, thanks to our postpartum pelvic floors, most of us peed a little while doing jumping jacks.  We would swap stories about our previous sleepless night while running between stations.  Once at a station, we would sing children’s’ songs while doing bicep curls to engage our kiddos and see their faces light up.  It was the breath of fresh air I had so desperately needed.

Fast forward to today.

I am now the owner of FIT4MOM Fort Worth.  My heart for our franchise is to reach mamas who are in the trenches of motherhood and need some community.  At our team meeting in January, I asked each team member to bring with them words to describe what kind of franchise they wanted us to be.  Do you know the top three words brought to the table?  Supportive.  Open.  Inviting.  We strive to create a safe place for moms of all shapes, sizes, philosophies, personalities, and parenting strategies. Our goal is for women to find camaraderie and support in their journey of Motherhood.

Exercise is an incredible pairing to this goal.  The endorphins released when working out help combat Postpartum Depression, and the exercises we do empower moms in their daily activities.  Did you know that a deadlift exercise strengthens the muscles you use to put a baby down in a pack n’ play?  Or, did you know that your arms go through the same movement doing a bicep curl when lifting up an infant car seat carrier?  Also, when you are bouncing your baby to sleep you are engaging your quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteus muscles?  Motherhood is a VERY physical role.

If my mama clients lose weight along the way, great!  Some may feel more confident wearing shorts – more power to them.  Others may be excited to show off their arm muscles – I’m so happy they feel proud of themselves!  However, all of those things are secondary to giving them functional strength for motherhood.

Whether you are looking for a way to exercise without having to find childcare or wanting to spend time re-focusing on your own health in a stage of life that is so sacrificial, FIT4MOM has a class for you.  We currently offer Stroller Strides, Stroller Barre, and Body Back.  On April 29^th, we will be celebrating three years of supporting and empowering mamas in Fort Worth!  To celebrate, we will host a free Stroller Strides class at Clearfork Trailhead from 9am-10am followed by a little party that includes a free raffle! If you are a local mom craving community while getting your sweat on, we would love to have you join us!  Take a chance and find the Strength for Motherhood.