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Wednesday, December 1, 2010

December Mom of the Month

Our mom of the month program honors moms for their efforts to lead healthy lifestyles, and gives us a chance to get to know them better at the same time!






Our December Mom of the Month is Erin Shultz! Congratulations Erin!

Erin has been with us since Stroller Strides opened in March, and has set a great example for all of our members in her commitment to fitness and to Stroller Strides-- she drives all the way from Durham several times a week to our workouts (even while still working part-time as a nurse), and has made exercise a part of her regular routine, with great results. She also recently completed our "Running Mamas" 5k Training Program, running a great time in her first-ever 5k, the Apex Turkey Trot, on Sat Nov 20th! Join us in congratulating Erin, and check out her answers below to get to know her a little better ;).



Hometown: We moved a lot growing up but I mostly lived in Baltimore, MD

Current part of the Triangle that you live in: Durham, a bit of a commute to Stroller Strides but totally worth it :)

Education: Bachelor's in Nursing

Stroller Strides Member since: the beginning :)

Members of your Family: My husband Bret and our 14 month old daughter Olivia

Tell us about your child/children: Olivia is the light of our lives! She is fun, energetic and always on the go!

Current/previous Career: I have been a NICU nurse for 12 years and currently work part-time. It was my first love before Bret and Olivia :)

What was your childhood ambition? To be a mom

What does motherhood mean to you? It means everything to me. I have wanted to be a mom my whole life and it has met and exceeded all of my expectations!

What is the furthest you have been from home? I went to Spain on a high school trip.

What has Stroller Strides done for you? It has kept me motivated to exercise even on days when I don't really feel like it. It is so nice to be able to exercise with Olivia in tow and not have to worry about childcare. It also provided us with a nice structure/routine to our day especially when she was an infant.

What is your favorite exercise? I enjoy the arm toning exercises because that's not something I would do on my own.

What is your proudest moment? The day Olivia was born!

What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? The beach, good food, and a nice hot bath! Not all at the same time :)

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. I've lived in 9 states. MD, CA, NY, NH, NC, VA, PA, WA, VT

If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? I asked him and he said patience and that I'm a good mom.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Stroller Strides comes to Cary Towne Center mall!

We are excited to announce that Stroller Strides workouts are coming to Cary Towne Center mall this winter!

Working out at the mall through the winter will allow local moms to keep up a regular fitness routine no matter what the weather is like, and Stroller Strides offers not only fitness for mom, but also fun for baby (or toddler or preschooler!). Classes include cardio, strength training and toning, and abdominal work, plus songs and fun for stroller-aged kids. And we also offer weekly playgroups and other activites through our Luna Moms Club, which is open to all moms and kids in the area.

Winter schedule at Cary Towne Center:

Starting Dec 1, classes will be offered:

Mon-Thurs & Sat, 9:30-10:30

Meet at Center Court, near Macy's (park/enter through Food Court)

We'll start off the winter season with a Free Class on Wed, Dec 1st! Check out details below, and also feel free to join us for our Specialty "Little Black Dress" workout on Mon Dec 6th!

Free Stroller Strides class

Wed Dec 1st

9:30am

Cary Towne Center mall

RSVP here (you'll just need to register for a free account on our meetup group), or email jen.kedrowski@strollerstrides.net


Please bring a mat or towel for ab work, water, and toys or snacks as desired for the little ones.

After class we'll go for a ride on the carousel! Come out and join us soon to get in shape, meet other moms, and have fun with your little ones.







Saturday, November 13, 2010

Stroller Skating returns this winter in Raleigh

Yes that's right...."Stroller Skating"! As in, ice skating, WITH your kiddos in their strollers! What an awesome mommy-and-me activity for the winter.

Raleigh's Winterfest kicks off right in Downtown, at City Plaza, with lots of fun activities on Dec 4. And they recently added a once/week session on the ice rink specifically for Stroller Skating. I did this last year with some others in a moms group and it was a truly unique experience, and a lot of fun. Photo of these awesome skating mommies below!

The cost is $8, including skate rental, and sessions are Thursdays, 10-11am, starting Dec 9. We have a meetup event scheduled for Dec 9th to go as a group and Stroller Skate, should be lots of fun! You can RSVP here if interested, or email jen.kedrowski@strollerstrides.net. And of course, you can go on your own throughout Winterfest, any Thurs with stroller!













Monday, November 1, 2010

November Mom of the Month!


Our Mom of the Month program honors moms for their efforts to lead healthy lifestyles and gives us a chance to get to know them better at the same time!




Our November Mom of the Month is Devon Barker, (Coco's mom)! Congratulations Devon!

Devon is one of our "founding moms" and has been with us since the very first class. She brings a great attitude, friendly smile, and determination to every class, and we are excited to announce that Devon will continue to bring those great qualities to class as an Instructor in 2011! Devon will be attending "Stroller Strides Academy" this January and help us out with some teaching next year when we need it, as well as continue to attend Stroller Strides as an active member with all of you. Join us in wishing her congrats and check out her answers below to get to know Devon a little bit better. ;)

Hometown: Allentown, PA
Currently live in: Cary
Education: I went to Undergrad at the University of Michigan, and later got my master's from Lehigh University.
Stroller Strides member since: The beginning!
Members of your family: Husband, Jason; daughter, Coco; two dogs, Hannah & Eli; one cat, Oscar
Tell us about your child: Coco is my super-funny, high-spirited, incredibly smart daughter. :) She loves to eat, like her Mama, play with Wilhelm her favorite stuffed toy, and explore the yard. She loves to be outside, play with her two big dogs, and take rides in her pink convertible or wagon.
Current/previous career: Most recently I was a fifth grade teacher. I also worked for Americorps after college, an African Safari company after that, and then in special education during grad school.
What was your childhood ambition? To be the next Jane Pauley and to travel around the world for my job.
What does motherhood mean to you? Everything! It has changed my life for the better in so many ways. It means love and joy and tons of fun!
What is the furthest you have been from home? I traveled to Antarctica when I was young.
What has Stroller Strides done for you? It has helped me meet other moms and kids, which we struggled to do before SS. Working out has also helped me feel better about my post-baby body, as well as sleep a bit better.
What is your favorite exercise? At SS I like to run and do squats. Outside of SS I like to hike, swim, take walks, etc.
What is your proudest moment? Working with a mentally retarded man named Ryan during grad school and seeing his amazing progress with everyday tasks.
What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? Good food, reading, traveling.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. This is hard. Not very interesting, but I didn't watch TV or most movies as a child, so I always feel left out when people talk about the "classics" because it's likely I never saw them! I am the WORST when it comes to '80's TV and movie trivia.
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? I cheated and asked him because I had no idea what to write. He said that I'm stubborn, but in a good way. I won't give up on something until I get it. I don't strive to be like others. I am on top of things.

And one more congrats to Devon on running the Monster Dash 5k on Halloween, with a great race time, thanks to her Stroller Strides workouts! Can't wait to see what this fit mama has in store for us once she is a trained instructor ;).

Making Exercise Happen

How Moms (or Moms-to-Be!) can fit exercise in amidst the chaos, exhaustion, and excitement of motherhood

Most of us know of the benefits that regular exercise can bring to our lives, at least in some abstract way. In addition to all of the physical benefits of exercise, don’t forget about one of the most immediate pay-offs-- a sense of well-being and stress relief! So even if you’d rather skip over this article because you know that, yes, exercise would be nice, but not happening anytime soon!, think for just a sec about this—how great would it be to reduce your stress level some, to feel a bit happier and a bit more relaxed, as you juggle the endless tasks of motherhood and daily life? Getting in some physical activity, even a small amount a few days a week, can produce those types of benefits. If for no other reason than a bit of calm and reduction of mood swings and hormonal outbursts, read on about how ordinary moms make exercise happen.

All of us reading this article are busy moms (or moms-to-be), balancing household chores, a job (for many of us), stresses about whether we are doing the right things for our children (or babies-to-be), trying to fit in time for extended family, friends, and oh yes that person we married or decided to have a baby with in the first place! So we’re all on the same page there. And we all struggle with fitting in time to take a shower, let alone get out and exercise. So here are some tips, from my experience as a pre- and post-natal fitness instructor, from my own life as a mom, and from many other moms in similar situations to you, on how to get into a regular exercise routine:

Plan ahead. We’ve probably all heard this one before, but planning DOES make a huge difference to whether or not you fit any physical activity into your life or not. Aim to, on a weekly basis, look at your schedule for the week, and decide AHEAD OF TIME where you can fit in some exercise, even just 20-30 minutes, with or without your children, a few days each week. If you are someone with a planner or calendar (tangible or digital), then add it to your schedule in advance, so that you just expect that activity to be part of your day.

Either bring the kids along, or plan ahead for their care. There are MANY ways that you can exercise with your baby or children. There are various mommy-and-me fitness classes, such as
Stroller Strides, Mommy-and-Me yoga or dance classes, etc. You can also walk or jog with your little ones in the stroller, and incorporate a variety of stroller exercises while doing so. You can do a short ab workout, yoga or pilates routine, or stretching session in your living room while your little one plays. You can check out “Exercise TV” or “Exercise on Demand” (included free in many cable packages) or use exercise DVDs while your kids watch, play, or join in (depending on their age). And if you would like to plan some sessions while the kids are NOT with you, just be sure to plan for childcare for them in advance.

Set realistic (and specific) goals. Don’t overdo it with your goals! Build up slowly, so that you are more likely to stick with it. When looking at the week ahead, adding an exercise timeslot to each day can be overwhelming. But just picking out 3 days of the week to fit it in can be much more achievable. The more realistic and achievable that your goals are, the more likely you’ll be able to stick with them.
Also, be sure your plans are specific. It is more likely that you will actually DO the exercise if you’ve planned to “Walk my neighborhood’s loop”, “Jog 15 minutes and walk 15 minutes with Sally,” “Do Pilates DVD”, etc, then if you just write “exercise” in your planner or calendar. A vague goal like “exercise” is easy to dismiss for another day!

Consider time of day—for most, earlier is better! Plan your exercise at a time of day that works best for you. For most moms, it’s better to get the exercise in during the first half of the day when possible, as even the best laid plans tend to go out the window as the day wears on!

Tell your significant other or family/friends of your plans, and/or enlist friends to join you. You’ll be less likely to flake out if you’ve already told your partner you’re going for a jog tomorrow AM! And if you have friends in the area who are up for walking, jogging, attending an exercise class, or any other activity with you, this can be a great help in terms of making your fitness plans a reality.

Consider signing up for a regular exercise program. Signing up for a program like
Stroller Strides or similar can really increase the likelihood that you’ll get into a regular routine. It also takes an element of the planning and stress out of fitting in your exercise, as you really just have to think about showing up on time, and then once you’re there, your instructor has planned your workout and can keep you motivated to complete it. Plus with programs where your kids come along for the ride and are entertained as well, you can’t go wrong—no need for gym daycares in that scenario!

Consider setting a goal. Working up to walking or jogging a certain time or distance? Losing weight before a holiday or event? Completing a 5 or 10k or other fitness event? Setting a longer-term goal can make a big difference in your motivation to get out there each day.

• Track your progress. While it does take an extra minute or so of your life, keeping a written record of your exercise can be very gratifying, and can also increase the likelihood that you’ll keep it up. Sort of like a grown-up star sticker chart ;), it helps!

Keep up the routine! We’ve all had the scenario where you start a routine of some sort, then due to relatives in town, vacations, or other things that come up, you get out of the routine. Then it is SO much harder to get back into it, whether it’s returning to your fitness classes, or committing to getting out and walking in the neighborhood. But the good news is once you get back into that regular weekly routine, it stops becoming so much of a struggle and starts to be part of your life again. So stick it out for a week or so at first, and you’ll get back into the swing of things and be glad that you did.

• Get some tunes going. For many mommies, music in the background makes exercise a whole new experience, and much more do-able. Even better if you can spend a bit of time and set up a great workout playlist ahead of time.

• Make this a small slice of “me” time (even if kids are in tow). Exercise is something you are doing for yourself, and it’s a vital part of your health and well-being. While most everything else we do at this point in life may be for our family and others, set aside those short chunks of time for you, even if your kids are along for the ride, and remember—it will make you a better mom later on!

You CAN get back to feeling like your old self after having children. It may take time, and this is a new you in many ways, but it is a great feeling to finally get into those pre-maternity clothes, to feel happier and calmer and fitter, and to know you’re setting a great example for your children by including exercise in your life.

Good luck all!

Note: Please remember, you should always get your doctor’s approval before starting any exercise plan. Pregnant moms can exercise through their pregnancy if things are going well and they get their doctor’s approval; after you have your baby, you should wait until your 6 week postpartum checkup and get your doctor’s approval then.