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!
March's featured Mom of the Month is Amanda Austin!
Congrats, Amanda!
Amanda joined Stroller Strides over a year ago, and has become one of our most dedicated and frequent attendees. And her hard work has paid off in terms of her health & fitness, as she's dropped over 25 pounds since joining us last year! She also completed our advanced summer running challenge last year-- 120 miles in 60 days! Which helped her beat a previous race PR from when she was 21 years old that summer. ;) All of her hard work has helped her get to a place where she can use her old clothes (that are now too big) as maternity clothes without having to shop... because she is now expecting baby #2, she just announced! Join us in congratulating Amanda (on many levels) and read on to get to know her a little better.
Current part of the Triangle that you live in: Holly Springs
Education: I received my undergrad degree from Siena College in American Studies and have a Master of Arts in Teaching degree and Master of International Studies degree (completed that at NC State - Go Wolfpack)!
Stroller Strides Member since: February 2013
Members of your Family: Nate (my husband), Cullen (my son), Tek and Tessie (our cats), and our second little Austin is due at the end of September!
Tell us about your children: Cullen will be 2 on April 4th. He loves being outside and all things that have wheels and a motor! We are waiting to hear if our second with be a boy or girl and look forward to meeting him or her later this year.
Current/previous Career: I taught social studies at the middle school level for about 3 years before having Cullen.
What was your childhood ambition? It changed constantly! I think the one I stuck with the longest was to be a marine biologist... but clearly that changed too at some point.
What does motherhood mean to you? More than I ever thought it would. I always knew that I wanted children but never knew how much I would enjoy it!
What is the furthest you have been from home? Kenya. I went there in June of 2010 with Habitat for Humanity: Global Village. We did a 2 week build in a small town called Chuka and then went on a short safari in Masai Mara.
What has Stroller Strides done for you (or meant to you)? Since I started Stroller Strides last year, I finally took off about 25 pounds of extra weight that I had put on after moving to NC back in 2006. Also I am pretty sure my arms haven't been this toned since I was about 13 years old! There is still room for improvement of course, but I am very happy with where I am at!
What is your favorite exercise? Resisted side steps and anything else I can feel burning!
What is your proudest moment? Completing the 120 miles in 60 days last summer. And beating my previous course record on the 15K race I run each July (my previous best was set when I was 21 years old). I think doing the 120 challenge played a huge role in achieving that.
What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? Campfires, watching the thousands of fireflies in my parents backyard whenever I visit them during the summer, and walking on the beach first thing in the morning.
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. One of my life goals is to become an Adirondack 46er. You attain this status when you hike the 46 highest peaks of the Adirondack Mountains. I did my first one when I was 4 years old but haven't hit many more since and plan to start over as an adult anyway.
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? Probably that I like watching sports and drinking craft beer almost as much as he does! After typing that answer, I asked him. He said he likes my hair and my smile. I think he would have gone with the beer and sports thing if he had thought about it longer! =-)
What advice would you give to moms looking to get back into shape? Just get out and do it. There are many days that I really don't feel like going out for a run but not once have I regretted it afterward!
