March 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!

March's featured Mom of the Month is Amanda Eckersberg! Congrats, Amanda!

Amanda joined Stroller Strides this past fall and has been working hard on her strength & fitness with a smile on an almost daily basis ever since!  This WV girl who 'never met a stranger' has since become one of our top Stroller Strides attendee (she was the winner of our 'Winter Workout Challenge' and attended over 50 workouts this winner, earning a free month of classes!), has kicked booty in our 8-week Body Back program focused on nutrition and fitness, and recently joined our Spring Raleigh Running Mamas 5k training as well, all of which have helped her get even more fit than she was pre-pregnancy (her words).  And she and her daughter Jolynn bring such smiles to all of our workouts that it's hard not to have fun working out with Amanda!  
 

Join us in congratulating Amanda and read on to get to know her a little bit better.

Hometown: Weirton, West Virginia (Go Mountaineers!)

Current part of the Triangle that you live in: Apex

Education: Master's degree in elementary education and special education (K-12)

Stroller Strides Member since: September 2012

Members of your Family: John (husband), Jolynn (daughter), and Winston (cat)

Tell us about your child: Jolynn is 15 months old and is a ray of sunshine! She's extremely happy, social, and such a little love bug.  She's the best thing to happen to me :)

Current/previous Career: I worked for five years as the Behavior Support Teacher at Davis Drive Middle School in Cary.  The students I worked with had behavioral or emotional disabilities.  It was an amazing job and I do look forward to hopefully returning to it one day.

What was your childhood ambition? I always knew I'd work with children, but for a while I thought I would go into the medical field.  That changed the first time I saw blood ;)

What does motherhood mean to you? Motherhood is unconditional love.  I once read that becoming a mother means living with your heart outside of your body -- and I agree 100%!

What is the furthest you have been from home? I'm not much of a traveler, but my husband and I did drive from North Carolina to Maine for my cousin's wedding. That was our last long car ride and now we fly to our destinations ;)

What has Stroller Strides done for you? Stroller Strides brought ME back! As much as I love spending time with my daughter, I definitely missed having social interactions each day while my husband was at work.  Stroller Strides allowed me to meet a great group of moms and Jolynn to meet a fantastic bunch of kids!  I also have Stroller Strides to thank for getting me back to working out each day!

What has your experience with Body Back been like? I'm loving Body Back! The workouts have definitely whipped me back into better shape and the nutrition portion has opened my eyes to a healthier lifestyle.  Thanks to Body Back, I'm below my pre-pregnancy weight.  :)

What is your favorite exercise? Anything with "flair" (i.e. a squat with a star jump, a partner plank with high fives, etc)

What is your proudest moment? Surviving 34 hours of labor to give birth to the sweetest baby girl

What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)? shopping, reading, and fresh air

Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique.  I graduated from my high school class as valedictorian, and I married our class salutatorian!

If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? He said that I'm caring, creative, and I've never met a stranger.

What advice would you give to moms looking to get back into shape? Find a support group so you don't feel alone in the journey!