A Shake & a Shudder...among us Mothers!

It has become a ritual to head over to the playground every day after StrollerFit class to let the kids burn off some steam while we get in some post-class mom-time. The shady area between the slide and the swingset has become our StrollerFit Sacred Ground. We talk about everything; well, not EVERYTHING, but pretty darn close to it. I have had some amazing conversations with the moms in my class while sitting on the gravel helping my daughter build “castles.”

This past Tuesday, one mom told us she found a mouse in her basement window well and how freaked out she got when her husband pulled a chair over to the window so her 2 year old could see the mouse. Although she insists she’s not afraid of them, but just doesn’t like them, it was clear to all of us that she is afraid of mice. We teased her a little bit. Then, another mom mentioned that her cat brought her a present in the form of a live snake. She went on to share with us that she had called her next door neighbor’s house before she left for StrollerFit and asked the husband to please make sure the snake had been returned to it’s home by the time she got back later in the day. I volunteered that pregnancy used to be my #1 fear. Since I conquered that one about 3 years ago, my #2 fear sailed into that #1 spot and will forever remain there. What could I fear more than anything else in the world? Snakes & worms—hey, if an animal of any kind doesn’t have fur, legs or both, I don’t want to know about it!! This fear is so bad that I will not take my daughter into the reptile house when we go to the zoo. If I’m with someone else, I let her go with them instead and retreat to a seat at least 50 yards away from the entrance. You never know when that Anaconda might decide to take a slither break.

All the talk about our fears started us talking about how we cope with them when dealing with our toddlers, who are fearless. As it turns out, we all have found ourselves in situations where we have to put on a brave front and pretend for the sake of our child that we don’t think the spider is THAT big or that walking on the sidewalk after it rains and playing FROGGER with the earthworms is that big a deal. None of us really had a true solution but we all agreed that when we are in these types of situations, we have to buck up and deal with it so we don’t pass our fears onto our kids.

As we were leaving the park, my daughter got very excited…”Look, Mommy, a snake…isn’t he byooiful? Sure enough, I turned my gaze in the direction that my daughter was pointing and had to muster up every ounce of courage and calmness in my being to compose myself as I watched that Anaconda disguised as a garter snake slither across our parking spot to the median area where there were shrubs and god knows what else lurking beneath them. “Yes, honey, I do see the snake,” I replied. “I LOOVE snakes,” she continued as she climbed up into her carseat. “I know you do, sweetie,” I said. I calmly got her buckled in to her Britax Marathon(it took me 3 tries to buckle the seat belt part because my hands were shaking so badly) and secretly wished I could be the one getting buckled into an adult size car seat and closed the car door. I then ran around the back of my SUV so Macy couldn’t see me and did a full body shudder. The mom with the fear of mice asked me what was wrong and laughed when I told her what had just happened. “Ironic, isn’t it?” she asked.

BUILDING A BRIDGE OF MOMMYMUSCLE®, ONE MOM AT A TIME

As a new mom, I felt really lonely, isolated & sad. I didn’t know any other moms and craved some mom-to-mom interaction. I tried to reach out to other moms by attending various activities planned by the plethora of local moms clubs & groups in my area, but I really struggled to make a connection with anyone. Everyone kept to their little group and nobody seemed very warm & welcoming of a newcomer. In addition, there was non-stop drama and constant cattiness. Needless to say, my need for other mom friends quickly became a feeling of desperation. I began to think that what I was looking for didn’t exist and gave up trying to find it.

Shortly thereafter, I bought a franchise of StrollerFit® Exercise with Your Baby™, with the intent that it would give me a chance to get back in shape and allow me to continue staying home with my daughter. In the 2½ years I’ve had the privilege of teaching StrollerFit® classes, I’ve never really given a second thought to the bridge that all StrollerFit owners are building within their own communities, one mom at a time.

I had a huge A-HA moment this week when I looked around after class. The moms were talking, laughing & sharing stories. In the background, the kids were playing StrollerFit®! Three of the toddlers had figured out how to link their tubes together and started singing “Row Row Row Your Boat,” imitating a segment we did in class. My daughter was leading another child in a set of “Kiss Your Baby Push-Ups” and not only was she doing them, but CUEING the other little girl as to how to do them properly!

It is in moments like this that I take pride in knowing that as a company, StrollerFit® is not just about helping moms get back in shape, it’s also about helping moms find a sense of community. It was in that same moment that I realized the company tag line, “building strong, confident kids by building strong, confident moms,” isn’t just describing the exercise but also the empowerment that the moms & babies receive as a result of attending classes on a regular basis.

I thought I was building a small, home-based fitness business which enables me to be with my daughter, but as I watched the moms interact, I came to realize that StrollerFit® isn’t just a fitness class for them or for me—it’s a network of moms who genuinely care about one another, support and help each other. Then it occurred to me…they, too, struggled to find their respective places in this sub-culture we call motherhood and they found what they needed in StrollerFit®. I was overtaken by emotion because the realization was so powerful. I have never allowed myself to believe that I could really make a difference in the lives of these women. I just show up everyday and teach the best class I can. However, none of these women would have met if it wasn’t for StrollerFit®. I feel so fulfilled and proud of what this group of moms represents to me, to each other and to other moms who are looking to fill that empty cup.

StrollerFit® powered by mommymuscle® offers new & expectant moms three different fitness classes: StrollerFit®, restore the core™ and mommymuscle™Sculpt with Babyweight. To learn more visit: www.strollerfit.com.

Are you Powered by mommymuscle?

Finding StrollerFit powered by mommymuscle was a defining moment in my life, but I didn't know that when I bought my franchise. I had just had a baby and lost a job that I loved. I needed to have something for myself so I could regain my self-worth. Almost 3 years later, I've realized a few things:

1) It may sound cliche, but being a mom is the best job I've ever had.

2) The moms who attend my StrollerFit and restore the core classes are the women I look up to. I've learned so much from them and I learn something new from them every day.

3) Teaching a StrollerFit or restore the core class every day has helped me attain fitness goals I never thought I'd ever accomplish; I am running my 3rd half marathon in a few weeks!

4) If you're a new and/or expectant mom, you owe it to yourself to give StrollerFit a try. You'll be glad you did.