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Coming in 2011 – 3 NEW Programs to Stroller Strides

 

Fit4Baby Prenatal: Regular exercise builds bones and muscles, gives you energy, and keeps you healthy. According to ACOG, exercise is just as important during pregnancy. Women can begin Fit4Baby classes as soon as they discover they are pregnant. With a physician’s approval, women can safely continue taking classes through to delivery. Fit4Baby classes are for mom only.

 

Body Back: Realizing that moms at all stages are looking to target and combat post-childbirth problem areas, Lisa Druxman developed Body Back™, an 8-week, all-inclusive program that combines twice-weekly small group classes of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with at-home exercises, meal plans and a food diary, online coaching, and “before and after” fitness assessments/measurements.  Body Back is perfect for Stroller Strides graduates whose kids are now in school, or for all moms who need personal time to fully focus on their goals.

 

L.E.A.N.: (Learn Eating Awareness and Nutrition) is an 8 week lifestyle weight management program designed to help you achieve a balanced body and a balanced mind. L.E.A.N. is based on a very positive, empowering approach to health. Using behavior and cognitive modification, stress reduction and social support, clients discover how to take the power out of food, and get off the diet cycle for life. This program gives women the tools they need to make healthy, positive changes in their lives.

 

Watch for more information about these, and other, great programs next month!!

 

Member Spotlight – Sarah Colley

Way back in February 2008 Sarah, along with Sky Adams, joined Stroller Strides as our very first Working Moms Membership moms.  It was an exciting time for Stroller Strides and I was so excited to meet Sarah!  Like me, she was working in a hospital and endeavored to make time for her health and fitness.  It’s not easy to work a full day and scramble to make it to a 6pm fitness class, but Sarah made it work. 

 

It’s been 2 1/2 years, but Sarah still has that same drive. Read on to learn more about this amazing working momma!

 

Hometown: Jonesboro, AR
Education: Bachelor’s Degree from Guilford College; Juris Doctorate from U of A; Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Webster

Stroller Strides Member since: February 2008
Members of your Family: Husband -Andrew, Son -Alex, 3 and baby girl expected to arrive in February
Current/previous Career: Director of Human Resources for St. Vincent Health System
What was your childhood ambition?
In early elementary school I wanted to be a real estate agent and loved riding my bike to open houses in our neighborhood.  In junior high and high school I went back and forth between wanting to be an attorney and wanting to work in non-profit management.  Somehow, I’ve managed to combine those two things into my current job!

What does motherhood mean to you?
I realize what a miracle motherhood is and try not to take that for granted. Watching your child grow and develop is one of the hardest yet rewarding things in life.

What is the furthest you have been from home?
I studied abroad in Munich, Germany for a semester of my junior year of college.  I was able to travel extensively through Europe during that time.  Those are some of my best memories.

What has Stroller Strides done for you?
Stroller Strides has given me the ability to exercise, but not give up time with my child. He loves going to classes and now gives me a guilt trip if we don’t go!

What is your favorite exercise?

In Stroller Strides, I like the cardio bursts we do because I feel like I really need them.  Outside of Stroller Strides, tennis is my favorite exercise.
What is your proudest moment?
I have several proud moments, but the ones that stick out are the birth of my son, my wedding day and being sworn in to the Arkansas Bar at the Supreme Court.

What are three of your favorite things (besides your family!)?
I love to travel, especially to the beach or anywhere that includes water and sun. I enjoy socializing especially when it involves good friends. good food, and a good glass of wine. Clinique moisturizer is my favorite and I would have trouble living life without it!
Tell us something about yourself that would surprise us or makes you unique. I’m generally a pretty open book with my friends.  Something random is that I have been hit by a moving car twice.  I don’t mean hit in my car.  I mean my person has been hit.  Both resulted in no injuries and the cars were moving fairly slowly!
If we asked your spouse what they think your best qualities are, what would they say? I asked him and he says I am a great wife and mother, his best friend, and have a great ability to balance things like work and family (I certainly try but it is hard)!

Finding Time for Fitness

When women become mothers they automatically lose a sense of self, as if the woman they were before no longer exists. Whether by choice, or happenstance, their fitness activities, once fiercely protected, become replaced with activities to support the needs of their children. This is not a bad thing, necessarily. After all, babies require an abundance of care and attention. But what about mom, and what about her need to be fit and healthy?

Too often, the needs of mom are placed on hold while she ferries children to the pediatrician, the park, or a play date. These are all essentials to the growing child, but what about mom’s growing waistline?

Finding time for fitness is not as difficult as it may seem upon first glance. It can be found while performing everyday tasks around the home. For example, instead of bending to pull laundry from the hamper, perform a squat and heel raise. The move: With legs shoulder width apart, squat deeply, sitting back on your heels and keeping knees behind the tips of your toes. Then, stand and rise up on your toes while dropping the clothing in the washing machine. Repeat.

Another great way to get fit is to combine a daily stroller walk with a circuit routine. Begin each walk with a 5 minute warm up. Next, perform alternating lunges while pushing the stroller for 10 lunges on each leg. Then pick up the pace (and your heart rate) a bit with high knees for 30-45 seconds. Return to a walk and locate a bench or low wall to perform pushups. Repeat the circuit 3 times.

Moms everywhere struggle to find balance between caring for their family and taking care of their own needs. With a little imagination, you can find time for fitness and family.