Self-esteem boosters for new moms, a must!

Ask any first time mom if her introduction to motherhood went as planned and she will more than likely laugh out loud at the thought before the word “no” comes out of her mouth! The laugh stems from the fact that she can’t believe how different “real life motherhood” is from what she thought it would be. Gone are the fantasies of being that mom who always looks great, never a pound overweight, is a fabulous fashionista, always perfectly accessorized, with salon perfect hair, flawless skin, radiant smile and a few perfectly well behaved children in tow. What replaces those fading fantasies can often times be more than a new mom bargained for or deserves! In fact without a few important strategies, moms can get lost in motherhood and feel as if they are nothing more than a supplier of food, keeper of the peace, maid and housekeeper. Before we know it a year has gone by and our bodies still look like they did when our baby was 2 months old, even worse we no longer recognize, nor like what is looking back. Self –esteem is long gone and instead of being confident in ourselves we begin to question who we are and what we are doing. This is not a healthy path that we moms lead our families down, after all moms are the C.E.O’s of their families health and well being. Confidence and healthy habits are ours to instill in our children and all moms will tell you that you have to practice what you preach, if you want it to stick. Healthy habits produce healthy bodies and minds, both of which are necessary for healthy levels of confidence and self-esteem. Proper care of our bodies is not limited to what we eat or how much we exercise, it is also dependant upon healthy routines with products that are good for us and for our environment. StrollerFit® powered by mommymuscle®, the country’s premier maternal fitness and exercise with your family program has partnered with Aveeno® to help moms take care of their bodies and their babies! Throughout the month of October StrollerFit® will offer a free week of classes to all new participants. New and existing participants will receive free samples of Aveeno® and Aveeno® Baby products along with tip cards that can help moms reclaim their bodies, treat their bodies right and set healthy habits for themselves and their families that will last a lifetime! Together we can build strong confident kids by building strong confident moms™. Visit strollerfit.com/elkgrove for more details or to find class location near you!

Exercise is medicine

"Exercise is medicine" according to the Kaiser commercial on the radio this morning. I don't always take stock in commercials, but this one has a point. Exercise reduces occurrences of the most common diseases. It reduces stress, increases our endorphins and our feel good hormones.

I had to take a break from running for a few weeks, and although I teach fitness, running is the only exercise I do just for me (evenly on both sides and without stopping to cue, correct form, time someones run, hold a baby or help make sure another mom is getting her best workout ever.) Don't take me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE what I do...but running is just for me. (except when I'm leading the moms in motion teams on the weekends. ha!) I digress.

The point is during that break waiting so "patiently" for my foot injury to heel, I really missed it. The actual running is interesting, the first mile hurts, then I'm good for a bit, then I try to convince myself to keep running, then I sprint to the finish so I can be done....but after I'm done. I FEEL GREAT!!!! Really, I feel like I am strong, I'm in shape, I can conquer the world. I really think there is something to that Happy seritonin hormone thing. Something happens in our bodies when we exercise that fine tunes it, gets our blood pumping and mind cleared.

And the truth is I get that same great, positive feeling when I teach a fitness class, running group or restore the core class. It's a high, a top of the world feeling that makes me feel so lucky to be healthy and strong. And I sooo want to share that with YOU!

What's your story?

Wendy Hoag
916-690-7624
www.strollerfit.com/elkgrove
www.momsinmotion.com