She puts her workouts on the calendar

It is time for another installment of “One Fit Mommy”! Each week I scour the blogosphere to find other fit moms who inspire me to fitness.

Our mommy this week is Jen, a personal friend of mine. Jen is a busy mom who works full-time outside of the home. She is committed to her health and fitness and manages to get to the gym before the crack of dawn almost everyday.

While most of us are still sleeping, Jen is already working up a sweat. Despite her busy schedule, she recognizes that she is a much happier mommy when given the chance to exercise. This is precisely what makes Jen “One fit mommy!”

Please read on for more about Jen and how she was able to quit smoking:

No, I definitely haven’t always been fit. I was active as a child riding bikes, playing soccer, skiing, doing gymnastics but exercise was never a permanent fixture in my life. It wasn’t until my first year of marriage when I gained about 40 lbs that I decided I wanted to try to lose some weight; I didn’t like the way I felt or looked. I joined the gym and started exercising two to three times a week. At the same time, I also stopped drinking soda and started doing portion control. I lost all 40 plus about 10 more lbs within 6 months. Still I wouldn’t say that I was truly fit back then either because even though I made time to be active, exercise, and eat better, I was a heavy smoker. I was the girl you’d see lighting up as she was leaving the gym. Then in 2005, I got pregnant with my daughter. I threw away the cigarettes but I also stopped exercising for the most part. I took the term “eating for two” literally and gained over 60lbs during the pregnancy. Once I had my baby, I felt gross. I was still ingesting 3000 or more calories a day and all of that weight that I had gained during the pregnancy wasn’t going away. I knew I had to do something. I knew I wanted to be truly fit for myself and for my family but I also knew that I didn’t want to take any time away from my baby girl or my husband. So, I started going to the gym in the early morning and doing the 5:30am fitness classes. I also started running on the weekends. And I began recording what I ate on calorie-count.com to make myself more accountable to what I was actually putting in my mouth.. And slowly, the weight started coming off. Exercise became a priority and my “me” time. Now it isn’t about weight but the way I feel. I love my early morning classes or a good run around the neighborhood; I love being active with my husband and daughter; and I love that my daughter sees her mommy being strong and fit. One of our favorite things to do is pretend we’re running in a race and we race to the park. She is so proud of herself as we run together and I think that living a fit life has been a part of that.

Before having my daughter, I used to say that but now I know that there is always time for exercise. If it is a priority, you will find the time. No, not everyday do I have time to “go to the gym” but I always have time to be active whether that means cleaning my house (great workout) or chasing my daughter up the hill in our backyard in order to get some cardio in or carrying her around to get a good arm workout; I figure out ways to be active and get my body moving. I want my daughter to be strong, fit, and live an active life and I know that she will mirror what she sees so I make exercise and living an active life a priority.

They have changed a lot in many ways. Before having my daughter, I was not a runner. In fact the word “running” was like a bad word but now I really love it. Before having my daughter, my workouts were on the lighter side and I would almost always leave a class early. Now I really enjoy the challenging fitness classes I take and the women in my classes that spur me on to do more. And if I’m early for a class which 90% of the time I am, I will hit the treadmill before the class starts. And lastly, before having our daughter, my husband and I used to do a lot of hiking, mountain biking, and adventure travel that we are not able to do together with our daughter being so young. Now we do different fun active things like geo-caching or putting our daughter on the back of my husband’s bike and going for a bike ride around the neighborhood.

I truly do love both and my favorite workouts are ones which incorporate both cardio and strength training but if I had to choose, I’d say I was a cardio girl before anything else.

Q: What is your least favorite exercise?

I really don’t have one. But my favorite workout is a no-limits circuit class I take at my gym that combines weights and high intensity cardio – it’s so challenging, fun and the instructor is really great about changing it up so it always seems like a different workout every week.

Q: Do you have any mental tricks that you use when you just don’t feel like working out?

No, not anymore because I really love working out; its truly the only “me” time I get. However, when I was just starting out at the gym, I read somewhere that you should record your workout on your calendar like an appointment to help hold yourself accountable to going to that “exercise appointment”. I went to Staples and got myself a huge calendar and started recording my daily exercise as an appointment. It was a great motivator and helped me see how much I was actually exercising in a week. I actually still do it today out of habit.

Q: Random question: favorite brand of running shoes?

Actually no, I’m not dedicated to any one brand. I do however heart “The Running Store” which found me the best shoes for my feet and running style.

Thank you Jen for allowing me to feature you as “One Fit Mommy”.

Let’s get up and MOVE MORE gang! Get a calendar and make it happen!