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It is time for another installment of “One Fit Mommy”! As I surf around the blogosphere, I come across fit moms (and dads too!) who inspire me to fitness. From there, I hunt them down and force them to tell me their secrets, which I then share with you!

Today’s fit mommy is Erin, who blogs over at Mo Mommy. Her blog always manages to give me a smile as she talks about how she juggles a full time job and being a mom with two young boys the same ages as mine. She too is pregnant again and manages to stay in shape with early morning workouts and a supportive husband who shares her love of fitness.

Erin grew up with fitness as part of her lifestyle and is now passing down that dedication to her own children, which definitely makes her “One Fit Mommy”!

Please read on for more about Erin and how she gets herself motivated to workout:

Q: Have you always been fit? What inspired you to live a fit lifestyle?

By general standards, yes; by my own standards, most of the time. I started running when I was 12, thanks primarily to my Dad. My Dad was a runner and got me into it. I joined a municipal cross country team and then my high school team. I never really stopped, except for relatively brief times during injury (I had five stress fractures once in high school!) and when I was living in Cameroon. But even when I wasn’t running during those weeks, my head was still in the game. I have never turned away from running, not even after the worst runs where you feel like you hate it.

Then I married my husband, who is also an athlete. We were both doing triathalons at the time, and that’s how we got to know each other. After we got married, we trained and did IronMan Wisconsin together. It’s helpful to me that I share my life & parenting duties with someone who has similar priorities and needs to exercise.

Q: What advice do you have for moms who claim they don’t have time for exercise?

You’re right. None of us HAVE time. We make it. You have to sacrifice something in order to fit it in. Often, you have to rely on someone else to fill in for you during that time, so it’s a sacrifice by someone else too (your husband, your mom, your best friend, the childcare workers at the gym…). But if it’s truly a priority, you can make it happen by turning it into a habit. The hardest part is just getting out the door, overcoming the inertia. Once you’re moving, it’s easier to stay in motion.

Q: Have your workouts changed now that you are pregnant?

I’m slower and more forgiving about mileage and pace. Running is harder when I’m pregnant, but I enjoy the opportunity to cut myself some slack too.

Edited: She has a great post about her experience with running while pregnant. You’ll laugh, I promise!

Q: What is your favorite exercise and why?

I have to admit that I pretty much only run and do sit ups and push ups.

Q: Are you more of a cardio mommy or strength training mommy?
Cardio, no question.

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

I use all sorts of mental tricks. If it can motivate me to get moving, then I use it. I keep track of mileage, I tell myself I only have to run one mile (then always end up completing the whole route), I tell myself I can take TOMORROW off, and I get up early. I know getting up early sounds awful to most people, but I find it is so much easier once I’m in the habit. Since I also work full-time, I get up at 4:30am most mornings to run. I lay my clothes out the night before. Then I’m up, changed, and out the door before I’m even awake enough to talk myself out of it. And I have the rest of the day where I feel good about it.

Q: Random question: what’s your favorite brand of workout clothing and why?

I don’t think I have one. I’m not much of a fashion statement when I run, and have never been much for “gear.” But I have been pretty set on New Balance shoes for the past several years.

You can see more interviews with other fit moms (and dads too!) over here.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 by workoutmommy at 6:01 am and is filed under one fit mommy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.