Sisterhood in Motherhood

The phrase “Sisterhood in Motherhood” is one of the slogans of the program, featured on my favorite Stroller Strides t-shirt. Talking with some of the moms at class tonight got me thinking about why Stroller Strides makes such a difference in the lives of so many moms with young children. There are so many parts of the program that make it much more than a way to reclaim (or surpass) a pre-baby body. 

This is the key: I was talking with other moms. Because that is what we have the opportunity to do at every class: talk, sweat, laugh and share with other women. I have found some of my best friends in Stroller Strides classes, and simply can’t imagine my life without it. Can’t say that I have ever felt that way about a gym.

There are clearly other options for getting in a workout, even as a new mom, but I don’t know of any other place where you will be sweating with a bunch of other women who GET IT. Every one of us has been sleep deprived, every one of us has felt unsure of what to do with a whole life we are suddenly in charge of. We have dealt with our babies’ poop, puke, spit, snot, and pee. We have had our clothes redecorated for us by any or all of the above, and witnessed spectacular food art created as our little bundles of joy fling their food every which way. We have felt the frustrations – and we have felt the joy. We have watched our little ones sleeping and had our hearts melt. We have marveled at their soft skin, little fingers, and that amazing and indefinable baby smell.  We have been filled with more love than we ever thought possible.

The value in working out together, putting yourself out there and making the effort to increase your fitness and set a shining example for your babies – TOGETHER – can’t really be overstated. Knowing that you are going to get great exercise and the camaraderie of other moms with shared goals is an amazing motivator.  It becomes more than a workout, as you start building a strong support network. Coming for your workout is also coming to see friends. One thing I have learned for certain: women who sweat together, stay together. That is a sisterhood I love to be part of.

Doing the parental time warp, don’t forget your own progress.

One thing that every parent I know can agree on is how time moves differently once you have a child. I’ve been thinking a lot about time lately.  Every parent has experienced at least one night that seems to last for an eternity, with a sick kid or a newborn baby waking every hour. It is mind-boggling how all the moments that seem they will never end suddenly turn into the first year of a baby’s life passed by in a wink. 

This week I turned 36  years old, which means I have now known my husband for as many years as I have not known my husband. My birthday got me thinking about the last couple years and how dramatically different those birthdays have been. On my 34^th birthday, I was hugely pregnant with our second child and wishing for an earlier-than-due-date delivery; wouldn’t it be cool to share a birthday I kept thinking at him, urging him to make a move before my August 26 due date (he was born September 4). 

On my 35^th birthday, I ran a half marathon.

People who have met me within the last year may not realize how strange that sentence is, so I’m going to repeat it.

I ran a half marathon. Me.

That’s 13.1 miles.

The 34-year-old version of me didn’t run. I mean, if there was some super motivating scary creature chasing me I probably would have run. If there had been a time when it would have meant getting to my daughter faster if she needed me, I would have run.  But lacing up running shoes on purpose, going out and running for FUN???  Those people were crazy.

Okay, so those people really are crazy, but now I am one of them and I never, ever would have gotten there if I had not become a mom. My kids were my main motivation to start running, with a Stroller Strides running club in spring of 2010.   While I still love to hear their little voices calling “run mama run!” from the stroller, I don’t run for them now – I run for myself, because it calms me and makes me a better person.

Which brings me to my conclusion, from all of this thinking about time and how it changes once a person becomes a parent. What I have realized is that as diligently as we track our babies' milestones, we should also be tracking our own. What are your own personal goals and achievements? What fitness accomplishment will you make this year? The time to start tracking it, the time to start DOING it, is now – because as we have seen, another year will be gone before you know it.  Make today the first day of your personal fitness journey, you will be amazed at what you can make happen.

Leading by example: How an active mom benefits the entire family.

As moms, we are faced with many challenges including how to be a great role model for these new little lives we are responsible for. When you exercise with your baby, you are helping steer those little feet onto a path toward a healthy, active lifestyle.

Any doubts of the truth of this are removed when your toddlers start doing their own workout routines at home, doing little toddler squats and taking their dolls for walks in the toy stroller, lunging along the way. This morning, my soon-to-be-2-year-old son proudly called out to me "look at me, I shuffling!" as he ran sideways across the living room. My 4-year old daughter creates new song and exercise routines for me regularly; some of them are even good enough to use in class! 

My personal journey toward a more fit and healthy lifestyle would never have been the same without Stroller Strides. I would never, ever have thought it possible to run a half marathon, not even if I was being chased by a bear, but I did it (the half marathon part, not the being chased by a bear part, thankfully). I would never have thought that my husband and I would choose to spend our precious time together when the kids are sleeping doing an hour-long workout routine, but that is what we do. 

I am proud of what my body can do, proud of the work I have put in to get to where I am and proud to realize that my journey is just beginning! I am in better shape now than ever before, and my two kids have been with me every step of the way. Could I have gotten here without Stroller Strides? No. For me, the social support and motivation of being with other moms and getting out with my kids in such a positive setting was the key that kept me going. 


Whether you choose to exercise with a group or on your own, including your kids in the routine gives great rewards. With children leading increasingly sedentary lifestyles and childhood obesity on the rise, there is no more important time to get up and get moving. Is your infant going to crawl sooner if you exercise in front of her? No. Is your toddler going to velcro on his first pair of sneakers and go for a run? No. Is your kid going to think of exercise as a fun, regular part of the family routine? Yes! And that is a great first step.