Motherhood is exciting, emotional, and challenging—the new journey can be isolating. Stacey saw the need for a mom tribe to help connect moms in the community for fitness, camaraderie, and fun! She is also a member of the Know Tribe, a new publication highlighting women in Charlotte who are impacting the community. Let's get to know Stacey's story!
Being a new mom can sometimes be lonely. It can also be challenging to fit in working out. How has your Mama Tribe come to the rescue?
Being a new mom is a lot of wonderful things, however, it is also innately very isolating. Your body has changed, you are all the sudden responsible for a whole new life and you are expected to carry on as if nothing ever has changed. There are a lot of expectations on mothers in society. The one thing that I have learned is that having a mama tribe is key in postnatal support and beyond. Every mom needs a village of women supporting her and letting her know that everything thing she is going through is one hundred percent completely normal.
So you actually bring your baby to the workout sessions?
Babies are not required. However, for our Stroller Strides classes you CAN bring your baby. Our instructors will weave in songs, activities, bubbles and fun into their workouts to keep the littles engaged.
How was Fit4Mom born? Was it a personal story?
Fit4Mom started in San Diego, and it came from a need. Moms wanted to workout, they wanted to connect with other moms, but they did not want to place their children in child care.
We imagine many friendships blossoming from these meetups. What's it like to see the camaraderie amongst moms?
We always say we are a community company first, and second, a workout company. Yes, the workouts are hard and challenging, but the hands down most important thing is we are a community of moms. We preach inclusivity and a judgement free zone. This is a come as you are environment: whether you are a veteran mom who has multiple children or a first-time mom who is struggling with breastfeeding, we want you to come, get a workout, feel heard, and leave with friends. We have weekly playgroups after class, as well as monthly moms’ nights out. We try to get together outside of class as much as possible.
Fit4Mom also encourages moms to run in local races. Tell us about your community involvement!
One of our programs we offer is called, Mother Runners RunClub. We have a phenomenal RunClub coach, Megan, who trains and prepares moms for races. Whether you a beginner or an advanced runner, we have a place for you. Our moms choose between training for a 5k race or a half marathon race. This is also a great place to create camaraderie amongst the women.
How do you come up with the workout routines?
Each workout is different. We want to make sure each class is a total body conditioning workout comprised of strength training, cardio, and core restoration, all while entertaining the little ones. However, we change it up every single day so mom and child never knows what to expect. Somedays you could be singing the ABCs while doing burpees, the next day you may be doing squats while listening to Beyonce!
Tell us about your own children!
I have three children, Hudson (3), Jackson (5), and Ava (7). It is hard juggling mom life and running a company, but I am so lucky to get to do it!
What are your thoughts on being a mom and the societal expectations?
Being a mom is a twenty four hour a day job, and yet, as mothers, we get up everyday and repeat. It brings me great joy to get to work with other moms. New moms, in particular, can be very vulnerable—there are a lot of expectations placed on them by society. If we can allow them to feel good about themselves, back to their normal selves for just one hour a day, then we have done our job.
We are dedicated to strength in motherhood and want moms to feel strong. You are strong not despite becoming a mom but because you are a mom!
Share your favorites!
Song: Sweet Caroline, of course, they play it at every Panthers home game!
Movie: I have a lot of favorite movies, but right now we are playing Will Ferrell's Elf on repeat in my house!
Restaurant: Eez in Birkdale Village!
Stroller: I love everything made by the company Joovy, I currently use their Ultralight Zoom jogging stroller
Workout apparel: LuLuLemon all day everyday!
Book: Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis, I have her next book, Girl Stop Apologizing on preorder!
Blog: I really love everything that the mom bloggers, Cat and Nat do! They are fantastically funny and down to earth!
Sports Team: As a Charlotte native, I bleed blue for the Carolina Panthers!
People of CLT publishes stories about everyday Charlotteans and Carolinians. We celebrate YOUR story because YOU matter. It is our mission to promote inclusiveness, unity, understanding, community, diversity, empathy, and compassion.
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