I recently wrote this for the Signature Moms Blog but I wanted to share it here as well. It really feels good to set an example for other moms and to be getting in shape. Even if that shape holds onto the mom belly for awhile. At least my three kids are a great reason to have it!

Emme just turned 6 months old and summer is officially here. That means I have to start thinking about putting on a swim suit regularly. And the reality is that I will likely wear a sundress to wade at the ocean. I’m not yet where I’d like to be with my body and I’m trying to stay positive about it while I focus on being healthy overall and not just shed the pounds. The scale is officially not moving but my body is changing. But I like to think that I am making it happen.

Two years ago I started running. The couch to 5K, C25K, worked for me and I found I actually enjoyed running and doing small races. I even ran my first 10K when I was 3 months along with Emme. And here I am still doing some running when I can but my work out schedule has changed to accommodate the kids.

We joined the YMCA and it’s been working out great for us! I am able to feel confident in leaving the kids down the hall while I run on the treadmill or take a class. I even tried a spin class a few times. I miss running outside but am able to do the occasional 5K in the area. This weekend I ran the McGuiggans 5K and it was a blast. I ran it with Tom’s sister Julie and his two cousins, Stacie & Wally. A girlfriend of mine also did it. We chatted about doing one again soon with other friends. My official time was 31:51, a 10:14 pace and 26th in my age group. Not bad for the blazing sun and hill I was not prepared for!

If you have not yet tried a Zumba class, do it! I promise you that you will have fun. With my dance background, I miss those ballet and ballroom classes dearly. So this workout does double duty for me. I get a great workout while enjoying something I love to do. There are people of all ages and abilities having fun. It’s also the ultimate compliment when someone tells me how well I dance and that they like to watch me in class. Several of my girlfriends are also hooked. But I promise you we won’t be wearing skin tight neon pants anytime soon. We have added some zumba-esque attire into the wardrobe though.

Just to share for those that are curious, on average I burn about 550 calories in an hour Zumba class. When I run, I burn about 100 calories a mile and in the few spin classes I have tried I burn about 250 calories in a half hour ride. I love seeing these stats and it’s why I wear a heart rate monitor. My Garmin rocks! (Now if I could just find where I put it…)

At the end of the day, I am so grateful for the hour I get to do something for me. The kids enjoy being in the child watch and luckily don’t scream the whole time. They even like to talk about my workouts on our car ride. They are my biggest fans when I run a race as well. While I still have a ways to go to being truly comfortable with my body, I am seeing changes and I really am feeling great! Part of me keeps considering getting certified to teach Zumba. Maybe one day I’ll do it and then you can all take my class!

So what is next up for this running mom? I plan to run the Melanoma Run down in Sandwich on Aug 4th. It is around the corner from Grammie & Pop’s house. Hope they don’t mind when I offer up their home to others to have a BBQ. Can’t run but want to support the cause, check out my fundraising page. Then we have the Diva Dash on Sept 8th! This I am super siked for. There are a dozen of us that made a team to run it in costume. I promise to share more when that happens.

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