In honor of Mother's Day, I wanted to share with you some of the remarkable women I had the pleasure of meeting this past Friday who truly inspire me.
A few weeks ago I was working a vendor booth at the National Capital Mom Conference in Springfield, VA. I love supporting my fellow moms so I was happy to host my booth at this event. What I didn't realize was how much the women I'd meet there would end up supporting me. In addition to the guests I met at the conference, I got along great with the other vendors. One of those vendors was Shannon Link, owner of the Fit4Mom in my region.
Fit4Mom hosts a range of classes designed to support and encourage women on their fitness journey throughout all stages of motherhood. Stroller Strides, Stroller Barre, Running Club, Body Back Transitions, Prenatal Workouts .... To put it simply, it's an incredible program and Shannon didn't have to do a whole lot of speaking to convince me to join right then. Her energy and passion alone had me hooked on everything about the Fit4Mom Village.
During our discussions at the event I mentioned I was a photographer and didn't hesitate to accept when Shannon asked if I could donate some time to take Mommy & Me photos of her clients during their Mother's Day Celebration workout. Absolutely!
(Oh, I should mention that I joined the Body Back Unlimited program and have been getting my butt kicked by their High-Intensity Interval Training program, and as the great Martha Stewart says "It's a good thing." I am looking forward to so much more of it!)
So yesterday was the special Fit4Mom Mother's Day Celebration, which was a massive Stroller Strides workout in the park, complete with a visit from Elmo, Chase from Paw Patrol, product vendors, raffle prizes and free breakfast and coffee. The mothers attending were kicking it into gear during their workout ... running with the strollers, squats, sprints, pushups, doing knee-ups while breastfeeding babies, and so much more. Some mothers were there with brand new 5-week old babies, others with 3 or more kids in tow. ALL of the moms were practicing some sincere self-care and making their well-being a priority for themselves and their families.
I was so inspired and encouraged by them all. Yes, life does get busy. I'm sure each one of us can say our lives are packed and maybe even overwhelming, with long to-do lists and tiny dictators pulling us in all directions while we juggle between our many roles. But something that I'm personally working on is prioritizing my needs, and instead of working so hard to please others, changing the focus of that effort back on myself. It's a work in progress definitely, but seeing more than 115 moms out there busting butt with their kids locked tight in strollers, I realized how strong we women are. How determined. How resilient. How compassionate. And how we need to give ourselves the compassion and credit we deserve. WE DESERVE IT. Get out there and give yourself the love you need.
These are a few of the amazing, strong, incredible women in attendance at the Mother's Day Celebration and whom I was fortunate to photograph. I wish you all a Happy Mother's Day!
