March 11, 2024 • 50 mins
It can be hard to find time to work out as a mom, and to feel good about your newly-changed body. Kaitlyn Day of Fit4Mom Reading talks about the importance of community for moms in the fitness sphere, and why family-friendly support makes such a difference! SHOW NOTES: Fit4Mom Reading website Fit4Mom Reading Facebook page Fit4Mom Reading Instagram page
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Episode Transcript
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Cassy (00:07):
Hi, and welcome to the South Central PA Mom Fireflies and Whoopee Pie podcast, where
we discuss motherhood, local events andeverything in between right here in south
central Pa.
Kaitlyn (00:17):
So sit back, grab a coffee a.
Cassy (00:19):
While and settle in for the show.
Hi, everyone.
Welcome back to another episode.
Today we have Caitlin with us and she is the
owner of Fit for mom Reading.
Caitlin, thanks for being here.
Kaitlyn (00:38):
Thank you for having me.
Cassy (00:40):
So tell me about fit for mom reading.
What is that exactly?
Kaitlyn (00:45):
Yeah. So fit for mom reading is a franchise based location off of the national
Fitness brand of Fit for mom.
So fit for mom is the nation's leading pre and
postnatal fitness programs.
Cassy (01:04):
And how did you get involved with that?
Kaitlyn (01:06):
So my story is a little interesting and unique.
I was an educator for seven years and aboutsix years ago I was in the stage of life with
two kids and starting to look for ways that Icould be home with my kids, including my
(01:26):
hobbies of fitness and just more time for mykids and my family.
So randomly stumbled upon a Facebook ad thatfit for mom was looking for owners.
And actually right around this time six yearsago, I filled out the application and in April
(01:49):
I will celebrate six years of ownership.
Cassy (01:57):
So what makes fit for mom reading different from your normal gym?
Because I know that as a mom, for me, it'sreally hard to find a gym that is, I don't
want to say family friendly, but that you cango to with your kids.
Kaitlyn (02:13):
Yeah, of course.
So what makes fit for mom unique and special
is that we bring our kids with us.
So fit for mom overall originated over 20
years ago out in San Diego, California, andthe owner, Lisa Drexman, was looking for a way
(02:33):
to incorporate fitness with her stage ofmotherhood, which was the newborn stage.
So she plopped her little baby, Jacob in astroller and invited moms in the community to
come work out with her.
So what's unique about us is we incorporate
our kids not necessarily in the workouts.
(02:55):
Our kids aren't doing the workout with us, but
our kids are there from stroller aged all theway up through school aged.
They get to see us making our fitness and ourwellness a priority.
So we're not leaving them for our workouts.
They get to be with us.
They get to see that importance and it gives alittle less mom guilt to walking away from
(03:21):
them to get our workouts in.
Cassy (03:24):
Yeah. And especially know there are a lot of places where I know in my experience,
for example, like the YMCA.
We love the YMCA.
We've had memberships, know, on and off for along time.
But when you have childcare, we foundespecially having a child that has special
(03:45):
needs, it's so hit or miss.
Is this going to be a good fit for my kid?
And it's like, well, are the people workinghere?
Are they going to be engaging with them andplaying with them?
Are they just going to be sitting there ontheir phones the whole time?
You never really know.
And so it can be hard to feel comfortable.
And a lot of times I would end up being like,it's just easier to try to fit in time to go
(04:10):
to the gym without them because I don't knowhow comfortable I am leaving them in
childcare.
Kaitlyn (04:15):
Yeah. And what is unique about our classes, too, our stroller based classes, like
I said, the kids aren't necessarily doing thejumping jacks with us, actually, we encourage
them to be in their strollers or be on a safemat so that they're not in the way of moms or
not causing safety issues.
But we engage with them through songs and play
(04:39):
during our workouts.
So we might do the jumping jacks while singing
the abcs, or we might do back pedals and thenskip forward and tickle the kids in the
stroller.
So they're also getting that mom to baby
connection that they're not going to get in agym daycare.
And everybody has their preference of how theywork out.
(05:01):
And sometimes moms need that break from theirkids, which is also special because we do have
mom only classes as well, but it allows mom tointeract and play with their child during a
workout.
And I've seen more and more lately to my local
YMCA, nothing against them, but theirchildcare is closed a lot because they're
(05:25):
short staffed.
So then it puts mom in that predicament of she
was planning to get her workout in, but nowwhat?
So that is just an added feature of being partof our fit for mom village.
Cassy (05:39):
Yeah. And then you only have the childcare that is open certain times.
And I'm not trying to say that that's a badthing.
You can't.
I mean, fit for a mom or the YMCA or anywhere
is not going to be open 24 hours a day.
But it's a lot easier, I think, to plan if
(05:59):
your kid is able to come with you versusyou're having to plan around a preexisting
childcare schedule because then it's like,okay, well, what classes can I do if you want
to do, like a workout class, for example, nowit's.
Well, is this even available during childcarehours?
That's been something I've had to deal with alot of times.
(06:21):
And the classes that I want to take, they'renot available.
Kaitlyn (06:24):
Yeah.
Cassy (06:29):
I think that another really good part about having your kids with you in the class,
too, is that it's setting a really goodexample of showing them mom doing something
for herself, mom doing something healthy.
Kaitlyn (06:49):
Yeah. It's funny because my two year old will mimic exactly what I am doing.
That's adorable.
It is so cute.
As a mom of four, all of my kids will mimic myexercises.
But let's be honest, it's adorable when a twoyear old does it.
(07:11):
So even last night, I was teaching a virtualclass because we offer virtual classes as
well.
And I said something about, great job, ladies,
or great job, mamas, keep it up.
And my two year old was right next to me
going, good job, mamas, keep it up.
And just not only the effect that we're having
(07:32):
on them, of showing them a healthy lifestyleand mom taking care of herself, but also
encouraging others and just being thatpositive accountability that some moms need in
their life, because two of our moms lastnight, for example, it was a virtual class and
they have very little ones and their littleones needed their attention.
(07:55):
And just reminding them throughout the workoutthat they may have not gotten that full half
an hour workout for themselves, but theyshowed up and they showed up for themselves,
for each other, for their kids.
And whether it was five minutes or the whole
half an hour, they put themselves first forjust a little bit of time.
Cassy (08:17):
Now, do you feel like in your position as owning this gym that focuses on moms, have
you noticed that it is harder, I guess, inyour opinion?
Because, I don't know, there's like studiesout there about this, but harder for moms to
prioritize themselves and their health andwell being than it is for dads?
(08:41):
I feel like it would be.
Kaitlyn (08:42):
I think so.
I think it's always been kind of that notion
of moms taking care of everybody but herself.
Even in today's times where we are seeing more
50 50 partnerships and dad helping out alittle bit more than what you may have heard
(09:04):
in past generations, it is still, I feel,especially again, in my opinion, that mom is
still always putting others first.
And you hear a lot of the saying of happy
wife, happy life.
But I like to turn it into healthy mom,
healthy family, because if mom's taking careof herself, whether it's physically or
(09:26):
mentally, it's just going to make for abetter, well rounded family.
And asking mom to take 30 minutes for herself,whether it's a virtual class, or come find us
for an hour and bring her baby along.
It's just a mood lifting experience and a
workout whether you're there.
(09:47):
Last week I went to class as a support for my
instructor, and I held a baby the entire time.
And I told the moms, I said, I'm here for
support and I'm here to help you.
I don't need to get my workout in.
And some of our moms will come just becausethey need the support and the socialization.
And if they move their bodies, that's just alittle bonus.
(10:12):
Yeah.
Cassy (10:12):
And I think that the socialization is a big part of it, too.
It's so hard to make friends as a mom and agym where you have other moms, not that you
can't make friends with alone who aren't moms,but it's almost like it's easier because they
get where you're coming from, they know whatyou're experiencing, and you're not only
(10:37):
getting this socialization, but it's likeyou're having a community to be there to
support you.
Kaitlyn (10:44):
One of our big things that we like to, I don't want to say advertise, but support
throughout fit for mom is what we call ourvillage.
They say it takes a village to raise a child,but it also takes a village to raise a mom.
And the village I had from my first childcompared to my fourth child is way different.
(11:08):
I didn't have fit for mom with my first kid.
And although I thought I was doing everything
the best way I could, I had babysat for years.
Kids were like a second nature to me.
It's still different when it's your own.
And we need that support of women who just get
what we're going through.
(11:30):
New moms show up to classes and they're so
hesitant.
What if my baby cries?
What if my kid screams?What if this happens?
We get it.
You're not going to walk into a gym and have
the instructor say, it's okay, I'll hold yourbaby.
And I told the mom last week when I washolding her little one, I said, you're
(11:51):
probably more bothered by her crying thananybody else here, because we're moms and we
get it.
And we have kids that have blowouts during
class, and we have kids know scream becausethey don't want to be strapped into the.
It's just, it is a totally different.
(12:12):
It's sometimes hard to explain.
And that's why think of words, Caitlin, whatare you trying to say?
Until you're in that position of being a momand trying to take care of yourself and your
family, you don't know what it's like.
And then you walk into fit for mom and it's
just this whole different circle surroundingyou.
Cassy (12:36):
And I think that another thing that has got to be great about having a place that is
focused on moms is that it's probably morewelcoming to, let's be honest, a mom's body.
Yeah.
I don't know if this is something that you
have experienced.
I'm sure that I can't be the only one.
(12:58):
But even, like, going to the YMCA, there'stimes where it's like, the YMCA is not as bad
as other gyms.
Don't get me wrong, there is a gym in my
hometown that I used to joke as like, it'slike the real life globo, because everyone be
there in their little itty bitty workoutoutfits, and it's like, everyone's already
fit.
And then you're there with your mom pooch and
(13:22):
the stretch marks and sweatpants and you'relike, man, I feel very out of place.
Kaitlyn (13:29):
Yeah. I don't want to keep saying, like, we get it, but we're with you.
We are moms.
And even my own fitness journey in itself, my
perspective has changed so much from thatfourth kid of I need to get my body back.
(13:49):
Mama, your body went through so much.
You see it all the time.
In that nine months, your body will go throughmore than a man's body ever will.
And I think society as a whole needs to changeits mind frame, too, about getting our bodies
back, because your body is never going to bethe same.
(14:12):
I actually just read an article or wrote anarticle for fit for mom, and it was getting
mom's fitness back.
And that can look different for every mom.
And our bodies are going to look different andour fitness levels are going to look
different.
And it's the support and knowing that, again,
(14:34):
we've all been through this and we're here foryou, and it's a judgment free zone.
And we want you to feel comfortable whetheryou're stepping out your jumping jacks for the
first year and then you're finally doing.
I don't want to say finally, but then you're
increasing to a full jumping jack.
(14:55):
Everybody's different.
And that's what I love about our village.
Cassy (15:00):
Yeah. And it makes such a big difference when you have a community that is
supportive.
I started running, let me think.
After I had my third baby, I was a very slowrunner.
I'm still a very slow runner.
(15:20):
But one thing that made a big difference was
that I would go do these five k's, and I evendid back home.
There's the gate river run, and it's a. Youhave, like.
Not that they were in my wave, I was in theslow people wave way in the back.
But you have Olympians that run this race,right.
(15:41):
But one thing I noticed is that the runningcommunity, for example, I would be like this
slow person coming across the finish line, andI'm like, way towards the end, and all these
people.
Kaitlyn (15:51):
Have already finished, or giving you high.
Cassy (15:53):
Fives like, you did great way to go.
And it's so uplifting.
That's why I use that example, because whenyou have that, even though maybe you're not
the best person there, but no one's tearingyou down, when you have that community of
people.
And I mentioned running because that's just
what I've noticed in the running community,people seem to be very uplifting.
(16:17):
Even if you're not fast or whatever, peopleare still there cheering you on.
And that makes such a difference.
It makes you want to keep going.
It really does feel like everyone's judging meor I'm not good enough.
You don't want to keep at it.
Kaitlyn (16:34):
Yeah. And again, the community aspect.
One of our sayings with fit for mom is, I camefor the workout, but I stayed for the
community because you can go to a gym, you canwork out, you can do your online workouts.
I will be honest, my first many years wasonline workouts.
(16:56):
I, to this day, have never stepped foot in agym.
And I think it's just the support and theaccountability that you get from having a
community like fit for mom is just a wholedifferent level than any other wellness
program that you will find.
Cassy (17:16):
And I like that you use that word just now, too, like wellness.
I think that's another thing that we're slowlystarting to move towards.
But at the same time, just culturally, there'sstill this expectation, oh, you're going to
bounce back.
When are you going to bounce back?
When are you going to get your pre baby bodyback?
Where it's with celebrities and not that I amputting them down, I am sure if I had a
(17:43):
million nannies and a nutritionist andpersonal trainers.
Kaitlyn (17:48):
I.
Cassy (17:48):
Could probably look that great, too.
And that's their job.
Their whole job is to look great, so morepower to them.
But culturally, you still have thisexpectation where you go to the gym so you can
be skinny or to lose weight, as opposed to itshould be about overall wellness.
And I know for me, that's something that I'vereally been working on the past few years
(18:11):
where it's like I'm running or I'm going tothe gym or I'm working out.
And it's not just because I'm trying to loseweight.
I'm trying to be healthy.
I may not ever be a size smaller than I am,
but I can run a five k, and that's great.
And that's what matters.
Right.
And it's something that I want my daughters
especially to see and to notice.
(18:33):
It's not about having your body look a certain
way.
It's about being healthy and the overall
wellness that comes with it.
Kaitlyn (18:44):
Yeah. And as I mentioned earlier, the picture that society gives us of what is
healthy isn't always healthy.
And the celebrity reference of I forget who it
was in the last year that had a baby and allthe news that was like, oh, look at her.
(19:07):
She just had her baby, like, so many weeksago.
And I'm like, but that's not healthy.
You're setting a standard up for us moms who,
like you said, don't have those personaltrainers and the nutritionists and the nannies
to fit in their fitness programs, but it'smore about the wellness of your body and
(19:29):
feeling good and being healthy.
And there was a saying that I was going to
say, now I lost it, but it will come back tome.
So I think we just need to change our mindsetoverall and even try and change society's
mindset of what moms need to look like andfeel like after having a baby.
Cassy (19:56):
Right?
Kaitlyn (19:56):
Because.
Cassy (20:00):
I don't want to say this.
Like, in a way, it's one thing to know it.
It's like you can know something and you knowit's true, but emotionally, it feels so
different.
Right.
But that's one of the things I have to tellmyself.
Like, look, you've had a baby.
You've had maybe multiple babies.
Whoever it is that you're talking to, one,two, whatever babies, even if you're an
(20:22):
adoptive mom, everything changes when you havekids.
It's a lot harder when, let's say it'ssummertime and you've got all your kids at
home and you don't have the time to sit andmake yourself, like a nice, healthy meal.
So you're just kind of eating whatever islying around kind of thrown your way or now I
(20:46):
don't have time to go on the workouts that Iused to go on.
So it's like, whatever the circumstances are,you're fundamentally changed.
It doesn't matter.
Like I said, even adoptive moms, being a mom
(21:07):
fundamentally changes your life, and that'sgoing to change your body, too.
But that's not the message that we're given.
We're expected to be able to do it all, and
that includes with our fitness and the way ourbody looks.
It's one of those things that I have to workto tell myself I'm not going to go back to the
(21:31):
way I was before.
I'm going to look the way that I look.
And your organs get moved around in pregnancy.
This isn't like a small thing.
Kaitlyn (21:41):
It's funny, too, because I was just talking to a medical professional for myself
on Friday, and when you said about remindingyourself, like I can say, I tell myself often,
you've had four kids.
My oldest is almost ten, so I'm ten more years
older than what I was when I had him, and I'mnot getting younger.
(22:05):
So my body is changing.
And even though I work as hard as I do, I have
to remind myself what my body has gone throughto have four kids.
Or as you said, maybe your body didn't gothrough it because you've adopted or your
journey to motherhood has looked different,but you're a mom and you're no longer putting
(22:30):
yourself first.
And you might be lacking sleep and you might
be eating pizza twice in one day like I didyesterday, because that was my life.
And we just need to overall change our look onour role as a mom and how we can make ourself
(22:51):
a priority and make ourselves healthy in a waythat's good for us and where we're at in our
stages of motherhood.
Cassy (23:01):
Right.
And it's really hard when you feel alone in
that.
And I think that's another example of why
something like fit for mom is important,because you're again, going to have people
that are there that understand.
Kaitlyn (23:24):
Yeah.
Cassy (23:25):
And probably they're going to have, I mean, not literally everyone's body is going
to look alike, but in a way, it's like you'regoing to have people whose bodies there look
like yours.
Different sizes, sure, but it's like people
are going to have stretch marks or they'regoing to have the saggy ***** and all the
things that happen when you have kids.
(23:47):
There's not going to be this 18 year old with
the perfect body and, like, the tiny shortsand the sports bra that you're looking at them
going, man, I look horrible.
Maybe that's just me that does that.
Kaitlyn (24:01):
And we all see ourselves differently, too.
And I think that's hard.
I think any woman has a struggle with the body
images sometimes, whether you've gone throughpregnancy and motherhood and your body has
changed, but coming to fit for mom and havingthat support and that non judgment zone, I
(24:26):
think is uplifting in itself of we don't care.
We don't care if you come up with spit up on
your shirt or your saggy ***** or whateveryou're going through in life.
I think it's just knowing that you have thatsupport and that you're not alone, because
(24:48):
moms need to know that you're not meant to domotherhood alone.
And whether you have a very supportive familyor friend circle, you need other moms in your
life, because we just get what you're goingthrough.
Cassy (25:09):
And in your experience, what do you feel like are the barriers that are keeping
moms from being able to focus on their ownhealth and wellness and fitness?
Kaitlyn (25:24):
I hate to say that I think moms really do use their kids as an excuse a lot.
And that's where I love that we offer what wedo offer through fit for mom.
Mom guilt, I think, is another one of, well,maybe you're a working mom and your kids are
(25:48):
in school or your kids are in daycare and youdon't get to see them a lot.
But going back to that healthy mom thing, yourkids need to see that, and they need to see
that you're taking care of yourself, becauseif you're not, you're not going to be around
for your kids.
Not to sound like, depressing, but it's a
(26:12):
struggle.
I still struggle with it.
Telling my kids that maybe I didn't make it toan in person class that day.
So we're working out virtually.
And I need that time that although they're
still around me, I need that time to focus onme and just showing them that it's okay to
take that time for mom, because mom has a loton her plate.
(26:35):
But I really do think that because we're moms,we put ourselves last.
And whether it's the kid excuse or the workingexcuse, with four kids, three of mine coming
up in spring, have three different events.
And it's easy to say I don't have time for a
(26:57):
workout, but it's finding that time and makingit important so that you feel better.
Cassy (27:08):
Yeah. And I can say that I'm guilty of the kid excuse.
Not specifically with working out.
I mean, working out, too, but just in general.
That is one great thing about being a mom isthat when you're just really tired and you
don't want to do something and you know youhave something to do, and then one of your
kids will always give you an excuse like, oh,mom, my head hurts.
(27:28):
Oh, no. Well, I guess we can't go out now.
Kaitlyn (27:33):
Yes, they can come in handy.
I'm not saying your kids can come in handy for
some excuses.
Cassy (27:44):
But it is true that I've noticed that.
Oh, man, you have to really force yourself
sometimes.
And there's a lot of times where I just don't
want to do it.
Kaitlyn (27:59):
But.
Cassy (28:03):
If you get into that habit, nothing's going to change and it's hard.
I am definitely not some hardcore gym rat, soI'm definitely not judging anyone here or
acting like I have all the answers because Iget it.
(28:24):
Oh, my gosh, I'm so tired every day,especially at the end of the day, all the kids
are in bed.
It's like the last thing I want to do is,
okay, well, now I've got to go do a workout.
So I have to try to find ways to make sure
that I can get around that.
So, for example, as soon as my last kid gets
(28:48):
picked up on his bus, I have to have myrunning shoes and my workout clothes and stuff
on and go right then, because if I go home andsit down, I'm not going to do it.
I have to give myself like a fail safe becauseotherwise it just won't happen.
Kaitlyn (29:04):
I actually was listening to, I think it was, I don't know if it was a podcast or
where it was that somebody was saying thatthey told themselves they were going to get up
and they were going to work out and it justwasn't happening.
And it wasn't happening.
But they were finding in their routine that
every time they got up in the morning, as mostpeople, you get up and you go to the bathroom.
(29:26):
So this person took his running shoes or hisworkout shoes and put them on top of the
toilet so that he had moved them to go to thebathroom.
And it just started that simple step ofputting them on his feet and then that routine
of, well, now I'm going to go work out.
(29:46):
I find myself often because we do have two
early morning workouts at 530, virtually, I'llsleep in my workout clothes, or at least part
of it, because one less barrier when I'm tiredat 520, when the alarm goes off, and one less
excuse for me to be like, well, it's going totake me time to get dressed and I don't want
(30:09):
to get.
It's just eliminating those factors.
And like you said, putting on your workoutshoes when you get dressed.
So as soon as the kids are off on the bus,that's what you do.
And that's part of your routine.
And I think, too, it's introducing a routine,
whether it looks like I'm going to go to thisclass at fit for mom or the gym or whatever on
(30:35):
these days and just making it into yourschedule.
And I know sometimes it's easier said thandone, especially as moms, especially with kids
that may not sleep through the night or myfive year old still comes over to my bedroom
every night.
But just, I don't want to say if it's
(30:56):
important enough, you'll get it done because Idon't want to make people sound like it's not
important to them.
But finding that routine and finding that
accountability, too.
A lot of our moms will tell us, well, I came
to class this morning because I was signed upand I knew you'd be looking for me.
So even that little step of having thataccountability group, a lot of our kids, too.
(31:23):
My two year old.
Are we going to stroller strides today?
Are we going to stroller strides today?It's so funny.
Even two, she kind of knows our routine of wedrop the five year old off at preschool and
then we go to stroller strides.
So maybe you just need a little buddy in your
life that will push you to come to strollerstrides with us.
Cassy (31:48):
Well, and that is another part of, again, we keep talking about community, and
that helps, though.
That makes such a big difference.
So just as an example, you talk about anaccountability budy.
It's great that it's your kid in thisinstance.
(32:09):
If you don't have that, then have a friend.
I'm doing a five k with a bunch of friends
right now, this coming up weekend.
And having friends was so helpful for
accountability because then it was like, well,I have people that I have to answer to.
(32:29):
So if you're going to a place like fit formom, then you have friends there that you can
make.
And, okay, well, we're going to go to this
class on this day and I'm going to see youthere, and then maybe afterwards we'll go get,
like.
As a way to get you out the door.
Kaitlyn (32:49):
Exactly.
We actually just finished in February.
We did a Galentine's partner challenge, so Ipartnered moms up who wanted to participate,
and they got a point for every class they cameto, and then two points for every class that
they came to as a team, and there was onlyfive teams, but the amount of times those moms
(33:13):
showed up was amazing.
And they were moms that are routine moms, but
it pushed them a little bit more and it pushedthem to try different classes that they
typically wouldn't try because they knewsomeone else was looking for them.
What's great, too, is our kids become friends,so then they look for each other at if.
Cassy (33:41):
And then you have someone at home that's like, mom, I want to go see Kaden.
Kaitlyn (33:45):
Let's go.
Exactly.
I was with my two year old yesterday and wewere waiting for class to start, and I said,
who do you think is going to be the first onehere?
And she named her best buddy, whounfortunately is not at morning classes
because mom works.
And I was like, oh, I'm sorry, honey.
She's not going to be here today.
But just having that.
(34:06):
Not only are moms creating a village ofsupport and friendships, our kids are creating
a village of support and friendships.
I wouldn't know any of the moms from fit for
mom.
If it wasn't for fit for mom.
Cassy (34:26):
What would your advice be for someone who is?
Maybe they're a new mom.
Maybe they're an old mom like me and they're
pushing teenagers, but they just haven'tgotten into a good workout routine, whatever
the situation is.
What would your advice be on how to get
started?If you're feeling intimidated or.
(34:47):
I can't do this.
Kaitlyn (34:48):
Yeah. So when we look at fit for moms specifically, we always just encourage,
schedule the class and show up.
I know.
It's, again, easier said than done.
We have some great stories from our moms.
One mom who has been with us almost six yearssince we've opened, she'll tell the story that
(35:09):
she came to our grand opening or the week ofour grand opening.
And that morning, she said to her husband, shesaid, I don't think I'm going to go.
I just can't do it.
And he's like, you need to go.
You need this.
And here she is, six years later.
She's up to three kids.
She's so actively with us.
(35:29):
I think trying any workout, any gym, anyfitness routine can be very intimidating for
that first step.
But if you never try it, you'll never know
what you can find or what it can lead to inyour life.
I have done the couch to five k numeroustimes.
(35:51):
And without that first step, I would havenever completed half marathons.
It's hard if you're a new mom, it's very hardto show up to something you're not sure what
to expect anywhere, whether it's your firstouting with your infant or your first workout
(36:12):
class with your infant.
So in relation to fit for mom, whether you're
that brand new mom with that brand new baby,or maybe you're a mom of three and you're just
hearing about us, or you're that mom thatdoesn't have stroller kids and you're just
hearing about us.
We're here for you and we have a village of
(36:35):
support that's going to help you through thatfirst workout.
And that's all we ask, is that you come andyou give it a try, whether it's with us or any
gym.
But especially if you're a mom, we think you
should come check us out.
Cassy (36:51):
And what kind of classes? I know you mentioned you have, like your
stroller classes, but what other kinds ofthings can people see there?
Yeah.
Kaitlyn (37:01):
So what's great with fit for mom, too, is, as I mentioned at the very beginning,
we are pre and postnatal focused.
And I know a lot of people think when we say
postnatal, oh, like that first six months, I'mway beyond that.
I have a teenager or my youngest is six, orwhatever it may be.
(37:21):
But when we think postnatal, we're thinkingmotherhood.
We offer a variety of fitness programs for anyage and stage of motherhood.
So under the fit for mom umbrella, there areseven to eight fitness programs, starting from
the very beginning with prenatal.
(37:43):
Our fit for baby program, with what it's
called fit for baby, is exactly what it is.
It's for our prenatal moms.
It's a mom only class designed for ourexpecting moms.
And we lead them through an hour of strengthcardio.
And we like to say core, but that preparingfor labor, preparing for motherhood workout.
(38:06):
And then after baby comes, we have threestroller friendly workouts.
Stroller strides, stroller bar, and strides360.
I drew a blank on that for a minute andthey're all a little different.
Stroller strides is very kiddo interactive.
We do strength, we do cardio, we do core.
We're with our strollers, we're singing songs.
(38:27):
It's a full intensity, not full intensity, but
full body hour workout.
Stroller bar is just very similar to stroller
strides, but we're working in our ballet movesand our bar moves.
So if you think of dancer and ballet, we'redoing a few more.
(38:48):
We're not dancing by any means, because I amno dancer, but we're using the strollers as
our bar.
And we'll still sing songs with the kids.
And then strides 360 is full cardio based.
This one, we like to say, is stroller
optional.
We have a lot of moms come without their
strollers and they'll focus on their running.
Or we have moms that come with their strollers
(39:10):
and they'll run with their stroller or theirwalk.
But that one is very cardio based andconditioning based for runners, although you
don't have to be a runner to join us for thatone.
And then we have two mom only workouts.
Stroller.
No, not stroller.
See, I'm losing track here.
(39:32):
Body ignite is full strength, so you won't seeany cardio in this one.
And it is mom only because we focus on slow,controlled movements.
Weights are included, so of course, safetyreasons of those kiddos.
And then we end every workout with a twominute of stillness and just quietness for the
mom's body to rest.
(39:53):
And then we have our last program, body boost,
which is our hit program.
So high intensity interval training.
So we go through cardio strength and again,some core.
And we end with what we call a hit highlight,which is revisiting all those cardio moves and
getting our heart rates as high as we can pushthem and going breathless.
(40:16):
And then we do end this one with a meditationas well.
And then upcoming, we have an actual sessionbased program that fit for mom released.
It's called body well.
So this focuses on nutrition, fitness and
taking care of mom.
And it's an eight week session.
We're launching our first one upcoming in themiddle of march, shortly after I believe this
(40:42):
recording will come out.
And that's really just to take mom through.
It used to be a focus on a transformation, butnow it's just taking mom through that self
care and really getting her to focus on thatnutrition and that fitness and changing her
body, whether it's transformational and losingweight or just changing what she's eating and
(41:08):
seeing a better image of herself and herfitness and wellness.
I think I got them all.
Cassy (41:21):
Yeah, it's great to hear.
I guess that again, like you mentioned, you
don't have to have just a baby to come there.
Like it's for everyone.
Kaitlyn (41:32):
Correct.
And even our stroller.
I always say stroller friendly workoutsbecause you don't have to have a stroller to
come.
You're still going to get a full workout and
an intense workout.
And it's funny, too, because every now and
then we'll have family days and the spousesand partners will come and they'll walk away
(41:53):
and they'll be sore the next day.
And they're like, oh my gosh, you really do
work out.
That's really tough.
We do get a few people and they're like, oh,you just walk your strollers around.
And we're like, no, that's not what we do.
You can think that and we do push our
(42:13):
strollers, but no. So I always like to use theword stroller friendly.
One, I don't necessarily always like to saymommy and me because I think some people, when
you see the word mommy and me, you think yourkids participating, they're going to be doing
it with you.
And that's not necessarily true in our case.
(42:34):
So I like the word stroller friendly becauseit welcomes those kids.
It welcomes you to bring your infants, yourtoddlers, your school age kids in the
stroller, but it also allows you to comewithout your stroller.
As long as you don't mind singing your abcs toopen air, you are welcome at any of our
workouts.
Cassy (42:57):
I don't know if customizable is the word, but I mean, for people with different
fitness levels, someone who maybe they haven'tworked out in a long time because they've been
raising all their kids, are they going to beable to keep up with the classes that they're
taking?
Kaitlyn (43:13):
Yeah, of course.
So we do.
We have our variety of fitness levelsthroughout any of our classes, whether it's
our prenatal classes to our stroller friendlyto our mom only.
All of our instructors, too, are educated inways to modify and take down the intensity.
But we're also educated in ways to increasethe intensity.
(43:37):
So we do like to start kind of mid level andsay, okay, here's where you might be at today,
but if you're not and you need to decreasethat intensity, you're going to take it to
this level.
But if you're ready to go even higher, here's
the highest intensity level that you can goto.
And it's so great because we might useequipment like dumbbells.
(44:00):
So that's really customizable to a mom becauseshe might be at a three pound dumbbell, but
then there might be the mom next to her who'srocking that ten pound.
And that's great too, because that gives yougoals to set for yourself, to increase your
fitness level.
And going back earlier in the podcast where I
(44:23):
said about your jumping jacks, maybe you'restepping your jumping jacks out and you say,
it's a goal of mine within six weeks to do 30seconds of full jumping jacks and just setting
those small fitness goals for yourself onthose levels of intensity that we offer you.
Cassy (44:55):
Oh, whoops.
I was on mute.
Kaitlyn (44:58):
Okay. Yeah.
Cassy (45:01):
I was just there, like, talking to myself.
Kaitlyn (45:05):
I do it all the time as a mom, and I'm not on mute, so it's okay.
Yeah.
Cassy (45:11):
I think that the different intensity, being able to kind of individualize your
workout to yourself is really great becausefor me, I know if I feel discouraged, then I
am that much less likely to do it next time.
Kaitlyn (45:32):
Yeah.
Cassy (45:33):
And that actually was.
I remember when I first started running again,
like a million years ago.
Not that I'm like an avid, super awesome
runner now.
All the same, hey, I get out there, I do it
right.
That's what matters.
Kaitlyn (45:47):
Exactly.
Cassy (45:49):
I remember I read somewhere and it stuck in my mind, but it was saying that the
key to running is to stop while you can feellike you can keep going.
That if you push yourself to where you'recompletely exhausted, that you're going to
feel, like, defeated.
That stood out to me.
(46:10):
And it's something I still think about, andnot just in the context of running, but it's
like knowing your body and knowing what you'reable to do and being able to know, okay, I can
push myself a little bit further or I need topull it back a little bit right now.
And being able to listen to yourself, I thinkthat really goes a long way.
Kaitlyn (46:32):
Yeah. And not to off track the intensity level, but relating to moms, too.
What's nice with our workouts is if you needto take a break because your baby's crying, we
get that.
And you can even use them as an excuse to take
a break.
(46:53):
But, yeah, I think just knowing your limits,
and we like to say, first off, you showed upfor yourself.
That's step one.
And then if you came to socialize and you're
just doing that lower intensity jumping Jack,but you're filling your cup because you got
(47:18):
out of the house and you're now surrounded bypeople who get you again, that's another
accomplishment.
So I think, too, not to continue to, I don't
want to say bash society, but society putsthis bigger picture on.
Unless you're breathless, unless your heartrates up, unless you can't feel like you can't
go any bit further, you're not getting a fullworkout.
(47:41):
That's not the case.
And we really, as our instructors, try to
encourage mom to make it the workout that sheneeds for the day.
If you need a high intensity workout and yourbody is ready for that, go for it.
But if you need to step out and take care ofyour baby and socialize, we're here for that,
(48:03):
too.
Cassy (48:05):
Yeah, I think that sounds really great and something that I think a lot of moms could
really use.
So if they want to find out more about fit for
mom reading, where can they look?
Kaitlyn (48:19):
So we are on both social media.
Both social medias.
There's more than two.
We are on Facebook and Instagram.
Our I guess it would be handle, right, is justfit for mom.
So it's F-I-T the number four mom.
(48:39):
M-O-M.
Redding.
So R-E-A-D-I-N-G on both Instagram and
Facebook.
And then our website is redding,
fitformom.com.
Cassy (48:54):
Okay. Well, thank you so much for having us.
Well, for being here.
Not having us.
Kaitlyn (49:00):
Thank you for having me.
Cassy (49:04):
That's the mom brain.
Kaitlyn (49:06):
Yeah, it happens.
Cassy (49:10):
Yeah. Thanks for being here.
And I will make sure to put all of the
information in our show notes.
So if you are interested in checking out more
about fit for mom reading, just look for thelinks.
Kaitlyn (49:22):
Yes. And your first class is always free, so make sure if you're ready to join us,
you check that out.
Cassy (49:31):
Sounds good.
We will talk to you later, Caitlin.
Kaitlyn (49:33):
Thank you.
Bye bye.
Cassy (49:45):
That's our episode for this week.
New episodes will drop every Monday.
Make sure to subscribe so you never miss out.
Leave us a review and share to help other moms
find us.
Thanks for stopping by the Fireflies and
Whoopee Pie podcast, the only podcast by southcentral pa moms or south central pa moms.
Until next time.
Hi, and welcome to the South Central PA Mom Fireflies and Whoopee Pie podcast, where
we discuss motherhood, local events andeverything in between right here in south
central Pa.
Kaitlyn (00:17):
So sit back, grab a coffee a.
Cassy (00:19):
While and settle in for the show.
Hi, everyone.
Welcome back to another episode.
Today we have Caitlin with us and she is the
owner of Fit for mom Reading.
Caitlin, thanks for being here.
Kaitlyn (00:38):
Thank you for having me.
Cassy (00:40):
So tell me about fit for mom reading.
What is that exactly?
Kaitlyn (00:45):
Yeah. So fit for mom reading is a franchise based location off of the national
Fitness brand of Fit for mom.
So fit for mom is the nation's leading pre and
postnatal fitness programs.
Cassy (01:04):
And how did you get involved with that?
Kaitlyn (01:06):
So my story is a little interesting and unique.
I was an educator for seven years and aboutsix years ago I was in the stage of life with
two kids and starting to look for ways that Icould be home with my kids, including my
(01:26):
hobbies of fitness and just more time for mykids and my family.
So randomly stumbled upon a Facebook ad thatfit for mom was looking for owners.
And actually right around this time six yearsago, I filled out the application and in April
(01:49):
I will celebrate six years of ownership.
Cassy (01:57):
So what makes fit for mom reading different from your normal gym?
Because I know that as a mom, for me, it'sreally hard to find a gym that is, I don't
want to say family friendly, but that you cango to with your kids.
Kaitlyn (02:13):
Yeah, of course.
So what makes fit for mom unique and special
is that we bring our kids with us.
So fit for mom overall originated over 20
years ago out in San Diego, California, andthe owner, Lisa Drexman, was looking for a way
(02:33):
to incorporate fitness with her stage ofmotherhood, which was the newborn stage.
So she plopped her little baby, Jacob in astroller and invited moms in the community to
come work out with her.
So what's unique about us is we incorporate
our kids not necessarily in the workouts.
(02:55):
Our kids aren't doing the workout with us, but
our kids are there from stroller aged all theway up through school aged.
They get to see us making our fitness and ourwellness a priority.
So we're not leaving them for our workouts.
They get to be with us.
They get to see that importance and it gives alittle less mom guilt to walking away from
(03:21):
them to get our workouts in.
Cassy (03:24):
Yeah. And especially know there are a lot of places where I know in my experience,
for example, like the YMCA.
We love the YMCA.
We've had memberships, know, on and off for along time.
But when you have childcare, we foundespecially having a child that has special
(03:45):
needs, it's so hit or miss.
Is this going to be a good fit for my kid?
And it's like, well, are the people workinghere?
Are they going to be engaging with them andplaying with them?
Are they just going to be sitting there ontheir phones the whole time?
You never really know.
And so it can be hard to feel comfortable.
And a lot of times I would end up being like,it's just easier to try to fit in time to go
(04:10):
to the gym without them because I don't knowhow comfortable I am leaving them in
childcare.
Kaitlyn (04:15):
Yeah. And what is unique about our classes, too, our stroller based classes, like
I said, the kids aren't necessarily doing thejumping jacks with us, actually, we encourage
them to be in their strollers or be on a safemat so that they're not in the way of moms or
not causing safety issues.
But we engage with them through songs and play
(04:39):
during our workouts.
So we might do the jumping jacks while singing
the abcs, or we might do back pedals and thenskip forward and tickle the kids in the
stroller.
So they're also getting that mom to baby
connection that they're not going to get in agym daycare.
And everybody has their preference of how theywork out.
(05:01):
And sometimes moms need that break from theirkids, which is also special because we do have
mom only classes as well, but it allows mom tointeract and play with their child during a
workout.
And I've seen more and more lately to my local
YMCA, nothing against them, but theirchildcare is closed a lot because they're
(05:25):
short staffed.
So then it puts mom in that predicament of she
was planning to get her workout in, but nowwhat?
So that is just an added feature of being partof our fit for mom village.
Cassy (05:39):
Yeah. And then you only have the childcare that is open certain times.
And I'm not trying to say that that's a badthing.
You can't.
I mean, fit for a mom or the YMCA or anywhere
is not going to be open 24 hours a day.
But it's a lot easier, I think, to plan if
(05:59):
your kid is able to come with you versusyou're having to plan around a preexisting
childcare schedule because then it's like,okay, well, what classes can I do if you want
to do, like a workout class, for example, nowit's.
Well, is this even available during childcarehours?
That's been something I've had to deal with alot of times.
(06:21):
And the classes that I want to take, they'renot available.
Kaitlyn (06:24):
Yeah.
Cassy (06:29):
I think that another really good part about having your kids with you in the class,
too, is that it's setting a really goodexample of showing them mom doing something
for herself, mom doing something healthy.
Kaitlyn (06:49):
Yeah. It's funny because my two year old will mimic exactly what I am doing.
That's adorable.
It is so cute.
As a mom of four, all of my kids will mimic myexercises.
But let's be honest, it's adorable when a twoyear old does it.
(07:11):
So even last night, I was teaching a virtualclass because we offer virtual classes as
well.
And I said something about, great job, ladies,
or great job, mamas, keep it up.
And my two year old was right next to me
going, good job, mamas, keep it up.
And just not only the effect that we're having
(07:32):
on them, of showing them a healthy lifestyleand mom taking care of herself, but also
encouraging others and just being thatpositive accountability that some moms need in
their life, because two of our moms lastnight, for example, it was a virtual class and
they have very little ones and their littleones needed their attention.
(07:55):
And just reminding them throughout the workoutthat they may have not gotten that full half
an hour workout for themselves, but theyshowed up and they showed up for themselves,
for each other, for their kids.
And whether it was five minutes or the whole
half an hour, they put themselves first forjust a little bit of time.
Cassy (08:17):
Now, do you feel like in your position as owning this gym that focuses on moms, have
you noticed that it is harder, I guess, inyour opinion?
Because, I don't know, there's like studiesout there about this, but harder for moms to
prioritize themselves and their health andwell being than it is for dads?
(08:41):
I feel like it would be.
Kaitlyn (08:42):
I think so.
I think it's always been kind of that notion
of moms taking care of everybody but herself.
Even in today's times where we are seeing more
50 50 partnerships and dad helping out alittle bit more than what you may have heard
(09:04):
in past generations, it is still, I feel,especially again, in my opinion, that mom is
still always putting others first.
And you hear a lot of the saying of happy
wife, happy life.
But I like to turn it into healthy mom,
healthy family, because if mom's taking careof herself, whether it's physically or
(09:26):
mentally, it's just going to make for abetter, well rounded family.
And asking mom to take 30 minutes for herself,whether it's a virtual class, or come find us
for an hour and bring her baby along.
It's just a mood lifting experience and a
workout whether you're there.
(09:47):
Last week I went to class as a support for my
instructor, and I held a baby the entire time.
And I told the moms, I said, I'm here for
support and I'm here to help you.
I don't need to get my workout in.
And some of our moms will come just becausethey need the support and the socialization.
And if they move their bodies, that's just alittle bonus.
(10:12):
Yeah.
Cassy (10:12):
And I think that the socialization is a big part of it, too.
It's so hard to make friends as a mom and agym where you have other moms, not that you
can't make friends with alone who aren't moms,but it's almost like it's easier because they
get where you're coming from, they know whatyou're experiencing, and you're not only
(10:37):
getting this socialization, but it's likeyou're having a community to be there to
support you.
Kaitlyn (10:44):
One of our big things that we like to, I don't want to say advertise, but support
throughout fit for mom is what we call ourvillage.
They say it takes a village to raise a child,but it also takes a village to raise a mom.
And the village I had from my first childcompared to my fourth child is way different.
(11:08):
I didn't have fit for mom with my first kid.
And although I thought I was doing everything
the best way I could, I had babysat for years.
Kids were like a second nature to me.
It's still different when it's your own.
And we need that support of women who just get
what we're going through.
(11:30):
New moms show up to classes and they're so
hesitant.
What if my baby cries?
What if my kid screams?What if this happens?
We get it.
You're not going to walk into a gym and have
the instructor say, it's okay, I'll hold yourbaby.
And I told the mom last week when I washolding her little one, I said, you're
(11:51):
probably more bothered by her crying thananybody else here, because we're moms and we
get it.
And we have kids that have blowouts during
class, and we have kids know scream becausethey don't want to be strapped into the.
It's just, it is a totally different.
(12:12):
It's sometimes hard to explain.
And that's why think of words, Caitlin, whatare you trying to say?
Until you're in that position of being a momand trying to take care of yourself and your
family, you don't know what it's like.
And then you walk into fit for mom and it's
just this whole different circle surroundingyou.
Cassy (12:36):
And I think that another thing that has got to be great about having a place that is
focused on moms is that it's probably morewelcoming to, let's be honest, a mom's body.
Yeah.
I don't know if this is something that you
have experienced.
I'm sure that I can't be the only one.
(12:58):
But even, like, going to the YMCA, there'stimes where it's like, the YMCA is not as bad
as other gyms.
Don't get me wrong, there is a gym in my
hometown that I used to joke as like, it'slike the real life globo, because everyone be
there in their little itty bitty workoutoutfits, and it's like, everyone's already
fit.
And then you're there with your mom pooch and
(13:22):
the stretch marks and sweatpants and you'relike, man, I feel very out of place.
Kaitlyn (13:29):
Yeah. I don't want to keep saying, like, we get it, but we're with you.
We are moms.
And even my own fitness journey in itself, my
perspective has changed so much from thatfourth kid of I need to get my body back.
(13:49):
Mama, your body went through so much.
You see it all the time.
In that nine months, your body will go throughmore than a man's body ever will.
And I think society as a whole needs to changeits mind frame, too, about getting our bodies
back, because your body is never going to bethe same.
(14:12):
I actually just read an article or wrote anarticle for fit for mom, and it was getting
mom's fitness back.
And that can look different for every mom.
And our bodies are going to look different andour fitness levels are going to look
different.
And it's the support and knowing that, again,
(14:34):
we've all been through this and we're here foryou, and it's a judgment free zone.
And we want you to feel comfortable whetheryou're stepping out your jumping jacks for the
first year and then you're finally doing.
I don't want to say finally, but then you're
increasing to a full jumping jack.
(14:55):
Everybody's different.
And that's what I love about our village.
Cassy (15:00):
Yeah. And it makes such a big difference when you have a community that is
supportive.
I started running, let me think.
After I had my third baby, I was a very slowrunner.
I'm still a very slow runner.
(15:20):
But one thing that made a big difference was
that I would go do these five k's, and I evendid back home.
There's the gate river run, and it's a. Youhave, like.
Not that they were in my wave, I was in theslow people wave way in the back.
But you have Olympians that run this race,right.
(15:41):
But one thing I noticed is that the runningcommunity, for example, I would be like this
slow person coming across the finish line, andI'm like, way towards the end, and all these
people.
Kaitlyn (15:51):
Have already finished, or giving you high.
Cassy (15:53):
Fives like, you did great way to go.
And it's so uplifting.
That's why I use that example, because whenyou have that, even though maybe you're not
the best person there, but no one's tearingyou down, when you have that community of
people.
And I mentioned running because that's just
what I've noticed in the running community,people seem to be very uplifting.
(16:17):
Even if you're not fast or whatever, peopleare still there cheering you on.
And that makes such a difference.
It makes you want to keep going.
It really does feel like everyone's judging meor I'm not good enough.
You don't want to keep at it.
Kaitlyn (16:34):
Yeah. And again, the community aspect.
One of our sayings with fit for mom is, I camefor the workout, but I stayed for the
community because you can go to a gym, you canwork out, you can do your online workouts.
I will be honest, my first many years wasonline workouts.
(16:56):
I, to this day, have never stepped foot in agym.
And I think it's just the support and theaccountability that you get from having a
community like fit for mom is just a wholedifferent level than any other wellness
program that you will find.
Cassy (17:16):
And I like that you use that word just now, too, like wellness.
I think that's another thing that we're slowlystarting to move towards.
But at the same time, just culturally, there'sstill this expectation, oh, you're going to
bounce back.
When are you going to bounce back?
When are you going to get your pre baby bodyback?
Where it's with celebrities and not that I amputting them down, I am sure if I had a
(17:43):
million nannies and a nutritionist andpersonal trainers.
Kaitlyn (17:48):
I.
Cassy (17:48):
Could probably look that great, too.
And that's their job.
Their whole job is to look great, so morepower to them.
But culturally, you still have thisexpectation where you go to the gym so you can
be skinny or to lose weight, as opposed to itshould be about overall wellness.
And I know for me, that's something that I'vereally been working on the past few years
(18:11):
where it's like I'm running or I'm going tothe gym or I'm working out.
And it's not just because I'm trying to loseweight.
I'm trying to be healthy.
I may not ever be a size smaller than I am,
but I can run a five k, and that's great.
And that's what matters.
Right.
And it's something that I want my daughters
especially to see and to notice.
(18:33):
It's not about having your body look a certain
way.
It's about being healthy and the overall
wellness that comes with it.
Kaitlyn (18:44):
Yeah. And as I mentioned earlier, the picture that society gives us of what is
healthy isn't always healthy.
And the celebrity reference of I forget who it
was in the last year that had a baby and allthe news that was like, oh, look at her.
(19:07):
She just had her baby, like, so many weeksago.
And I'm like, but that's not healthy.
You're setting a standard up for us moms who,
like you said, don't have those personaltrainers and the nutritionists and the nannies
to fit in their fitness programs, but it'smore about the wellness of your body and
(19:29):
feeling good and being healthy.
And there was a saying that I was going to
say, now I lost it, but it will come back tome.
So I think we just need to change our mindsetoverall and even try and change society's
mindset of what moms need to look like andfeel like after having a baby.
Cassy (19:56):
Right?
Kaitlyn (19:56):
Because.
Cassy (20:00):
I don't want to say this.
Like, in a way, it's one thing to know it.
It's like you can know something and you knowit's true, but emotionally, it feels so
different.
Right.
But that's one of the things I have to tellmyself.
Like, look, you've had a baby.
You've had maybe multiple babies.
Whoever it is that you're talking to, one,two, whatever babies, even if you're an
(20:22):
adoptive mom, everything changes when you havekids.
It's a lot harder when, let's say it'ssummertime and you've got all your kids at
home and you don't have the time to sit andmake yourself, like a nice, healthy meal.
So you're just kind of eating whatever islying around kind of thrown your way or now I
(20:46):
don't have time to go on the workouts that Iused to go on.
So it's like, whatever the circumstances are,you're fundamentally changed.
It doesn't matter.
Like I said, even adoptive moms, being a mom
(21:07):
fundamentally changes your life, and that'sgoing to change your body, too.
But that's not the message that we're given.
We're expected to be able to do it all, and
that includes with our fitness and the way ourbody looks.
It's one of those things that I have to workto tell myself I'm not going to go back to the
(21:31):
way I was before.
I'm going to look the way that I look.
And your organs get moved around in pregnancy.
This isn't like a small thing.
Kaitlyn (21:41):
It's funny, too, because I was just talking to a medical professional for myself
on Friday, and when you said about remindingyourself, like I can say, I tell myself often,
you've had four kids.
My oldest is almost ten, so I'm ten more years
older than what I was when I had him, and I'mnot getting younger.
(22:05):
So my body is changing.
And even though I work as hard as I do, I have
to remind myself what my body has gone throughto have four kids.
Or as you said, maybe your body didn't gothrough it because you've adopted or your
journey to motherhood has looked different,but you're a mom and you're no longer putting
(22:30):
yourself first.
And you might be lacking sleep and you might
be eating pizza twice in one day like I didyesterday, because that was my life.
And we just need to overall change our look onour role as a mom and how we can make ourself
(22:51):
a priority and make ourselves healthy in a waythat's good for us and where we're at in our
stages of motherhood.
Cassy (23:01):
Right.
And it's really hard when you feel alone in
that.
And I think that's another example of why
something like fit for mom is important,because you're again, going to have people
that are there that understand.
Kaitlyn (23:24):
Yeah.
Cassy (23:25):
And probably they're going to have, I mean, not literally everyone's body is going
to look alike, but in a way, it's like you'regoing to have people whose bodies there look
like yours.
Different sizes, sure, but it's like people
are going to have stretch marks or they'regoing to have the saggy ***** and all the
things that happen when you have kids.
(23:47):
There's not going to be this 18 year old with
the perfect body and, like, the tiny shortsand the sports bra that you're looking at them
going, man, I look horrible.
Maybe that's just me that does that.
Kaitlyn (24:01):
And we all see ourselves differently, too.
And I think that's hard.
I think any woman has a struggle with the body
images sometimes, whether you've gone throughpregnancy and motherhood and your body has
changed, but coming to fit for mom and havingthat support and that non judgment zone, I
(24:26):
think is uplifting in itself of we don't care.
We don't care if you come up with spit up on
your shirt or your saggy ***** or whateveryou're going through in life.
I think it's just knowing that you have thatsupport and that you're not alone, because
(24:48):
moms need to know that you're not meant to domotherhood alone.
And whether you have a very supportive familyor friend circle, you need other moms in your
life, because we just get what you're goingthrough.
Cassy (25:09):
And in your experience, what do you feel like are the barriers that are keeping
moms from being able to focus on their ownhealth and wellness and fitness?
Kaitlyn (25:24):
I hate to say that I think moms really do use their kids as an excuse a lot.
And that's where I love that we offer what wedo offer through fit for mom.
Mom guilt, I think, is another one of, well,maybe you're a working mom and your kids are
(25:48):
in school or your kids are in daycare and youdon't get to see them a lot.
But going back to that healthy mom thing, yourkids need to see that, and they need to see
that you're taking care of yourself, becauseif you're not, you're not going to be around
for your kids.
Not to sound like, depressing, but it's a
(26:12):
struggle.
I still struggle with it.
Telling my kids that maybe I didn't make it toan in person class that day.
So we're working out virtually.
And I need that time that although they're
still around me, I need that time to focus onme and just showing them that it's okay to
take that time for mom, because mom has a loton her plate.
(26:35):
But I really do think that because we're moms,we put ourselves last.
And whether it's the kid excuse or the workingexcuse, with four kids, three of mine coming
up in spring, have three different events.
And it's easy to say I don't have time for a
(26:57):
workout, but it's finding that time and makingit important so that you feel better.
Cassy (27:08):
Yeah. And I can say that I'm guilty of the kid excuse.
Not specifically with working out.
I mean, working out, too, but just in general.
That is one great thing about being a mom isthat when you're just really tired and you
don't want to do something and you know youhave something to do, and then one of your
kids will always give you an excuse like, oh,mom, my head hurts.
(27:28):
Oh, no. Well, I guess we can't go out now.
Kaitlyn (27:33):
Yes, they can come in handy.
I'm not saying your kids can come in handy for
some excuses.
Cassy (27:44):
But it is true that I've noticed that.
Oh, man, you have to really force yourself
sometimes.
And there's a lot of times where I just don't
want to do it.
Kaitlyn (27:59):
But.
Cassy (28:03):
If you get into that habit, nothing's going to change and it's hard.
I am definitely not some hardcore gym rat, soI'm definitely not judging anyone here or
acting like I have all the answers because Iget it.
(28:24):
Oh, my gosh, I'm so tired every day,especially at the end of the day, all the kids
are in bed.
It's like the last thing I want to do is,
okay, well, now I've got to go do a workout.
So I have to try to find ways to make sure
that I can get around that.
So, for example, as soon as my last kid gets
(28:48):
picked up on his bus, I have to have myrunning shoes and my workout clothes and stuff
on and go right then, because if I go home andsit down, I'm not going to do it.
I have to give myself like a fail safe becauseotherwise it just won't happen.
Kaitlyn (29:04):
I actually was listening to, I think it was, I don't know if it was a podcast or
where it was that somebody was saying thatthey told themselves they were going to get up
and they were going to work out and it justwasn't happening.
And it wasn't happening.
But they were finding in their routine that
every time they got up in the morning, as mostpeople, you get up and you go to the bathroom.
(29:26):
So this person took his running shoes or hisworkout shoes and put them on top of the
toilet so that he had moved them to go to thebathroom.
And it just started that simple step ofputting them on his feet and then that routine
of, well, now I'm going to go work out.
(29:46):
I find myself often because we do have two
early morning workouts at 530, virtually, I'llsleep in my workout clothes, or at least part
of it, because one less barrier when I'm tiredat 520, when the alarm goes off, and one less
excuse for me to be like, well, it's going totake me time to get dressed and I don't want
(30:09):
to get.
It's just eliminating those factors.
And like you said, putting on your workoutshoes when you get dressed.
So as soon as the kids are off on the bus,that's what you do.
And that's part of your routine.
And I think, too, it's introducing a routine,
whether it looks like I'm going to go to thisclass at fit for mom or the gym or whatever on
(30:35):
these days and just making it into yourschedule.
And I know sometimes it's easier said thandone, especially as moms, especially with kids
that may not sleep through the night or myfive year old still comes over to my bedroom
every night.
But just, I don't want to say if it's
(30:56):
important enough, you'll get it done because Idon't want to make people sound like it's not
important to them.
But finding that routine and finding that
accountability, too.
A lot of our moms will tell us, well, I came
to class this morning because I was signed upand I knew you'd be looking for me.
So even that little step of having thataccountability group, a lot of our kids, too.
(31:23):
My two year old.
Are we going to stroller strides today?
Are we going to stroller strides today?It's so funny.
Even two, she kind of knows our routine of wedrop the five year old off at preschool and
then we go to stroller strides.
So maybe you just need a little buddy in your
life that will push you to come to strollerstrides with us.
Cassy (31:48):
Well, and that is another part of, again, we keep talking about community, and
that helps, though.
That makes such a big difference.
So just as an example, you talk about anaccountability budy.
It's great that it's your kid in thisinstance.
(32:09):
If you don't have that, then have a friend.
I'm doing a five k with a bunch of friends
right now, this coming up weekend.
And having friends was so helpful for
accountability because then it was like, well,I have people that I have to answer to.
(32:29):
So if you're going to a place like fit formom, then you have friends there that you can
make.
And, okay, well, we're going to go to this
class on this day and I'm going to see youthere, and then maybe afterwards we'll go get,
like.
As a way to get you out the door.
Kaitlyn (32:49):
Exactly.
We actually just finished in February.
We did a Galentine's partner challenge, so Ipartnered moms up who wanted to participate,
and they got a point for every class they cameto, and then two points for every class that
they came to as a team, and there was onlyfive teams, but the amount of times those moms
(33:13):
showed up was amazing.
And they were moms that are routine moms, but
it pushed them a little bit more and it pushedthem to try different classes that they
typically wouldn't try because they knewsomeone else was looking for them.
What's great, too, is our kids become friends,so then they look for each other at if.
Cassy (33:41):
And then you have someone at home that's like, mom, I want to go see Kaden.
Kaitlyn (33:45):
Let's go.
Exactly.
I was with my two year old yesterday and wewere waiting for class to start, and I said,
who do you think is going to be the first onehere?
And she named her best buddy, whounfortunately is not at morning classes
because mom works.
And I was like, oh, I'm sorry, honey.
She's not going to be here today.
But just having that.
(34:06):
Not only are moms creating a village ofsupport and friendships, our kids are creating
a village of support and friendships.
I wouldn't know any of the moms from fit for
mom.
If it wasn't for fit for mom.
Cassy (34:26):
What would your advice be for someone who is?
Maybe they're a new mom.
Maybe they're an old mom like me and they're
pushing teenagers, but they just haven'tgotten into a good workout routine, whatever
the situation is.
What would your advice be on how to get
started?If you're feeling intimidated or.
(34:47):
I can't do this.
Kaitlyn (34:48):
Yeah. So when we look at fit for moms specifically, we always just encourage,
schedule the class and show up.
I know.
It's, again, easier said than done.
We have some great stories from our moms.
One mom who has been with us almost six yearssince we've opened, she'll tell the story that
(35:09):
she came to our grand opening or the week ofour grand opening.
And that morning, she said to her husband, shesaid, I don't think I'm going to go.
I just can't do it.
And he's like, you need to go.
You need this.
And here she is, six years later.
She's up to three kids.
She's so actively with us.
(35:29):
I think trying any workout, any gym, anyfitness routine can be very intimidating for
that first step.
But if you never try it, you'll never know
what you can find or what it can lead to inyour life.
I have done the couch to five k numeroustimes.
(35:51):
And without that first step, I would havenever completed half marathons.
It's hard if you're a new mom, it's very hardto show up to something you're not sure what
to expect anywhere, whether it's your firstouting with your infant or your first workout
(36:12):
class with your infant.
So in relation to fit for mom, whether you're
that brand new mom with that brand new baby,or maybe you're a mom of three and you're just
hearing about us, or you're that mom thatdoesn't have stroller kids and you're just
hearing about us.
We're here for you and we have a village of
(36:35):
support that's going to help you through thatfirst workout.
And that's all we ask, is that you come andyou give it a try, whether it's with us or any
gym.
But especially if you're a mom, we think you
should come check us out.
Cassy (36:51):
And what kind of classes? I know you mentioned you have, like your
stroller classes, but what other kinds ofthings can people see there?
Yeah.
Kaitlyn (37:01):
So what's great with fit for mom, too, is, as I mentioned at the very beginning,
we are pre and postnatal focused.
And I know a lot of people think when we say
postnatal, oh, like that first six months, I'mway beyond that.
I have a teenager or my youngest is six, orwhatever it may be.
(37:21):
But when we think postnatal, we're thinkingmotherhood.
We offer a variety of fitness programs for anyage and stage of motherhood.
So under the fit for mom umbrella, there areseven to eight fitness programs, starting from
the very beginning with prenatal.
(37:43):
Our fit for baby program, with what it's
called fit for baby, is exactly what it is.
It's for our prenatal moms.
It's a mom only class designed for ourexpecting moms.
And we lead them through an hour of strengthcardio.
And we like to say core, but that preparingfor labor, preparing for motherhood workout.
(38:06):
And then after baby comes, we have threestroller friendly workouts.
Stroller strides, stroller bar, and strides360.
I drew a blank on that for a minute andthey're all a little different.
Stroller strides is very kiddo interactive.
We do strength, we do cardio, we do core.
We're with our strollers, we're singing songs.
(38:27):
It's a full intensity, not full intensity, but
full body hour workout.
Stroller bar is just very similar to stroller
strides, but we're working in our ballet movesand our bar moves.
So if you think of dancer and ballet, we'redoing a few more.
(38:48):
We're not dancing by any means, because I amno dancer, but we're using the strollers as
our bar.
And we'll still sing songs with the kids.
And then strides 360 is full cardio based.
This one, we like to say, is stroller
optional.
We have a lot of moms come without their
strollers and they'll focus on their running.
Or we have moms that come with their strollers
(39:10):
and they'll run with their stroller or theirwalk.
But that one is very cardio based andconditioning based for runners, although you
don't have to be a runner to join us for thatone.
And then we have two mom only workouts.
Stroller.
No, not stroller.
See, I'm losing track here.
(39:32):
Body ignite is full strength, so you won't seeany cardio in this one.
And it is mom only because we focus on slow,controlled movements.
Weights are included, so of course, safetyreasons of those kiddos.
And then we end every workout with a twominute of stillness and just quietness for the
mom's body to rest.
(39:53):
And then we have our last program, body boost,
which is our hit program.
So high intensity interval training.
So we go through cardio strength and again,some core.
And we end with what we call a hit highlight,which is revisiting all those cardio moves and
getting our heart rates as high as we can pushthem and going breathless.
(40:16):
And then we do end this one with a meditationas well.
And then upcoming, we have an actual sessionbased program that fit for mom released.
It's called body well.
So this focuses on nutrition, fitness and
taking care of mom.
And it's an eight week session.
We're launching our first one upcoming in themiddle of march, shortly after I believe this
(40:42):
recording will come out.
And that's really just to take mom through.
It used to be a focus on a transformation, butnow it's just taking mom through that self
care and really getting her to focus on thatnutrition and that fitness and changing her
body, whether it's transformational and losingweight or just changing what she's eating and
(41:08):
seeing a better image of herself and herfitness and wellness.
I think I got them all.
Cassy (41:21):
Yeah, it's great to hear.
I guess that again, like you mentioned, you
don't have to have just a baby to come there.
Like it's for everyone.
Kaitlyn (41:32):
Correct.
And even our stroller.
I always say stroller friendly workoutsbecause you don't have to have a stroller to
come.
You're still going to get a full workout and
an intense workout.
And it's funny, too, because every now and
then we'll have family days and the spousesand partners will come and they'll walk away
(41:53):
and they'll be sore the next day.
And they're like, oh my gosh, you really do
work out.
That's really tough.
We do get a few people and they're like, oh,you just walk your strollers around.
And we're like, no, that's not what we do.
You can think that and we do push our
(42:13):
strollers, but no. So I always like to use theword stroller friendly.
One, I don't necessarily always like to saymommy and me because I think some people, when
you see the word mommy and me, you think yourkids participating, they're going to be doing
it with you.
And that's not necessarily true in our case.
(42:34):
So I like the word stroller friendly becauseit welcomes those kids.
It welcomes you to bring your infants, yourtoddlers, your school age kids in the
stroller, but it also allows you to comewithout your stroller.
As long as you don't mind singing your abcs toopen air, you are welcome at any of our
workouts.
Cassy (42:57):
I don't know if customizable is the word, but I mean, for people with different
fitness levels, someone who maybe they haven'tworked out in a long time because they've been
raising all their kids, are they going to beable to keep up with the classes that they're
taking?
Kaitlyn (43:13):
Yeah, of course.
So we do.
We have our variety of fitness levelsthroughout any of our classes, whether it's
our prenatal classes to our stroller friendlyto our mom only.
All of our instructors, too, are educated inways to modify and take down the intensity.
But we're also educated in ways to increasethe intensity.
(43:37):
So we do like to start kind of mid level andsay, okay, here's where you might be at today,
but if you're not and you need to decreasethat intensity, you're going to take it to
this level.
But if you're ready to go even higher, here's
the highest intensity level that you can goto.
And it's so great because we might useequipment like dumbbells.
(44:00):
So that's really customizable to a mom becauseshe might be at a three pound dumbbell, but
then there might be the mom next to her who'srocking that ten pound.
And that's great too, because that gives yougoals to set for yourself, to increase your
fitness level.
And going back earlier in the podcast where I
(44:23):
said about your jumping jacks, maybe you'restepping your jumping jacks out and you say,
it's a goal of mine within six weeks to do 30seconds of full jumping jacks and just setting
those small fitness goals for yourself onthose levels of intensity that we offer you.
Cassy (44:55):
Oh, whoops.
I was on mute.
Kaitlyn (44:58):
Okay. Yeah.
Cassy (45:01):
I was just there, like, talking to myself.
Kaitlyn (45:05):
I do it all the time as a mom, and I'm not on mute, so it's okay.
Yeah.
Cassy (45:11):
I think that the different intensity, being able to kind of individualize your
workout to yourself is really great becausefor me, I know if I feel discouraged, then I
am that much less likely to do it next time.
Kaitlyn (45:32):
Yeah.
Cassy (45:33):
And that actually was.
I remember when I first started running again,
like a million years ago.
Not that I'm like an avid, super awesome
runner now.
All the same, hey, I get out there, I do it
right.
That's what matters.
Kaitlyn (45:47):
Exactly.
Cassy (45:49):
I remember I read somewhere and it stuck in my mind, but it was saying that the
key to running is to stop while you can feellike you can keep going.
That if you push yourself to where you'recompletely exhausted, that you're going to
feel, like, defeated.
That stood out to me.
(46:10):
And it's something I still think about, andnot just in the context of running, but it's
like knowing your body and knowing what you'reable to do and being able to know, okay, I can
push myself a little bit further or I need topull it back a little bit right now.
And being able to listen to yourself, I thinkthat really goes a long way.
Kaitlyn (46:32):
Yeah. And not to off track the intensity level, but relating to moms, too.
What's nice with our workouts is if you needto take a break because your baby's crying, we
get that.
And you can even use them as an excuse to take
a break.
(46:53):
But, yeah, I think just knowing your limits,
and we like to say, first off, you showed upfor yourself.
That's step one.
And then if you came to socialize and you're
just doing that lower intensity jumping Jack,but you're filling your cup because you got
(47:18):
out of the house and you're now surrounded bypeople who get you again, that's another
accomplishment.
So I think, too, not to continue to, I don't
want to say bash society, but society putsthis bigger picture on.
Unless you're breathless, unless your heartrates up, unless you can't feel like you can't
go any bit further, you're not getting a fullworkout.
(47:41):
That's not the case.
And we really, as our instructors, try to
encourage mom to make it the workout that sheneeds for the day.
If you need a high intensity workout and yourbody is ready for that, go for it.
But if you need to step out and take care ofyour baby and socialize, we're here for that,
(48:03):
too.
Cassy (48:05):
Yeah, I think that sounds really great and something that I think a lot of moms could
really use.
So if they want to find out more about fit for
mom reading, where can they look?
Kaitlyn (48:19):
So we are on both social media.
Both social medias.
There's more than two.
We are on Facebook and Instagram.
Our I guess it would be handle, right, is justfit for mom.
So it's F-I-T the number four mom.
(48:39):
M-O-M.
Redding.
So R-E-A-D-I-N-G on both Instagram and
Facebook.
And then our website is redding,
fitformom.com.
Cassy (48:54):
Okay. Well, thank you so much for having us.
Well, for being here.
Not having us.
Kaitlyn (49:00):
Thank you for having me.
Cassy (49:04):
That's the mom brain.
Kaitlyn (49:06):
Yeah, it happens.
Cassy (49:10):
Yeah. Thanks for being here.
And I will make sure to put all of the
information in our show notes.
So if you are interested in checking out more
about fit for mom reading, just look for thelinks.
Kaitlyn (49:22):
Yes. And your first class is always free, so make sure if you're ready to join us,
you check that out.
Cassy (49:31):
Sounds good.
We will talk to you later, Caitlin.
Kaitlyn (49:33):
Thank you.
Bye bye.
Cassy (49:45):
That's our episode for this week.
New episodes will drop every Monday.
Make sure to subscribe so you never miss out.
Leave us a review and share to help other moms
find us.
Thanks for stopping by the Fireflies and
Whoopee Pie podcast, the only podcast by southcentral pa moms or south central pa moms.
Until next time.
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