May 08, 2015
A 6PF Mother's Day: The Fit Moms Hall of Fame
In honor of Mother's Day, we spoke with some of the beautiful and hardworking fit moms that use 6 Pack meal management systems to help keep their balanced, badass lives impressively organized.
But who can speak to a mother's hard work more than she can herself? Below, check out what the fit moms of 6 Pack have to say in their own words about finding the right balance, carving out the time you need, and how to make it all work!
Tiffany Gaston:
This, and every Mother's Day, I count my many blessings for the 3 beautiful children we have. Each unique and gifted with individual talents all their own, I couldn't be more proud of the people they are blossoming into. I know that each day I spend a small amount of time bettering myself is another opportunity to give back to them. Over the years I've learned that in order to be supportive of the aspirations and goals of others, I must not neglect my own. I now value it for what it genuinely is: the ultimate act of selflessness. Taking good care of YOU allows you to be the healthy, strong, beautiful, confident, and happy mother your children want and need. It is truly the ultimate gift to them. Finding balance is far from easy, but the desire and willingness to do what it takes to make it work is the compromise. Going to sleep earlier, waking up early, preparing and packing meals in advance and even training before the sun is up, are just a few of the ways I make my passion a reality. My greatest goal is to prevent my lifestyle from consuming the household. The behind-the-scenes can be hectic, but prioritizing is the only way to get it all to gel. The example is set and the bar is raised in my home because I don't make excuses. Witnessing my children make better choices on their own because of that is the very best gift of all!
Photo credit: Lisa Hensley
For more Tiffany, check out her guest posts Clean Eating For Kids: Make It Work For Your Family and How to Meal Prep: Paleo Edition.
Rita Catolino:
Years ago, Fit and Mom almost seemed like an oxymoron. How could you possibly dedicate time and effort to yourself and your fitness routine while caring for another human being who depends on you so much? I answer: how could you NOT? My love, need, and drive for health, fitness, and competition stemmed postpartum. You see, I was the fat kid, the class clown with little aspirations. It was not until my daughter was born that I decided to make some positive changes in my health to not only be a BETTER mom, but to teach by example. It does take some schedule swinging, and careful organization, but moms were built with an internal multi-tasking system. It just means that the laundry may get left unfolded, or an alarm is set 1 hour earlier in the morning to hit the gym before the household awakes. These are all "sacrifices" that seem more like blessings as I go down my journey of health and wellness. I am blessed to be in the fitness industry, and more importantly to have my daughter, who without her, I might not have pushed and strived for so much. I thank her for making me show up daily, perform, and conquer.
For more Rita, check out her athlete profile and guest posts on How to Meal Prep: Healthy Gourmet and Guide to Eating Out at Restaurants!
Ingrid Romero:
When I got pregnant, I had so many people tell me my body would never be the same. I look at so many other fit moms out there and it just gives me the motivation to work hard. It is all about setting yourself up for success. Map out a plan and stick to the plan the best you can. With parenthood comes curve balls, thrown at you everyday, but you do the best you can with what you have. For example, I still prep all my meals on Sunday nights for the week. I set my schedule and do most of my work early in the mornings, when my babies take a nap (hopefully they nap at the same time) or late at night when they go to bed. Some nights I go to bed at 3 am and I am up again at 6 to feed my babies. Where there is a will, there is a way. You must have a support team as well. My husband is my support system. We work very well together with our business and with raising the boys so I am very lucky. We travel a ton for work and my boys come with us almost everywhere we go. I was told by a client before my babies were born, "Your kids need to fit into your life. Don't fit into theirs." This is something that stuck with me and helped me a lot. The only way I can continue to do what I do is if my boys fit into what I do. It is very hard at times, but I get the best of both worlds. I have my babies with me all the time (I get to watch them grow) and I can still follow my passion and dreams.
For more Ingrid, watch her video on travel and meal prep at the 2013 Arnold Classic and check out her website!
Maribel LaLanne:
Two things are key: finding time to work out and meal prep. When I am not able to train at my own gym, I work out with my kids. I do front squats using them as the weight and I'll do sprints while pushing the double stroller. I have a no excuse approach to my own life, so including my kids in my workouts means that I am teaching my children that our family values fitness and that it can take place anywhere, even at home. As for meal prep, I never go a day without my 6 Pack bag. I prep my meals on Sunday for the week and just load them into my bag and take off to work. My kids even have their own 6 Pack bags and they always have fun loading them up before we leave the house. An important piece of advice is to be an inspiration. I wasn't one of those women who worked out all the way up until I gave birth. In fact, my pregnancies were high risk, meaning bed rest for all nine months both times. I gained 40 lbs. and had C-sections both times. Coming back from being so de-conditioned was NOT easy. Even walking up the stairs was tough, but I never quit. I had to put my ego to the side. Sure, I had a lot of good cries when the empty barbell felt like the weight of the world, but I kept going. I was determined to get my pre-baby body back. I was determined to become an inspiration to other moms out there. It didn't melt off of me. Both times it took 9 months to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight and honestly I loved my body even more after each pregnancy, scars and all. They are my war wounds and my children are my biggest blessings.
For more Maribel, check out our feature on her family and couples fitness and the LaLanne Fitness site!