Motivating Mom Tara is a fitness professional and an amazing mom! Sharing heartfelt advice for moms about how to do your best and fit it all in.
Do the best you can, and the rest will fall into place…
I have follow Tara for years, and have been so inspired by her. She is a complete sweetheart and so motivating. I love her even more after hearing her words of inspiration for other moms, and I know you will too!
Today we’re hearing from Motivating Mom Tara!
If you’d like to be featured as a Motivating Mom, send a message to Exploring Domesticity on Facebook or email exploringdomesticity(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject, “Motivating Mommas.”
Name: Tara
Number of children and ages: Two kids, 2.5 and 5
Are you a SAHM, WAHM, or work outside the home mom? Work outside the home.
My job keeps me happy AND healthy!
Describe your background as it relates to health, fitness, weight loss, etc.
I am a fitness director, certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor, and an avid runner. I turned a love of fitness into a fitness career!
I worked in advertising for a number of years, during which I used the gym as an outlet. It was a great way to wind down from a stressful work day! Almost seven years ago, I realized that my heart was in the gym (not in the office) so I took the necessary steps to get certified.
Transitioning to a career in the fitness industry wasn’t the easiest, but it was the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. I work out for a living. I help people reach their own health goals. My job keeps me happy AND healthy!
When do you typically fit in your physical fitness?
I teach five classes every week: Barre Fit (twice), Buddy Bootcamp, HIIT and PiYO LIVE. These classes certainly count as workouts, but I’m ultimately in the studio for my students. So I run for myself three times a week.
I choose to run in the morning before my kids wake up. Truly the best “me” time I could ask for! I am a better mom because of the time I get to spend running. A few times a year, I run races. I love the half marathon! It’s the perfect way for me to challenge myself.
How do you make healthy eating a priority?
I sit down every weekend and write out a detailed grocery list that reflects our meals and snacks for the week. When I don’t do this, our meals are definitely off. Between the kids’ lunches and long hours at the gym, I have to stay on top of the meal plan. If I don’t, we lean toward meals that aren’t healthy or fulfilling.
They see people working out every day, so to them, it’s an everyday part of life.
How do you get your kids involved in a healthy lifestyle?
I work at a gym that’s quite family friendly. My kids are literally growing up at the gym! They come to work with me, get to run around before my shift starts, and hang out with the kids in the nursery. The gym is literally their second home, which is great because they are growing up appreciating a healthy environment. They see people working out every day, so to them, it’s an everyday part of life. Lead by example, right?
I also manage a running store, and they’ve spent some time with me there, too. My kids love their “run fast shoes,” and my daughter loves participating in fun runs and kid-friendly 5K races.
When it comes to food, we teach balance. I’ll be the first to give my kids a piece of candy, but I’ll also encourage them to choose a healthier snack next time they get hungry. We talk about why certain foods are healthier than others…at this age, I stick to the basics. They’re young, but they’re learning.
What are your biggest struggles?
Crazy work schedules! I can be in and out of the gym up to three different times a day for clients and classes. My husband is an advertising professional, and will sometimes have to work late. So we’re constantly fighting the odd workday. This makes mealtime hard.
As a fitness professional, it can be hard to find time for my own personal workouts, which is why I’ve worked so hard to cement three separate runs on my schedule.
Additionally, because we live a go-go-go lifestyle, rest is hard to come by. I am constantly challenging myself to let go and live…the kids are growing fast, for my own personal mental health, I need to slow down as best I can.
What are your biggest accomplishments as a mom?
Bringing two beautiful children into this world, and raising them to be kind and generous humans! I am so proud of the people they are becoming. And, selfishly, I am proud of myself for somehow managing to make our lives work…with all the crazy schedules, and all the things each of us want to do, it’s hard, But I’m doing it.
I’ll be the first to give my kids a piece of candy, but I’ll also encourage them to choose a healthier snack next time they get hungry.
What are your biggest accomplishments in regards to health and fitness?
I didn’t go to school for a fitness-related degree, so I had to work hard to get certified. I studied things I never read about before, and I made it happen. So getting that certification, to me, was pretty huge. I started out as a personal trainer, and now I’m the fitness director AND a managing partner of a running store. I chased something, and made it my reality. So I’m constantly telling people that dreams do come true. That you really can work hard and make something from nothing. Outside of creating an actual fitness career, I somehow managed to run a sub-2:00 half marathon this past Fall. For some, that’s really easy, but for me it was hard. I’ve been working on speed, and I feel like it might finally be paying off!
Share your 3 best tips for moms who are struggling?
1) Don’t worry, your kids still love you.
2) Yes, you can.
3) It’s OK…you’re doing just fine.
I could share a million and one pieces of fitness advice, but moms everywhere need to know that they’re just fine. That what they’re going through…the juggling, the kids that don’t listen, the fatigue…completely normal. No mom anywhere is the same as the next, we all create our own families. Do the best you can, and the rest will fall into place…the clean house, those last five pounds, that race or whatever it is you’re going after. Yes, you can. And you will.
No mom anywhere is the same as the next, we all create our own families. Do the best you can, and the rest will fall into place…
Connect with Tara!
http://www.adailydoseoffit.com
http://instagram.com/adailydoseoffit
http://twitter.com/adailydoseoffit
http://facebook.com/adailydoseoffit
http://pinterest.com/tarasabo
Check our other Motivating Mommas and get some great tips for healthy moms and healthy families!
If you’d like to be featured as a Motivating Mom, send a message to Exploring Domesticity on Facebook or email exploringdomesticity(at)gmail(dot)com with the subject, “Motivating Mommas.”
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Thanks for the tips! I definitely need to get better at meal planning to save money and eat healthier. We just moved so things have been crazy!
Loved this read so much…” Do your best, and the rest will fall into lace…” As a mom, sometimes my heart just needs a message like this to remind me that I don’t need to be perfect, just in the moment 🙂
That’s exactly how I felt when I read Tara’s advice – I love it!
Lovely post including your kids in your favorite hobbies!