Moms With a Mission

Did you know that staying active is healthy and safe for most pregnant women?  The March of Dimes recommends getting 30 minutes of aerobic exercise for most women during pregnancy.

RSVP TODAY! Last Chance for Healthy Mama Challenge

Stroller Strides® has created a personal challenge in order to incentivize you to make time for your MIND, BODY and SPIRIT…it is your strength and vitality which makes you beautiful! This month-long challenge will give you the focus and drive to take time for yourself! Keeping a “score card” of your successes, you will track the points you earn through daily activities. For example, points are rewarded for attending Stroller Strides classes, exercising on your own, taking time for yourself reading a book or taking a bath, keeping a personal journal, eating fruits and vegetables, and many other activities. The mom to collect the most points will win prizes! After four weeks of this challenge, you will be exercising more, eating your fruits and veggies each day and feeling great about yourself and your new healthy habits! This challenge can be an individual journey or you can join forces with friends for a team challenge. See your franchisee for challenges details. In addition to your daily activities, you will be receiving four weekly emails with ideas to earn more points. They will be geared to motivate, inspire and connect! SO WHAT COUNTS TOWARD EARNING POINTS? There are 3 categories in which to earn daily points. MIND As moms it is important to keep our minds healthy and sharp. You can earn MIND points by taking the time to strengthen your mind. Activities like reading a book, learning a new skill (i.e. knitting or scrapbooking), or taking a college course are all included in the MIND category. BODY Getting physical activity everyday is essential! By attending Stroller Strides classes you can earn you maximum BODY points, however if you cannot attend classes, you can still earn points by doing any form of aerobic exercise that adds up to at least thirty minutes a day. Suggestions include walking, tennis, running, dance, swimming, etc. Weight training will also earn you points. Other ways to earn BODY points are with healthy eating. Earn points for eating fruits and vegetables, (other than potatoes or dried legumes like refried beans or bean/pea soup as they are considered starches). A vegetable serving is equal to: ½ c cooked vegetables, ½ c raw chopped vegetable, 1 c raw leafy vegetable, or ½ c juice. Fruit serving size would include: 1 whole medium fruit (about 1 cup), ½ c canned fruit, ¼ c dried fruit, or ½ c juice. Also, drinking at least 60 ounces of water every day can earn you points. Finally, keeping a food journal can earn you points. You must record everything you eat, when you ate it and how much was eaten. A food journal template will be given to you. SPIRIT Connecting with your spirit-life will help make you more of a complete person. Earn SPIRIT points by spending time meditating/praying or silent time. Connect with your inner self and learn what you are feeling and thinking. We recognize that people have different ways of expressing their spirituality yet a healthy spiritual life is an essential part of your well-being. Points in this category can be earned by participating in the meditative benefits of yoga, prayer and time in silence. Also a keeping a daily journal can help you track your progress (i.e. what you think, what you feel, what you need to do, etc.). The following are a few journaling ideas to help get you started: Think of a goal for journaling …why are you doing it? Write a letter to yourself, someone else (real or imagined), or a spiritual guide. Write about events that trigger certain emotions, thoughts, memories, etc. Cost of the Challenge is $15.  Winners will receive prizes. Participants will be split into teams of two. The last day of the competition will be June 30th and score cards are due June 30th! You can find links to the score card and food diary below. Just follow the links. Score Card[url= https://www.secure-session.com/files/11/329…] Food Diary[/url] [url= https://www.secure-session.com/files/10/329…] Score Card Instructions will be uploaded to the files section of MeetUp. RSVP to  lisadearmond@strollerstrides.net by Monday May 30th at Midnight.  Teams will be announced Tuesday night via email.

RSVP for Healthy Mama Challenge by MONDAY!!!

Stroller Strides® has created a personal challenge in order to incentivize you to make time for your MIND, BODY and SPIRIT…it is your strength and vitality which makes you beautiful! This month-long challenge will give you the focus and drive to take time for yourself! Keeping a “score card” of your successes, you will track the points you earn through daily activities. For example, points are rewarded for attending Stroller Strides classes, exercising on your own, taking time for yourself reading a book or taking a bath, keeping a personal journal, eating fruits and vegetables, and many other activities. The mom to collect the most points will win prizes! After four weeks of this challenge, you will be exercising more, eating your fruits and veggies each day and feeling great about yourself and your new healthy habits! This challenge can be an individual journey or you can join forces with friends for a team challenge. See your franchisee for challenges details. In addition to your daily activities, you will be receiving four weekly emails with ideas to earn more points. They will be geared to motivate, inspire and connect! SO WHAT COUNTS TOWARD EARNING POINTS? There are 3 categories in which to earn daily points. MIND As moms it is important to keep our minds healthy and sharp. You can earn MIND points by taking the time to strengthen your mind. Activities like reading a book, learning a new skill (i.e. knitting or scrapbooking), or taking a college course are all included in the MIND category. BODY Getting physical activity everyday is essential! By attending Stroller Strides classes you can earn you maximum BODY points, however if you cannot attend classes, you can still earn points by doing any form of aerobic exercise that adds up to at least thirty minutes a day. Suggestions include walking, tennis, running, dance, swimming, etc. Weight training will also earn you points. Other ways to earn BODY points are with healthy eating. Earn points for eating fruits and vegetables, (other than potatoes or dried legumes like refried beans or bean/pea soup as they are considered starches). A vegetable serving is equal to: ½ c cooked vegetables, ½ c raw chopped vegetable, 1 c raw leafy vegetable, or ½ c juice. Fruit serving size would include: 1 whole medium fruit (about 1 cup), ½ c canned fruit, ¼ c dried fruit, or ½ c juice. Also, drinking at least 60 ounces of water every day can earn you points. Finally, keeping a food journal can earn you points. You must record everything you eat, when you ate it and how much was eaten. A food journal template will be given to you. SPIRIT Connecting with your spirit-life will help make you more of a complete person. Earn SPIRIT points by spending time meditating/praying or silent time. Connect with your inner self and learn what you are feeling and thinking. We recognize that people have different ways of expressing their spirituality yet a healthy spiritual life is an essential part of your well-being. Points in this category can be earned by participating in the meditative benefits of yoga, prayer and time in silence. Also a keeping a daily journal can help you track your progress (i.e. what you think, what you feel, what you need to do, etc.). The following are a few journaling ideas to help get you started: Think of a goal for journaling …why are you doing it? Write a letter to yourself, someone else (real or imagined), or a spiritual guide. Write about events that trigger certain emotions, thoughts, memories, etc. Cost of the Challenge is $15.  Winners will receive prizes. Participants will be split into teams of two. The last day of the competition will be June 30th and score cards are due June 30th! You can find links to the score card and food diary below. Just follow the links. Score Card[url= https://www.secure-session.com/files/11/329…] Food Diary[/url] [url= https://www.secure-session.com/files/10/329…] Score Card Instructions will be uploaded to the files section of MeetUp. RSVP to  lisadearmond@strollerstrides.net by Monday May 30th at Midnight.  Teams will be announced Tuesday night via email.

Moms With a Mission

Planning to have a baby?  The sooner you start living a healthier lifestyle, the better off you and baby will be!  Make sure you take a multivitamin with folic acid daily.

Mom Tip

DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE! The Art of Mothering Painting the Future Ok, not to freak you out here or anything, but basically everything you do with your kids shapes them. This is not a bad thing, even when you think your brush strokes look more like a painting by Pollock than Monet. (Get ready for some mixed metaphors.) When a sculptor begins with a block of marble, they visualize the finished piece before they pick up a tool. Once they start chiselling away what doesn’t belong, they make adjustments to their final vision according to what the marble wants to become. This is what you’re doing with your kids: they come to you with their own personalities, gifts and challenges, and you make small changes every day. The good news is that one unwanted brush stroke can be manipulated into the larger picture – or covered up completely. These brush strokes aren’t just about art, though. They combine every day with your scientist-mom side to contribute to your growth as a mom.

Need a Zen Moment?

Come join us for a night of relaxation this THURSDAY! (May 26th) 

Please get all of the details and RSVP on Meetup.

Our own Marci Mihalski will be performing a BeautiControl Detox Spa for us overworked Mommies.

Detoxify. Neutralize. Re-mineralize.

BeautiControl’s BC Spa Detox Collection is scientifically formulated to detoxify, neutralize free radicals, and re-mineralize the surface of the skin. The line includes a Detoxifying Clay Masque, Detoxifying Bath Soak, Refreshing Mist, Detoxifying Foot Creme and Detoxifying Body Creme.

Your skin needs to rid itself of toxins and replenish itself with nutrition to help maintain optimal health.  Purging toxins from your skin is a powerful first step. You also need to follow a healthy lifestyle for maximum benefits. Drink plenty of water. Eat healthy. Exercise regularly. It’s the only way to really come clean.

Thanks to Paige for opening her home to us & to Marci for providing the pampering. Cocktails or wine will be provided, but everyone should bring an appetizer to share so we can nibble while we relax. What a great Mother’s Day present for us!

NOTE: Please include what you will bring with your RSVP. GATE CODE 1109

Hope to see you there!

Last week to win Plum Puffs!

You can earn up to 2 raffle tickets each day.  Everyday you come to Stroller Strides earns you one raffle ticket, arrive on time and you will earn one more.  Tickets earned this week count towards the drawings May 30th-June 3rd.

Exercise of the Week

Exercise of the Week: Plie with Shoulder Extension-Stand in front on your stroller and get into a plie position; feet out wide and toes pointing out. Hold the handles of the tube and choke up on it to create resistance between both hands. Begin into a plie squat, making sure the knees stay over the ankles (not the toes) at the lowest point of the squat. Add in the lateral shoulder extension at the bottom of the squat. Don’t forget smiles for baby!

Click Here to watch a video of this exercise!

CUES: Keep core engaged throughout by pulling belly button to spine Choose the level that is right for you today Keep weight in the heels and knee over ankles…not toes. As you press the arms out, imagine the movement like a punch. BREATHE MODIFICATIONS: To lessen the intensity, perform without the tube and make the plie a little more shallow.

The Prenatal “Why” of This Exercise: This exercise is great for pregnant moms as it targets both upper and lower body!. The deltoids specifically are truly functional muscles for all the lifting and carrying she will be doing as a new mom.

Special Promotion for Teachers

ATTENTION ALL TEACHERS

 

SUMMER PASSES JUST FOR YOU

 

North San Antonio Stroller

Strides Special Offer

Teachers, are you looking for fun activities for both you and your children this summer.  Look no further!  Stroller Strides has exercise classes five days a week as well as a calendar full of activities for your little ones.

Stroller Strides of North San Antonio now offers Teacher Summer Passes.  For only $120, you receive unlimited classes for the duration of the summer.  NO REGISTRATION FEE.

Register Here

Learn More About Stroller Strides

 

For more info contact Lisa DeArmond

800.279.7430

lisadearmond@strollerstrides.net

strollerstrides.net/northsanantonio

BellyBar Prenatal Vitamin Taste Test

AFTER CLASS TUESDAY MAY 17th and THURSDAY MAY 19th, at Phil Hardberger Park 

Whether you are trying, pregnant or have a new baby, good nutrition is doubly important right now.  Now there is an easy and tasty solution. Bellybar Prenatal vitamins are made the way a Mom would make them…chewable!

For all of you who have struggled with swallowing a horse pill or given up taking a pill because you were not feeling well, here is a solution: a tasty, easy-to-take and completely enjoyable chewable prenatal vitamin. A complete multivitamin created for you and your baby, the Bellybar Prenatal chewable vitamins are a great-tasting alternative to large pills (or multi-pills). In just two yummy wafers, you can get all the vitamins and minerals you and your baby need – plus some extra Vitamin D!

Don’t just take our word for it, come to our next meeting to taste the difference. We’ll be giving away a free sample, along with a coupon for $1 off your purchase of Bellybar Prenatal Chewable Vitamins at your local Walgreens.

P.S. Did we mention you can buy these all-natural, OB/GYN-endorsed chewable vitamins over the counter for less that $10 for a 30-day supply?