My Top FIVE Reasons for Staying Fit

This is Sue, from Fitmama Strong Ottawa! I spend lots of my time motivating others to improve their level of fitness, so I thought people might want to know my reasons for working out and staying fit!

5. To Sleep Better

The fitter I am, the better I sleep. And now that my babies are all grown up, I do LOVE to sleep for the entire night. When your body is physically exhausted, it has no choice but to shut down and rest, which means that you can sleep all night and feel refreshed and ready to go in the morning. I still enjoy my cup of coffee first thing in the morning though!

4. To Feel Happy

Exercise helps release stress but it also helps make me more patient. It's definitely what got me through my toddler and preschool days without losing it. Feeling less stressed = more patience = a happier mom. And, anyone who exercises regularly, KNOWS about those happy endorphins that are released each time you exercise. You may be hot and sweaty after a workout, but don't you also feel great? Everyone always seems to have a smile on their face after they've finished a fitness class. I know I do! (And I can tell you that my family is very appreciative of the fact that I’m a happier mama when I’m active!!)

3. To Eat What I Want

I generally eat a well balanced diet, but I have a few weaknesses that I feel able to indulge in every so often because I'm moving my body regularly. I don't have much of a sweet tooth (unless it's homemade!), but I do love to eat cheese and put cream in my coffee! Being active most days allows me to indulge guilt-free.

2. To Feel Good About Myself

Being fit gives me confidence and energy, makes me stronger and helps me with my volleyball game. All things that I love. But, it also makes me feel good about my body and the way I look. We all have things we don't like about our appearance and I'm no exception. Being fit goes a long way to loving myself fully. I didn't really understand this until I had to lose over 60 lbs when I had my first born. Moving my body consistently and regularly made me feel so much better (and also helped shed that baby weight!). 

1. To Stay Healthy

I want to live a long life. My dad died of heart disease when I was 21. He's missed graduations, weddings and grandchildren. I don't want to miss any of those things. He loved all sports (mainly watching them from his armchair) and I miss having him on the sidelines watching his grandchildren play sports. He had a quadruple bypass when he was 46, followed by 2 heart attacks. He died before he was 55. In my early 50’s now, I'm now past the age he was when he had his first heart surgery and I will continue to REFUSE to let heart disease take me down also.

What are your reasons for staying fit? I'd love to hear why you work out and what your favourite workouts are!

We hope that when you’re ready to move your body during pregnancy or in the postpartum period, you’ll look us up!

Interested in joining us? Our classes are a great way to meet other new parents. Fitmama Strong Online has been operating classes online from our virtual studio since 2020. Our community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles.

We offer Prenatal Fitness classes, live from our virtual studio. Our series of Prenatal classes includes On-Demand Prenatal Yoga classes. Our 30 minute live, online Express classes our our On-Demand library of pre-recorded workouts are a favourite for busy mamas who enjoy consistency in their workout regime.

If you’re new to Fitmama Strong Online, try one of our 3 Class Passes! You can use them at our postnatal Express Strong and Express Elevate classes. It doesn’t matter if your baby was born 6 weeks ago or 6 years ago, we have something for all postnatal members! Already been to Fitmama Strong classes? Grab a monthly membership and keep moving:)

Finally, we offer in-person Stroller Fitness and Babywearing Fitness through our Durham Region and Ottawa locations. We can’t wait to have you join us!

We can’t wait for you to #startwithus and #growwithus. Find your Fitmama Strong Location!