Mom. She gave us life and endless love. She taught us countless lessons. She helped to form the women we are today. With each year we live, we understand how all of the little (and big) things she did for us mattered and made a difference in how we live today. To honor and celebrate Mom’s impact on our health and wellness, Team FitRx compiled the best lessons from Mom. We hope this makes you smile!
JENNIFER ANDREWS
IFBB Bikini Pro, FitRx Fit Fast Columnist
MOM’S LESSON: Stay Active All Year & Never Give Up
“Everything I am and ever hope to be, I owe to my Mother/my best friend! Growing up, my Mother made me play a sport all year round. She believes a busy child doesn’t have time to get into trouble. (I am not saying this always worked!). Being the only child, my Mother also made sure that I was involved with a team, which helped me socially. She has always been supportive and worked two jobs to keep me in sports. I am forever grateful of the sacrifices she made as a single parent to keep me active, confident, motivated and never letting me quit at anything. In my days, not everyone got a trophy, which taught me to work harder the next go round because in our house no one gave up!”
GINA ALIOTTI
IFBB Figure Pro, FitRx Online Fitness Columnist
MOM’S LESSON: Eat Lots of Greens & Very Little Sweets
“My Mom instilled in me the importance of healthy eating from a very young age. She was a big advocate of no sugar and tons of veggies. To this day, I owe her for my lack of a sweet tooth and addiction to veggies. Growing up, my Mom would monitor our sweets, from only allowing us to pick 5 pieces of candy on Halloween to cutting us the smallest piece of cake at a birthday party and diluting our orange juice. It may sound a little crazy and some thought it was restricting us of being ‘kids,’ but to this day, I couldn’t be happier that she did what she did. It has had a very large impact on my taste buds and choices today. It isn’t that I want but don’t have sweets, I literally could take them or leave them! Habits begin at a very young age and are carried with us throughout our lives. My addiction to fresh green veggies and lack of taste and cravings for sweets has definitely helped me along my career in the health and fitness world, along with being a healthy version of me!”
JAIME BAIRD
FitnessRxWomen.com Editor-in-Chief, IFBB Bikini Pro
MOM’S LESSON: Have Fun With Fitness & Manage Portions
“As early as I can remember, I was attending my parent’s various sports activities. From volleyball and bowling leagues to tennis, racquetball and even tap class, my Mom was always active and having FUN while doing it. And believe me, if it wasn’t fun, she wouldn’t do it. She always encouraged me to pursue what made me happy as it related to sports, recreation and everything else. This taught me to find entertainment and joy in living fit and active. To me, that is the key to long-term fit living.”
“Also, while everyone in our generation was supersizing, my Mom was buying everything small. Like those tiny bananas, miniature Cutie oranges, petite steaks, etc. My whole family jokes about her fascination with all things small, but it trained us to not have portion distortion at a young age.”
NICOLE WILKINS
Figure Olympia Champion, Figure International Champion, FitRx The Fit Life Columnist
MOM’S LESSON: Always Be Prepared With Healthy Meals
In this personal video, Nicole shares childhood memories of her Mom’s lessons on food prep & eating balanced. Click here to view.
LAUREN JACOBSEN
FitRx Online Nutrition Columnist
MOM’S LESSON: Love Exercise & Be Smart About Nutrition
“My Mom instilled a fit and healthy lifestyle in me from a very young age. I can remember my Mom doing aerobics every morning in our living room, which I would often attempt to emulate in my Snoopy gymnastics, pink one-piece! This workout was always followed up by a protein shake. Of course back then it was all leg warmers and bad tasting, chalky protein powders, but it taught me the importance of exercise and post-workout nutrition! I thank my Mom for instilling in me healthy eating habits, and my fit way of life! It has lead me to pursue not only fitness competitions, but a career where I live and breathe my passion for helping others in their pursuit of their own fitness and health every day!”
JENNIFER BLECHMAN-TURNER
Co-Publisher of FitnessRx For Women Magazine With Her Mom, Elyse Blechman
MOM’S LESSON: Eat Fresh, Nutritious Food
“My Mom has always encouraged us to live a healthy lifestyle. I remember she used to pack my brother and I healthy snacks for lunch when we were kids. I would pull an apple or an orange out of my brown paper bag at school, while my friends snacked on Twinkies and Doritos. When I was younger, I wished for the junk, but I truly believe I make healthier food choices today because of the healthy food she encouraged us to eat when I was a kid.”
INDIA PAULINO
2013 Bikini International Champion, FitRx Girl Talk Columnist
MOM’S LESSON: The Importance of Exercise & Do What You Love
“My mother is my shining star. Just seeing her smile comforts my heart. She dedicated her whole life to taking care of my sisters and me. She wanted to be the one to raise us and did not want to miss any memories from us growing up. From the beginning, she always taught us the importance of exercising. As a child, I loved performing, singing and dancing. She put me dance classes at the age of 3. I later became a cheerleader, a runner and I practiced martial arts for years. It was because of her encouragement to stay active and do the things I love that I became so involved and love fitness the way I do. I appreciate every single thing she taught me and most importantly always being there for me and my sisters. Thank you, Mom!”
MARGARET SCHLACHTER
DirtInYourSkirt.com Founder, FitRx Online OCR Columnist
MOM’S LESSON: Appreciate & Love Fresh, Locally Farmed Food
“Today, my backyard looks more like a miniature farm than a traditional city backyard, and I owe it to my Mom in many ways. Since I was a child, we always had a garden or two in our backyard. My fingers would push down into the dirt each spring as we planted carrots, beets, onions, lettuce and other veggies in our backyard garden. Our weekly trips to the farmers market helped shaped my fascination for all things food. I owe my deep connection to food and its origins and history to my mother. When I am not training for the next obstacle course race, you can find me reading, writing, weeding, watering and thinking about where my food comes from. I still have the same sense of wonderment each year when the first strawberry turns red as I did when I was a child.”
“Thanks to my mother for pointing me in the direction of fresh, local food and seasonal eating. It is because of her I know the joys of freshly picked veggies and knew at a young age that dirt on a carrot isn’t a bad thing— it just is a fact that carrots come from the earth. This Mother’s Day, I get to share the veggies from my garden with her!”
LISA STEUER
Managing Editor of FitnessRx For Women Magazine
MOM’S LESSON: Connect With Loved Ones Through Exercise
“Some of my favorite memories with my Mom include the times we used to go walk the local high school track when I was a kid. Along with my younger brother, we would go to the track a few times a week when it was warm out, and usually we would go later in the day when the sun was just going down and the field lights were coming on. Sometimes my brother and I would race each other, but many times my Mom and I would simply walk lap after lap, just talking. Early on, it instilled in me a love for staying active and exercising outdoors. But, I also liked the idea of being active together and using exercise as a healthy way to spend time with loved ones.”
