Instructor Training

Enhanced Instructor Training 2011
Tarah, Stacey, Trish, Joni, Rayna, Maria, Lauren, and Farel
missing Debbie since Lyla needed to get home!

We had our second annual Enhanced Instructor Training with Farel Hruksa on November 12 in Kapolei. It was a fantastic gathering of all the franchisees and instructors here in Hawaii! For those of you new to SS, Farel is the National Fitness Director for Stroller Strides.

Thank you to Michelle (Honolulu), Jill (Ewa Beach), Becky (Kailua), and Cailin & Tracy (Maui) for representing every franchisee on Hawaii at our training.

We also had instructors Becky (Honolulu), Kim (Ewa Beach), and the entire Leeward team, plus Rachel and Julie, past and present franchisees who jumped in for some "Fareliciousness."

SS Honolulu: Michelle, Farel, and Becky

SS Ewa Beach: Tarah, Kim, Farel, Lauren, and Jill


SS Kailua: Stacey, Farel, and Becky


Rachel, Farel, and Julie
past and present franchisees, Richmond VA and Conejo CA!

Your instructors are committed to their classes and to constantly improving the classes we teach to all of you -- so much so they that dedicated an entire Saturday to "Stroller Striding." What memories we'll have of each other from this day! I got to slap Jill's thighs, Rachel got a great view of my bum during the plank ball toss, and who could ever forget being chased by an 8-months-pregnant Becky during freeze tag? (All games or drills you may have been experiencing yourself over the past two weeks!)

The Hawaii franchisees (and franchisee-to-be) at Friday night dinner
with Farel -- Disney Aulani resort.

Member Monday

Hey girls! My name is Lindsey and I currently attend Stroller Strides at Schofield Barracks and I sometimes pop in at CORP.

I've lived in beautiful Hawaii for 2 and a half years. (I will always be a New Yorker at heart, though.) My husband John and I moved here back in 2009 because he was assigned Submarine duty at Pearl Harbor.

We got married only 2 months after moving here because we figured getting married on the beach at sunset was too amazing to pass up. We were blessed with the arrival of our little girl Evie on April 3rd this past year. I'm currently attending Ashford University online to obtain my Bachelor's Degree in Health and Wellness.

I decided to join Stroller Strides because trying to fit in workouts with my husband's schedule was not working. I was constantly down on myself after having Evie because my body was definitely nowhere near where it was before. Stroller Strides really appealed to me because I would be able to work out without having to lose out on time with Evie

Ever since I joined back in October I've felt so much better. My husband even told me that my positivity put him in a good mood. Being out in the sunshine with friends cheering you on is probably the best kind of workout I've ever done.

My goal is to get into better shape and set a good example for Evie. I want her to understand that working out should be a normal part of her life and that it's not hard. I also have to try to keep up with John who runs 9 miles at time, whew!

I'm so grateful to the Schofield and CORP ladies for being so welcoming and awesome. The trainers have also helped me to build greater self confidence when it comes to working out. I look forward to working out with everyone in the future!

Member Monday

Aloha Stroller Strides Mommies! My name is Sallie and I recently moved to Hawaii from Japan in July. I attend classes at CORP and Kapolei. I am originally from Missouri and am a true midwestern girl at heart.

I married my husband, Grant, who is in the Navy in 2006 and we have three awesome kiddos: Ben is five and is in Kindergarten at Pearl Harbor Kai, and twins Piper and Nate who are two. I have my master's degree in Child Life and met Grant while I was working at a children's hospital in San Diego. Since then we have moved from San Diego, to Hawaii, to Japan and now back to Hawaii!

Growing up I loved to be outside and be active but I was not a competitive person so sports were not my forte! As I have gotten older I have stayed active by hiking, jogging, chasing around three kids and trying to stay motivated with exercise videos. After I had my twins my body completely changed. My skin stretched a lot during my pregnancy and while we were in Japan I did not have a lot of motivation to stay active.

When we lived in Hawaii previously I was involved in Stroller Strides for about a year right after my five year old was born. I was in the best shape of my life! Once we came back here I knew I needed to get involved in SS again but I just wasn't motivated or confident. Finally one day I took the plunge and e-mailed Joni and decided to get back on the fitness wagon. I am so glad I did!!! I already feel so much better about myself and I can feel my confidence coming back. I love the feeling of being sore after a hard workout and thinking about how much I have accomplished at class.

Currently my biggest challenge is changing my eating habits. I find myself making poor food choices throughout the day just to get by. I am now trying to cook more and cook healthier which I haven't done since we left for Japan. Growing up my mom always had a homemade dinner on the table every night with fruits and vegetables and I want to model that. Unfortunately I inherited a sweet tooth from my dad that has only gotten stronger over the years! Right now I am trying to read up on eating cleaner and cooking lighter. So far I'm taking baby steps but I feel like I can make a positive change for myself and my family.

I am so excited to be involved with Stroller Strides again since it was such a positive experience for me in 2006. I have enjoyed getting to know many of the mommies at class and look forward to getting stronger and healthier!

Member Monday

Aloha SS mommies & babies! My name is Brittney. I’m originally from Georgia, but currently live in Pearl City Peninsula. I attend the CORP and Kapolei classes with my 8-month-old son, the love of my life, Paxton Brady.

I have my degree in Speech-Language Pathology and I am anxiously looking forward to starting the Master’s program in Educational Psychology at UH Manoa in January, while hopefully still managing to get in some good SS workouts.

My husband is a Nuclear Electrician in the Navy and we were lucky enough to land a three-year shore duty billet at Pearl Harbor. About this time last year (at six months pregnant might I add), my husband and I left Virginia Beach with our overly spoiled one-hundred lb. lap dog, Cooper and crossed the Pacific to begin our new life in paradise.

Growing up I was never really a healthy eater, although I managed to stay in shape by being very active in sports. When I was in high school I played soccer, fast-pitch softball, ran track, and participated in competition cheerleading. After college, beginning my career, getting married, and having my son, needless to say I had accumulated a few extra pounds and had gotten pretty out of shape.

Realizing that I couldn’t realistically survive and maintain a decent weight with my poor diet choices, I became what some would call a super major freak about healthy, holistic eating. After finding out I was pregnant, it became even more important to me to eat as healthy as possible for my little peanut. (If anyone is interested, I read The Skinny B*tch’s Guide to a Bun in the Oven and it really lays out all the down and dirty details of food in general.)

I am absolutely obsessed with trying new healthy foods, reading as many magazines and books as I can find on eating clean, and watching every documentary they have on Netflix over and over again.

My husband thinks I’m a nerd and isn’t quite 100% on board with this yet because he says I never buy “the good stuff” and is convinced I am going to turn Pax into a bubble child when it comes to food, but he is making progress. Of course I believe everything is okay in moderation, but we are what we eat!

After joining SS about two months ago I have accomplished so much more than I ever thought I could. Not only have I met lots of great people, but I can actually do a real push-up now.

I have also learned to love that feeling of being pushed past my comfort zone. It is so motivating to work out with such an awesome group of hardworking ladies, some pushing double and even triple the load I carry in my jogger!

1 Week till our Breaking Dawn MNO!

Join us for Mom's Night Out to see Breaking Dawn, Part 1, on opening night.

Friday, November 18
Pearlridge West 16
(at Pearlridge Mall)
7 PM showing

You can buy your ticket now at Fandango -- search 96701.

No Saturday Class this Week

No Saturday Class on November 12.

We will be having an island-wide Instructor Training with our national Fitness Director, Farel Hruska!

Saturday class will resume the following week and run during the holidays. Our final Saturday class of the year will be Saturday, December 17.

Body Back, Holiday Session

The 3rd session of Body Back ends on November 19. With the start of the holiday season, I will not be running a formal session of Body Back again until January.

I will, however, still be holding class! The holiday session is simply about staying active and so there will not be any Fitness Assessments or body fat testing.

Anyone is welcome to drop in during this BB session. Classes are 1 hour, for mom only. Drop-in classes will begin Tuesday, November 29 and run through Saturday, December 24.

Tuesday night class is held at Pearlside Boxing in Kapolei, 6:30 to 7:30 PM. Saturday morning class is held at Central Oahu Regional Park, 6:30 to 7:30 AM.

You can buy all 8 classes for a flat rate of $65, 4 classes for $40, or drop in for $15. Body Back is open to all women, Stroller Strides members or not. If you've been curious about BB, this a great time to try it out.

Save the Date!

Christmas Dinner at Hau Tree Lanai
Thursday, Dec. 8
5:30 PM

This is the Mom's Night Out event of the year
that you don't want to miss!

Call up the sitter, dig out that special cocktail dress,
and get ready for an exquisite dinner on the beach.

Member Monday

Aloha, ladies! My name is Syadra, aka Sage. I am a local girl, born and raised on the leeward side of Oahu.

I am married to my loving husband Derek and we will be making 2 years married and 5 years together.

Together we have 3 beautiful keikis: our daughter Tiahti, 3; our son Anthony, 2; and our newest addition to our Ohana, our son Dayton, 7 months.

We recently moved to Hoakalei Ocean Pointe, Ewa Beach. Seeing everyone well into exercising around here, I thought to myself that I needed to get myself motivated with exercising, not just for myself, but for my kids as well.

Knowing that I had 3 kids and had let myself gain sum pounds, I decided to try and do some laps around Kapolei Park, where my mom has her meetings. I was approached by Jenna, who talked to me about Stroller Strides and that I should join. I told her I would, thought about it and decided to sign up. Friday the 2nd of Sept 2011.

I went to my 1st class where I met Joni. It was an intense work out that Friday that I didn't see coming, lol. But I made it through class, and I felt pretty good doing it. I told myself, if that's what they do, I'm afraid to join. I thought about it over the weekend. I suited up and became a member of SS Kapolei that following Monday.

Ever since then, I've been trying my best to push myself and to try and stay fit. I did my 1st 5k walk/run with Mara for Komen Race for the Cure. Felt awesome that I made it to the finish line and did it for a good cause. I feel that I've been doing a bit better with the exercises and doing a little bit more than I did when I 1st joined SS.

I want to thank Jenna for introducing me to Stroller Strides and to all the SS Kapolei moms/instructors for helping me get through our exercises in class. You all are awesome and I am glad I am a part of Stroller Strides Kapolei.

Aloha Ke Akua, Sage, Derek, Tiahti, Anthony, and Dayton

Breaking Dawn MNO

Join us for Mom's Night Out to see Breaking Dawn, Part 1, on opening night.

Friday, November 18
Pearlridge West 16
(at Pearlridge Mall)
7 PM showing

You can buy your ticket now at Fandango -- search 96701.

Halloween Party

Thank you to everyone who participated in last week's Halloween party! We had a giant circuit around the park taught by Rayna, Lauren, Maria, Tarah, and Trish. Our top finishers completed the circuit three times with a few minutes to spare! Congratulations to Heather who finished first, in under 39 minutes (while pushing a double, too).

More than anything, I loved seeing everyone's Halloween spirit. We had quite a few Mom-and-baby themes: Shanna and her family of superheroes; Emily as Peter Pan with Tinkerbell: Nadine and kids as Shaggy and Scooby Doo; and Melissa as a spider web, with Kaitlyn as the spider. There were a lot of creative moms and I wish I could remember the details for it all!

Shanna, a true superhero since she is
a regular at class with 2 under two!

The world's coolest baby, Cici,
rocking her Ace Ventura costume!


Melissa, winner of our "I Can't Believe She Worked Out in That!" award.

Instructor Photo

Stacey, Maria, Trish, Tarah, Joni, Rayna, and Lauren