Aloha and Mahalo

It's time! Trish is taking over the reigns for Leeward on Sunday. This is my final "official" day as a Stroller Strides franchisee.

There's not much I haven't already said. Thankfully I don't have to say good-bye all at once since I'll still be at CORP this Thursday to teach, and for the next few months.

I asked Trish to schedule me for Mondays at Kapolei since it works better with my Body Back schedule, so you'll also be seeing me there.

I think it would have been very lonely for me in Hawaii if I hadn't had Stroller Strides. I vividly remember my first class with Buffy. I was so excited to have found this instant group of women, all exercising and doing something for themselves. I was never interested in being a martyred mommy. And the workout was so hard! Let's be honest. A lot of us think that Stroller Strides might just be a lot of "strolling," with an occasional bicep curl. Yeah, this committed gym rat got her bootie kicked bigtime!

Stroller Strides is only as good as the people we teach. THANK YOU for being the committed, focused, friendly women that I have had the privilege to teach and know these past two-and-a-half years -- so many of you are off the island now, but I still think about you and remember all those classes together.

Mahalo:=)

The Babies Keep Coming

They already look like Jackson!
Congratulations to Margene on the arrival of her twins last month.

"Here are the twins on the day Sawyer came home. They were born Nov 18, 3:48 and 3:51 pm. Sawyer Everett was 4 lbs 14 oz 18.5 inches. He spent 10 days in the NICU for breathing issues but is doing fine now. He had stopped growing they estimate three weeks before delivery so his lungs were a little immature.

Sadie Ella is the youngest she was 5 lbs 1 oz 18.25 inches. She came home with me three days after delivery. She has been doing great.

I had high blood pressure at the end again and gained like 10 lbs in 48 hours so they took them at 35.3 weeks. My blood pressure took about two weeks to return to normal and is good now. I did much better this pregnancy than last time in recovery. We are all sleep deprived but that is to be expected having to feed babies every three hours and sometimes they get off schedule from each other.

Jackson is loving being a big brother. I am blessed my parents are here to help us until the second week in January. I am ready to start losing the baby weight and start working out again just to see the outdoors, just waiting for the OK from the Doc..."

Congratulations Ashley!

Introducing ....

Adalynn Marie Astorga
November 21, 2011
7lbs 12oz.


Looks like Mommy has two babies to take care of now:=)

Holiday Dinner

Joni, Nadine, Erika, Bobbie, Heather, Rayna, Sara, Amy, Maria

We had a great night out at the Hau Tree Lanai last Monday. The restaurant was so quiet and we had a perfect beach view. I think we even got to see some skinny dippers, an unexpected nature show for sure.

A big thanks to Heather for organizing our evening out. It was a mellow night at the restaurant, perfect for the final week before Christmas. And thank you, as always, to Maria for being our resident photographer!

Member Monday

Happy Holidays! My name is Keara and I have been a Stroller Strides member for a little over a month. I attend classes at Schofield, but I’m hoping to start classes at CORP as well after the first of the year.

My husband, Greg, 9 year-old stepson, Caleb, and 8 month old son, Owen, moved to Hawaii at the beginning of October. My husband is a SSG in the ARMY and this is our second duty station as a family. I am originally from Kentucky and have a Masters degree in Social Work. Eventually, I want to go back to work, but I am enjoying every minute of being a stay-at-home-mom!

I have always struggled with my weight. When I graduated high school I was at my heaviest, 320 lbs, and at my smallest, 140 lbs, when I met my husband. Needless to say, I have spent the past four years focusing on my education, career and family that I put myself on the “backburner.”

While pregnant, the pounds seemed to “pack on” despite my best effort to keep them off. After Owen arrived, I focused all my time and energy into being the best mom I could be that the baby weight just seemed to stay around and my self-confidence continued to diminish. Being able to still wear maternity clothes six months after giving birth, I had all but given up hope at being able to lose the weight. That’s when I was introduced to Stroller Strides, and my life has changed for the better since!

I look forward to each and every class! I can feel myself getting stronger (and hopefully smaller) and it feels wonderful! All of the ladies at Schofield are AMAZING and motivate me to push myself further than I ever thought possible. Be it a smile or a “way to go” they always make me feel like I can do just one more burpee, hold my plank five seconds longer, or sprint to the next pole without passing out.

While I would love to fit back into my size 8 non-stretch jeans, I have come to realize that the most important thing is for me to be healthy for my children and my husband—regardless of my pant size or weight. Being happy, healthy and stronger than the day before is what I strive for at each class. I know with time, effort and the awesome support I get from SS mommas, I will eventually reach my goals, and maybe even fit into my “skinny” jeans again.

I look forward to meeting new SS mommas in the New Year, and making 2012 the best year ever!

Get Fit Challenge 2011

Congratulations to all of our contestants! Sixteen women entered this year's Get Fit Challenge. It was a 10-week contest with points earned for class attendance, earning class MVP, improvement in the Fitness Assessments, and losing body fat.

We held our "Grand Finale" last week at CORP. The women had their "after" body fat tested and competed in the Fitness Assessments (plank, pushups, step-ups). The points were then added to all the points they earned for attending class and being MVP. I'm happy to report that it took success in every aspect of the contest in order to win -- so it was anyone's game, if you had the commitment to stick with it!

Liz, Mika, Jessica, Melanie, Amber, Katie, Marna, Melissa
The contestants who made it ALL the way to the end!
(not shown: Emily R)

Our Grand Prize, a $250 gift card to Ala Moana shopping center,
was awarded to ...

Amber Brannon!

In addition to losing body fat and improving in the Fitness Assessments, Amber attended 54 classes during the contest (out of a possible 57). Wow!

A close second was awarded to Jessica Scott. She wins a $100 gift certificate to Lululemon. Jessica was also an attendance stalwart with 47 classes attended during the GFC.

Third place went to Melissa Fitzgerald. She also won top honors for the step-up and push-up assessments. She wins free membership to Stroller Strides in January.

Fourth place to Melanie Kushi, also a Fitness Assessment winner as she held the plank for 6 minutes and 45 seconds! She wins an SS or Body Back tank.

And fifth place to Katie Coulter. She also wins an SS/BB tank.

Congratulations to everyone who competed and made it to the end! Ten weeks was a bit on the long side, and we held the contest during the holidays to boot. I'm so proud of how everyone lost body fat and got stronger. It's nice to see hard numbers and know that you have made a difference in your own health and physical fitness!

Holiday Schedule

Friday, December 23
Class at CORP only (Tarah)

Monday, December 26
Class at CORP only (Lauren)

Friday, December 30
Class at CORP only (Stacey)


We will return to our regular schedule on Monday, January 2.

Member Monday

My name is Sherri and I am a new member attending the Schofield Barracks SS classes on Watts field.

I am 27 years old and I am originally from Wisconsin. My family made the big move to Hawaii because my husband's orders sent us to the Schofield Barracks so he can work at headquarters as a JAG officer.

I am attending Stroller Strides classes because I recently had a baby girl and I have gained about 30 pounds from the pregnancy that I cannot get rid of. I want to stay healthy for my family, and look good in my clothes again.

My husband and I are also throwing a wedding party for ourselves because we got married in the court house. This is taking place next summer. So I am striving with my stroller to shed the extra weight. I am approximately 159 lbs and I want to get back to my pre-baby weight which is 130.

I also want to say that everyone has been really encouraging. I have not excersied in years and it shows during my workouts. I am huffing and puffing during the warm ups, but everyone is really helpful and they push me just enough but not too far. Thanks everyone so much. I feel better already.

Honolulu Marathon 2011

Maria, Rayna, and Sara

Congratulations to our 2011 Honolulu Marathon Finishers!

This was Rayna's third marathon and the first one she finished under 4 hours. This was Sara and Maria's first marathon.

From Maria: "I think that for all of us, the hard part was not finishing the race -- it was getting to the start line. We are all grateful to our husbands and children for their support during our months of training. We could not have done it without them.

This is a quote from the book Run Like A Mother:

In order to become a runner, you have to make a choice. And that choice is you: you over family, you over work, you over PTA, and book club and being the parent volunteer to the science museum. You have to decide you deserve to take enough time in a week -- 2 or so hours, at least- where running and consequently you, is the priority. You have to find ways to overcome inertia, minimize exhaustion and overlook overscheduling so you can simply say, "Now it's time for me to enforce my own time out." After you make that mental leap, you then have to realize that the initial complaints your body feels as you sputter into a rhythm are minor compared to the benefits you'll reap after your run."

Holiday Schedule

Friday, December 23
Class at CORP only (Tarah)

Monday, December 26
Class at CORP only (Lauren)

Friday, December 30
Class at CORP only (Stacey)


We will return to our regular schedule on Monday, January 2.

Final Saturday Class of 2011!

Rayna will be instructing at CORP this Saturday.

This will be our final Saturday class of the year.

See you at 8:30!

Member Monday

Aloha! My name is Rachel and I have been attending class with my 1-1/2 year old son Sam since early August. We are only able to attend on Thursdays, so you will see us at CORP.

Sam and I LOVE Stroller Strides! Every Thursday, right after we drop off my older children at their science class, Sam starts shouting, "Babies! Babies!" and "Weee! Weee!" knowing that we are on our way to see the Stroller Strides babies and play at the playground.

My family moved to Hawaii from Virginia Beach in the summer of 2009 thanks to my husband Kevin's job in the Navy. We were excited to be coming back to Hawaii, but it was hard to say goodbye to my Stroller Strides family in VA. I had owned the franchise there for 6 years and it was such a huge part of our lives.

My husband and I made the decision to homeschool our older children, Patrick, who will be 10 next week, and Megan, 7, and so fitting in Stroller Strides has been difficult. Now that they attend a science class on Thursday mornings, I have been able to introduce fitness and fun, the Stroller Strides way, to my youngest child and I LOVE it!!

My first and most important goal with exercise is simply to honor and care for the amazing gifts of life and a healthy body. I believe a healthy, active lifestyle is a must and that requires a healthy diet and some sort of physical activity every day. If you have seen me at class, though, you know I take it beyond that, I really enjoy pushing my body to its limits and seeing what I am capable of.

One of my favorite things about Stroller Strides is that it accommodates me, and any other mom, no matter what her goals are. I can remember attending class in the first few months after having a baby when my only goal was to make it out the door, talk to a few adults, and move my body enough to know that it still worked. I was just trying to save my sanity. And then, as each of my babies became older, I sought to regain a healthy lifestyle and I focused a little more on the exercise aspect of Stroller Strides, not just the social. And, for me, each time I got back to the point where I felt I was healthy, I then wondered just what I could do if I pushed a little more.

I am enjoying getting to know a new Stroller Strides ohana and I hope to see you at class soon!

Holiday MNO Date Change!

Christmas Dinner at Hau Tree Lanai
now to be held on
Monday, Dec. 19
6:30 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.

Please let Heather or Joni know if you plan on attending,
or simply reply to your (updated!) Evite.

Member Monday

Aloha ladies, I'm Teresa and I attend Stroller Strides at CORP and Kapolei (and hopefully Hickam in the near future).

We are winding down our 3 year Hawaiian adventure and leave the island in March 2012.

I met my Air Force husband when we were both 1st Lieutenants serving at Osan AB in South Korea. We left Korea for Germany before we headed back to the States where I separated following the birth of Lauren in 2007.

We moved to Oahu in 2009 and settled in beautiful Ko Olina... with a 20 month old and 6 months pregnant. Now we are leaving in March with a 4 year old, a 2 year old and.... 6 months pregnant.

I've always been slender and "naturally" lazy. My idea of exercise was 30 minutes on the elliptical and a few crunches. I saw the SS ladies at Kapolei and the thought of jogging with a stroller up a busy street and jumping around like a crazy person in a park was so far outside of my comfort zone it's not even funny. I met Jenna (of course) at the pool. She had just had her 3rd baby and looked incredible and could sell Stroller Strides to a 300 pound man!

My husband left for a long TDY when Max was 3 weeks old. I actually got a sitter off of Craigslist and went to the gym. While on my famous elliptical, I thought... I just spent 20 bucks to be bored and pretend to workout inside and I live in Hawaii! I emailed Joni the next day and started Stroller Strides.

I fell instantly in love with Joni, Buffy Whiteman and Kim Merriman and realized I didn't hate exercise, I just wasn't a self motivator and needed group fitness and it really wasn't a big deal jumping around in public.

My favorite Buffy quote, "If there's not a baby attached to your boob, you need to be moving!" I met a lot of people who actually ran for fun and it's filled our time in Hawaii with a bunch of 5K, 10K and half marathons.

The entire family "deployed" to Las Vegas September 2010 for 6 months and I could not adjust to going to the YMCA or running in the desert. It was a horrible time, I gained about 8 pounds and still feel cheated out of my Hawaiian time. When we returned, we moved onto Hickam and I didn't rejoin Stroller Strides because of the drive and I really didn't want to deal with my then-sassy 3 year old in the stroller. We did find other fitness and got back into shape but I continued to follow SS on the internet and it made me sad to see the SS shirts at races. I looked into coming back when Lauren started preschool. We live on an island and it isn't as big of a deal as I thought to get to Kapolei or CORP and we're glad to be back.... but still have our fingers crossed for SS Hickam!

Stroller Strides fills a lot of gaps that you find living far from those you love especially when daddies are often gone. I encourage everyone to get a sitter and go to Mom's Night Out, skip nap time and head to the water park after class, go on active.com and sign up for a race with fellow stroller pushers. You'd be surprised how much you and the kids will enjoy running around and over Ford Island during the Bridge Run and you'll look forward to signing your 3 year old up for the Banana Man Chase. Let's face it, Fit Moms do Rock!

One Week till our Holiday MNO!

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.

Please let Heather or Joni know if you plan on attending,
or simply reply to your Evite.