Member Monday

 

Aloha kaua! My name is Kehau and I’m a new member of the Stroller Strides ‘ohana on Schofield Barracks.  I’m a local girl!  The Schofield location is actually right next to my hometown, Wahiawa, HI.  Yes!  I’ve had the awesome opportunity of being born and raised in Hawaii.  I met my husband Travis here and we moved to Mililani Mauka to start our life together.  Soon after, we found we were having a baby girl!  And, in October 2011, God blessed us with our daughter, Lia La’akeamaikalani Allessi.  In our time off, our family loves to go to the beach, go hiking, eat awesome food, and watch mixed martial arts.  We are also very active within our church where we get to help plan activities for the kiddos, serve through leadership, and share life with others.  My husband and I are also very competitive (in everything) so almost anything can turn into a game—even diaper changing. For now, my husband is stationed at Schofield Barracks until June, and then we get to move to Fort Hood, TX.  This will be my first time on the mainland, so I’m a little nervous, but mostly excited about all the possibilities. 

I recently joined  Stroller Strides because I just didn’t feel like myself anymore.  I felt lethargic, lazy, and unorganized.  I also realized that I focused a lot of my energy on food.  I was a major “snacker” and I would snack all day long.  I can also confess that I was addicted to sweets like cookies, cake, and candy.  One day, I looked at myself in the mirror (like really looked at myself) and I realized that I was not who I used to be.  In high school, I stayed healthy by playing soccer and softball.  As a young single adult, I spent a lot of my time at the gym or running in the neighborhood.  At that time, I remember I had so much energy and focus.  I missed that “old” me.  So I signed up for SS and (as the cliché goes) the rest is history. 

 

I really enjoy Stroller Strides because I feel like I have people to relate to.  It encourages me to know that there are other women who have felt the same way as me.  Since joining, I’ve began to eat A LOT better, drink more water, exercise in my free time, and sustain enough energy to take care of my family.  The thing that I like the most is that I am a positive influence for my daughter.  Honestly, I love when it hurts. When Maria or Debbie really kick our butts out on the field, it pushes me run faster, push harder, and dig deeper.  That is an awesome feeling.

Karaoke MNO

Merry, Amber, Samantha, Carla, Stacey, Jen, Kathy, Jessica, Keara (not pictured: Trish and Emily R.)

What can I say.... I was skeptical about how much fun I could actually have at a karaoke joint (let's face it, I can't sing!). But, it was insanely fun. So nice for a group of hard working moms (and I am not just talking about AT Stroller Strides) to get together, let their hair down and sing some Black Eyed Peas! Good times for sure. Thanks for another rockin' Mom's Night Out, ladies!

Emily gives the performance of a lifetime
with her rendition of "Fernando"

Sing it Amber!

Kathy and Stacey doing a duet

Jessica and Keara

Yes, it's as bad as it looks! 

Meet Brittney... Another New Instructor!

Hi! My name is Brittney and I’ve been living in Hawaii for almost 2 years now. I’m happily married to the love of my life, Josh and we have a one-year-old son name Paxton and 2 overly spoiled dog babies, Cooper and Skip.

Josh is a nuclear electrician in the Navy and was lucky enough to land a shore duty billet here at Pearl Harbor. Before having our little bundle of love, I earned my B.S. in Speech and Language Pathology and have just recently started working on my Master’s degree at UH Manoa. Needless to say, school is much more interesting now that I have a one-year-old cutie pie to keep me entertained!

Growing up I never really ate healthy, but I managed to keep in shape by staying active in sports. During high school I played soccer and softball, ran track, and participated in competition cheerleading. My husband is also very athletic and was always great at persuading me to go to the gym with him. After finding out I was pregnant, my motivation for the gym quickly decreased, but, on the bright side, eating healthy became a priority.

While I was pregnant I began seeing a nutritionist, I watched every food documentary on Netflix about a zillion times, and read as many clean eating books as I could get my hands on. My husband says I’m slightly obsessive in this area (I may agree with him just a little…) and wasn’t quite on board with it at the time, but he’s gotten much more into it since we had our son. Setting a positive example for Paxton and showing him how great it is to be active and eat healthy is so rewarding for both of us.

After moving to Hawaii and having my son, Stroller Strides was such a blessing! I didn’t know very many people, but thankfully a good friend and now super awesome instructor told me about Stroller Strides and invited me to come check it out. After my first class I was hooked! It is so motivating to workout alongside such an inspiring group of moms. Not only have I met a ton of great friends through Stroller Strides, but I have also learned to love that feeling of being pushed past my comfort zone. Since joining stroller strides I’ve ran a half marathon, a 10k, and worked out harder than I ever thought I could.

I’m in the best shape of my life and I owe it all to Stroller Strides. I’m so excited to be able to have this opportunity to share my passion for staying active and living a healthy lifestyle with all of you! :-) 

Rayna's Last Class

Stroller Strides Leeward Oahu - CORP - April 26, 2012 - Rayna's Last Class

Today at CORP we said goodbye to Rayna! Rayna has been instructing for Stroller Strides Leeward for two years. She is beautiful inside and out, and she will be greatly missed. Good luck to Rayna and her family as they begin a new adventure in Germany.

Leeward Oahu Instructors - Maria, Joni, Rayna, Trish, Stacey

Maria, Joni, Rachel, Rayna, Trish, Stacey

Representing Hickam!

Margene, Jen, Jena, Rayna, Liz, Stacey, Amber, Andrea (all these ladies have been SS members since Rayna started instructing).

Meet our Newest Instructor...

Hi, I’m Melissa and I have been living in Hawaii for a year now. The Army moved us here after some fun tours in Maryland, Germany, Virginia, Florida and Washington State.  My husband Brennan and I have been married 10 ½ years. We met in our home state of Massachusetts, at UMASS Amherst. We have two beautiful children, Colin who is 5 and Kaitlyn who is 3.

April 2011

I always considered myself to be an athletic person, until I got pregnant, that is. Pregnancy seemed like my excuse to eat all the time and not be active. Colin was born and I was so discouraged with my weight gain, I hid my scale in the closet. When I got pregnant with Kaitlyn it was back to the same old habits of unhealthy eating and excuses to not work out on a regular basis. Before I knew it I didn’t recognize myself in photos anymore,  I was embarrassed of the extra weight and at how unmotivated I was.

When we moved to Hawaii I knew I couldn’t continue down this track and teach my children this unhealthy lifestyle of mine. A good friend recommended Stroller Strides to me. I was skeptical at first, unsure of what it was exactly. My first class was all it took, I was hooked!  How on earth could all these ladies do push-up after push-up and I can’t even do one?  I could not run a lap and I could not do squats without resting.  But despite my initial insecurities of being the slowest and the weakest in class, I reminded myself that I needed this change.

Stroller Strides has been such a wonderful support group to me and I am very thankful. I  am excited to start instructing and help others achieve success in fitness and in life. See you at class!

October 2011

KARAOKE MNO - Next Friday!

Time to bust out your best singing voice and your rockstar moves! Karaoke Mom's Night Out is happening next Friday night!

When: March 27th, 7pm at HMC Karaoke.

What to bring: Potluck style! Bring your favorite dish to share! Also bring your own beverages! HMC Karaoke will supply a cooler with ice. I will bring plates, utensils and cups. We are able to come in and "set-up" as early as 6:30 - which is what time I will arrive. I also highly recommend a pair of ear plugs... if you have ever heard me sing, you know why they will come in handy ;-)

There is still time to RSVP so if you want to join the party, email me!!

Member Monday

Hi. My name is Laura and I am excited to be a new member of Stroller Strides. I started attending classes at Hickam and CORP at the end of March and have really enjoyed the classes and camaraderie. I moved to Hawaii in May 2009 when my husband became stationed here and we live at Ft. Shafter. After moving, I soon became pregnant with my first child so my exercise goals took a back seat while I adjusted to life as a new mom. Just as I was starting to get back into exercising after my son was born, I became pregnant again! I now have two beautiful little boys – Robbie who is 2 years old and Andrew who is 10 months. As you can imagine, they keep me very busy. I learned about Stroller Strides through a friend and thought it would be a great way to get back into shape.

Prior to having children, I was an avid runner and have 3 marathons under my belt. Now my family takes up most of my time and finding time for even short runs is difficult. I thought that Stroller Strides would give me the structure and extra motivation to get back into running shape. While I don’t see another marathon in my near future, I would like to run one of the many other races in Hawaii before we move next summer.

Thank you for welcoming me. I’m excited to meet other moms and be part of the Stroller Strides family.

Introducing Aubrey

We welcomed Aubrey Raelynn Lundin on March 6, 2012. She weighed 7lbs
4oz and was 20 inches long. My labor was much easier this time and I am
so thankful for that! I am happy that I had SS and so many moms
encouragement to keep going even as I got bigger and couldn't do as
much. I have recovered so much faster than I did with B! I can't wait
to get back to class!!

Aubrey girl is such a sweet little girl and already sleeping really
well. Her big brother B is in love and wants to help his mommy and
daddy with his little sis all the time! We will see everyone soon!!

Member Monday

Aloha! I’m Jennine, and I started coming to Stroller Strides—Kapolei and CORP—on April 2. I am so excited to have found such an inspiring group of women. I had thought Stroller Strides was just a running/power-walking group, but then my friend who goes to SS Ewa was talking about lunges, and I was like, “They do lunges?! I need lunges!” So, here I am.

About 7 years ago, I moved to Hawai’i for grad school, and ended up meeting my husband, Allan, 3 months later. I’ve been here ever since. We have two sons—Noah, who turned 2 in January, and Miles, who just made 3 months. I have been teaching elementary school here for the past 6 years, but have decided to take a year off so I can really enjoy my kids, and so we can spend some extended time in the Boston area (where I’m from).

As a family, we spend a lot of time at the beach. I also enjoy doing volunteer work and traveling. I was pretty fit and active until my first son was born, but since then I really haven’t been prioritizing my own physical well being as much as I should.

After just 1 week at Stroller Strides, I feel so motivated to get back in shape. I want to build my strength and stamina, and make exercise a daily habit.

Thanks to everyone for being so welcoming and friendly. That positive camaraderie really makes Stroller Strides extra special and fun.

Easter Class 2012

Stroller Strides Leeward Oahu - Easter Class 2012

Leilani, Rayna, Katie, Melissa, Maria, Jen, Trish, Kathy, Margene, Shin, Jennine, Tracey, Marna
Laura, Rachel, Catina, Kelly, Amber, Sharon, Tamika, Liz, Lauren
(thank you to Liz's mother-in law for snapping the pic!)

What an "egg"cellent class we had!

Hill sprints for eggs!
(Love the bunny ears, Katie!)

Nice squats Amber and Rayna!

Lauren and Katie!

Babies!
Alexander, Aileen, Ella, Ava and Carter

(I wish I had taken many more pictures!)

DIVA Half Marathon 2012

Leeward Oahu is full of Divas! Last Sunday, 8 Leeward Oahu Stroller Strides instructors (including Hickam), and a dozen or more members (past and present) ran the Diva Half Marathon in Honolulu. What an incredible accomplishment. Way to go ladies.

Joni, Lauren, Tarah
(Instructors)

Rayna
(Instructor)

Debbie
(Instructor)

Bobbie (former SS member) and Maria (Instructor)

Cute shirts, ladies!

Julia (Body Back), Maria, Nikki (former SS member and Body Back)

Representing our military wives...
Carrie (Army/former SS member), Debbie (Navy), Rayna (Coast Guard), Maria (Army)

Brittney
(SS Member and instructor-in-training)

Rachel
(Instructor - Hickam)

Team Hickam!
Gia, Maria, Mary
Sallie, Rachel, Michelle (Honolulu Franchisee), Rayna


Sallie, Liza, Gia, Maria, Mary
(Hickam members)


There are several past and present members NOT pictured. Well done to Ashley (SS member), Stephanie (past SS member). If there is anyone I forgot, I apologize!


Congrats Divas of 2012!!

"The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start."
-John Bingham

Member Monday

Hi guys! My name is Emily and I'm a new member of Stroller Strides in Kapolei. I can't tell you how excited I am to be a part of your team. My husband Rich and I are new to Hawaii so this has been an awesome way for me to get out of the house and make some friends. Two months ago we welcomed our sweet daughter Carys into the world. She is such a blessing and has changed our life in every way. Since she is our first baby, this past year has been an amazing journey for us. I had no idea what was involved in pregnancy and labor really. You hear stories and listen to advice but I think until you experience it all yourself, you just don't know. I know for myself, seeing the numbers on the scale get higher and higher each doctor visit wasn't exactly easy and I have to admit that I had no idea how I was going to get back down again after labor. I'm excited that I have an opportunity to feel like my old self again because I would never do these exercises on my own. Aside from working out, I have a broad spectrum of interests. I've been a hair stylist for the past 7 years and enjoy working in the beauty industry. I also love photography, scrapbooking, decorating, bow making and pretty much anything where I can be creative. I'm really looking forward to getting to know all other mommies and making the most out of our time here in Hawaii!