Laurie Kocanda - Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom

Hot (Sweaty) Mamas

Hot (Sweaty) Mamas copyright 2011 by Kara Douglass Thom and Laurie Lethert Kocanda.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews.

Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
an Andrews McMeel Universal company
1130 Walnut Street, Kansas City, Missouri 64106

Book design by Holly Ogden
Composition by Steve Brooker

Cover design by Julie Barnes

Cover illustration by Andrea Cobb

Author photo by Anna Bjorkstrand

E-ISBN: 978-1-4494-0677-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010930554

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For Tony, Cady, and Maggie.
Thanks for being my number-one cheering squad and support crew.
Once again, youve helped get me to the finish line.
LLK

For Mark, McKenna, Kendall, Jocelyn, and Blake.
Thank you for inspiring me, motivating me, and cheering me on.
KDT

Laurie and I met shortly after I moved to the Twin Cities from Texas in the summer of 2003. At the time, Lauries daughter was a little over one, and my twins were newborns. We were both triathletes, writers who had read each others bylines on occasion, and, now, moms. A couple of summers later, after the birth of my third daughter and Lauries second daughter, we got together for lunch to hammer out a presentation for the Twin Cities Marathon Expo about managing fitness through pregnancy. I thought we made a good team since my prenatal fitness program slowed to leg lifts in the pool while Laurie was the sort to go for a run after her water broketrue story.

As we chewed on our sandwiches and discussed the outline for our talk, Laurie looked up and said, somewhat sarcastically, Who cares whether or not you exercise during your pregnancy? The real challenge is finding a way to work out after the kids are born.

Talk about an Aha! moment. She nailed it, and yet, at the time, there was nothing out there that spoke to women about balancing fitness and motherhood. Plenty was said about fitness during pregnancy and ad nauseam about getting your body back after baby. (Insert eye rolling here, because none of those books adequately address how to get your body back after baby while said baby is clinging to your leg screaming, Up! Up!).

When we parted ways after having lunch that day we had the beginning of an outline for a presentation as well as for a book.

Because we were living the life of Hot (Sweaty) Mamas, we had our own experiences, victories, and challenges to draw from for the book (even the title came to Kara in an indoor cycling class). This was good material, for sure, but we were just getting our legs as fit moms and it felt strange to be writing from a position of expertise. Four years later, with six kids between us, were now comfortable with our expertise in this area. But the research and interviews with fellow fit moms that we did for this book also influenced the book (and us!) tremendously.

Still, I dont know that any of us feel that weve perfected the art of balancing motherhood and fitness. Its a constant effort, to be sure, but the outcomea healthier, happier momis worth it. Whats more, theres a funny little thing that happens as you make time in your life for exercise: Your kids watch. Our children are still quite young, so we dont have hard evidence yet that they will grow up to be active adults, but we are certain we are good role models for fit living and that our kids are more active now because of our lifestyle choices. (They better grow up to be fit, or else!)

My own fitness level was heavily influenced by fit family members. My mom was the first person ever to take me to a gym. Im not sure how old I wasa tween, perhaps. We lifted weights together and my eyes bulged when I first noticed how cut my moms arms were as she pulled the lat bar down. She also loved to ski and would escape on a Saturday alone, or with girlfriends, for a day trip to the southern New Mexico slopes. I never resented her for that me time, and I look back fondly on her passion for speeding down a snowy mountain. My parents also played tennis, so I took lessons every summer, as well.

Then there was my uncle Bob, under whose guidance my family took active vacations before active vacations were hip. We went on family bike rides, rock-climbing trips, and hikes to Guadalupe Peak, the highest elevation in Texas. We even learned how to rappel off the flat face of a cliff in Hueco Tanks State Park. I spent much of my childhood and teen years dancing, as well, but once I graduated from college and I wasnt dancing regularly anymore, I needed to find another activity to keep me moving. Soon I found myself in a role I had never considered for myself: athlete. I became a runner and triathlete. I loved this outlet for my energy, what finish lines did for my confidence, and the social circles I was forming as a young adult (which would eventually lead me to my husband, Mark).

As the youngest of four children, I spent my childhood engaged in two-on-two games of football, hockey, and soccer. I ran the bases while my brothers played hot box, even snagging a few blows to the head in the process. I spent countless hours swimming, biking, and hiking the wooded trails behind my home with my sister. In grade school, high school, and college, I played competitive team sports year-round, eventually feeling somewhat lost in the nonathletic world of adulthood. Thats when I found my true passion for individual sports. After making my first trip to an indoor rock-climbing gym, I was hooked. I traveled around the country climbing anything I could get my hands onboth indoors and out.

Eventually, my focus shifted to running and I began training for my first marathon. Shortly thereafter, I met my husband, Tony, who also had a passion for fitness. Together we ran marathons in a number of different states, competed in adventure races and triathlons, mountain biked the trails of Moab, even ran from one rim of the Grand Canyon to the other and back. We got engaged on our first-ever kayak adventure. Before we started a family, we were each others most frequent training partners, and our active lifestyle was something we were not willing to let go of. When people heard we were expecting our first child, they often told us we were in for a rude awakening. We were warned that we wouldnt have any time or energy left for working out, and that we should start looking for some new hobbies. Perhaps it was denial, but we ignored the comments and kept along with life as usual throughout both pregnancies. Setting a marathon goal after each delivery got me up and moving quickly after our daughters were born. Its taken some work, but weve managed to juggle life and keep our fitness routines going. Weve proved those skeptics wrong.