Tools

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Ask any mother you meet about her New Year's resolutions and chances are “eat healthy” and “exercise more” will probably be on the list. With play dates, carpool, homework, errands, chores and afterschool activities, it’s hard for most moms to schedule “me” time. Exercise and nutrition just don’t seem to be priorities in the lives of busy moms.

Conway native Susan Robinson has been there. From running the educational programs at the Museum of Discovery to serving as a smoking cessation specialist for the Arkansas Department of Health, Susan has put her degrees and certifications in Dietetics and Health Education to good use. In the midst of it building her career, she and husband Lee welcomed son Sam and daughter Kate — and life got even busier.

In 2007, Susan learned about Stoller Strides, a national company offering fitness programs for women at every stage of motherhood. “I was in a really bad place; nine months after the birth of my second child I was out of shape and in the throes of post-partum depression,” wrote Susan in a recent email interview. “I searched for a local program like Stroller Strides and didn't find one. It was important for me to bring Stroller Strides to Little Rock because as a Health Educator, I was fully aware that I was depressed. I knew if I could meet up with other moms who shared my goal of becoming stronger, I could work toward becoming the ‘me’ I used to be. I called my husband, and he agreed that it would be great for me both physically and emotionally, but it would also give me an outlet to help others.” 

Susan continued working full time at the Arkansas Department of Health while she built her Stroller Strides business. In 2010, she found herself in a place many moms find themselves: struggling to keep all of the balls in the air. “I was working an emotionally stressful job, finding it increasingly harder to find time to work on our business and still be a good role model for my children and a good wife to my husband,” she said. “Relationships with my friends were suffering and I was ready to throw in the towel — I just wasn’t sure which towel yet.” 

At the national Stroller Strides conference that October, Susan attended a Body Back class. The concept of the class is simple: participants perform exercises for one minute at a time, in an endless sequence, targeting cardio, strength, and core. “By the time we were 15 minutes in I was the most uncomfortable I had ever been physically,” she recalled. “I wasn’t hurting myself, I didn’t have an injury, I just felt sick and wanted to throw up. I was working way outside of my comfort zone — which is the point of the class. I moved to the back corner of the room, next to the oversized trash can. I did not quit.”

The last few minutes of a Body Back class are reserved for reflection or meditation. While she “lay on the floor physically drained with my towel over my face,” Susan had an epiphany. She realized that the things gave her strength were her family, friends, and her Stroller Strides business, and that the things holding her back from reaching her full potential were her full-time job and her feelings of letting everyone down. She decided to quit her job and focus full time on training women to be as strong and fit as possible.

Sharing Her Strength

Today, Susan and her Stroller Strides instructors teach four different classes in Little Rock for mothers with small children. The classes incorporate the babies and their strollers while giving the mothers an intense cardio, strength and core workout. They also provide a place for moms to come together, form new friendships and build community.

Susan also teaches two sections of Body Back, the class that she says “changed her life.” The program is for mothers of any age who want to regain strength and optimum health. These classes, too, focus on cardio, strength and core. Susan also provides nutritional support and DVDs for daily homework to all the Body Back moms.

Susan's days are hectic. She balances kids, her business and her part-time job wih Stroller Strides coprorate office by planning ahead and sticking to the plan. “I have my days scheduled so I know how much time I have to devote to each task throughout the day,” she explained. “Mostly, I work during the fringe hours of the day or when the kids are at school. I teach Body Back at 5:15 a.m. and get home in time to get the kids ready for school. I schedule morning meetings over coffee after school drop off and schedule business calls after the kids go to bed. I also have a very supportive husband. He does all of the grocery shopping, makes the lunches, unloads the dishwasher, and shares the laundry with me.”

Though its sometimes stressful running a small business, Susan feels she's right where she belongs — mentoring and coaching busy moms. “I want to give the moms in all of my classes the strength for motherhood,” Susan said. “For some, that means having the physical strength to keep up with the demands of raising an infant or toddler. To others, it’s having the courage to take care of herself first, and know that her family will thrive because of it. I strive to help each mom reach her full potential.”