I’ve Been Inspired

Disclosure: I wrote this post as part of my participation in a blog tour for The Motherhood on behalf of the makers of Children’s MOTRIN® and received compensation to thank me for taking the time to participate. However, all opinions expressed are my own.

Who has inspired you the most this year? What has inspired you?

For me, I started off the year wanting to get fit. First and foremost, I wanted to get fit for me and for my own well-being. When I exercise I have more energy, I’m in a better mood and I’m a nicer person to be around. I ran an unofficial 5K in Atlanta on May 4th, 2014.

Then I had a setback on May 5th. I was depressed and totally bummed out by the stupid boot, the pain, the long-term healing and not being able to exercise. It totally sucked.

But you know what, it was just a setback, and a very small one at that. That stupid boot taught me to be more grateful for my body – perhaps I should enjoy it more, use it more and act on being 37 years young. Because one day, I’ll be old and decrepit and wishing I had accomplished more. It was time to be unstoppable.

So I decided to run again. I’ve been inspired by friends 0f all kinds who are doing marvelous things to keep fit. Here’s a list of some truly unstoppable folks who have inspired me the most this year:

• My dance mom friend and her husband – D&J. These two are a huge inspiration to me. They’ve set goals together and inspired one another to take charge of their own health and fitness – and in turn, have inspired ME! They have lost well over 100 lbs. combined this year and are amazing friends who always keep me laughing. Thank you D & J.
• PanMass Challenge riders G and C. They ride for a cure and inspire so many.
• My Crossfit friend J who looks amazing, is totally happy and healthy and an inspiration with her deadlifts.
• My husband, who ran his first half marathon last year and continues to work out and run on a regular basis. He is looking good and when he looks and feels better, he makes me want to look and feel better too. It’s so great to be able to get fit together and inspire one another.
• Foxboro ladies who run long distances all the time – I see them out there, running up and down South Street. I want to be able to run faster and further. You all inspire me to keep at it.
• Dollops of Diane – always an inspiration, but have you seen how amazing and strong she looks? She’s a major motivation with her early morning boot camps, her Diva Dashes and her Spartan racing. She is always full of energy and swears that working out in the early mornings give her more energy.
• My newest friend on the block, The VintageMom, who dragged me out on an early morning run in twenty-degree weather and stayed with me at a snail’s pace because she’s an amazing friend. She cheered me on, told me I could do it and made me realize that running with a friend can actually be quite enjoyable! Thanks for motivating me, Lauryn.
• My FIL. If he can run, so can I.

I will keep on going. My fitbit and I are the best of friends and I love reaching 10K steps a day. It’s an easy goal to meet when you exercise. I’ll take it day by day, 5K by 5K. That’s right, I ran one just before Thanksgiving and I’ll be running one again this Sunday, thanks to all my amazing friends who keep telling me I can do it. Thank you guys; I really mean it. I can only get faster and stronger from here.

When I feel better about myself, I’m even more unstoppable as a mom. Whether it’s grocery shopping, carpooling, doing laundry or pretending to cook – it’s just easier when I have more energy.

The makers of Children’s MOTRIN® are asking Moms to post their tips and tricks to theMOTRIN® Facebook page under each week’s Kelly Ripa question video and for every post, Children’s MOTRIN® will donate $1 to Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit that provides moms with the tips they need to help keep their children safe. Moms could even win weekly giveaways of $100 gift cards just for posting.

Have you seen this week’s laundry tip? Don’t forget to hop on over to the Motrin Facebook Page for your chance to share your tip and win $100 gift card to Target!

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY, OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES & D.C., 18 AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Promotion ends 11:59p.m. ET 12/28/14. Sponsor will donate $1 for each approved Submission made as part of the promotion, with a minimum donation of $30,000 and a maximum donation of $50,000. For Official Rules, and complete details, visit www.unstoppablemoms.com. Sponsor: McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc. To learn more about Safe Kids Worldwide visit safekids.org.The makers of Children’s MOTRIN® are asking Moms to post their tips and tricks to the MOTRIN® Facebook page under each week’s Kelly Ripa question video and for every post, Children’s MOTRIN® will donate $1 to Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit that provides moms with the tips they need to help keep their children safe. Moms could even win weekly giveaways of $100 gift cards just for posting.*

Who has inspired you this year and how so? It’s time to thank those people around us who make us better people on a daily basis. Let us know in the comments!