janellemom.png

August 2019 MOM - Motivating Mom of the Month

We are so excited to announce our MOM (Motivating Mom of the Month) for August! Each month we will take a moment to honor one of our local FIT4MOM Montgomery County Moms for her efforts to lead a healthy lifestyle and for her dedication to the program. This month we honor....Janelle Palmisano!

I will never forget the first time I met Janelle, she said Heather talked her into doing Run Club and that she was "not a runner". She said she would probably not be able to break out of a run-walk routine. Well, only a few short weeks later she was able to run an entire 5k during training! It is inspiring to run alongside her and watch as she reaches goals she never thought possible. I can't wait to be able to see her regularly again during our next Run Club session! ~ Instructor Kristy

Janelle is so dedicated to her health and fitness and has the strength to show for it. She somehow has the ability to maintain her smile and grace in workouts as she digs deep and powers through even the most challenging moves. As focused as she is on her own goals, she also always takes time to connect with others and offer words of motivation. For all of those reasons and more, she's such a joy to have in class! ~ Instructor Marie

Strong , positive, outgoing, happy and fearless. These are just the few first words that immediately come to my mind thinking about Janelle. First time I met her she told me “I just wanted to let you know I’m not a runner and I don’t really like it ” those who know Janelle would never have said that. Within few months she completely transformed into a pretty awesome and strong runner ! I love having her in my classes, with her positive energy and smile on her face. Even injury doesn’t stop her from coming to the classes, with right mindset and modification she completes every challenging workout. I wish she lived closer and come to my classes more often! ~ Instructor Ewa

We asked Janelle a few questions so we can all get to know her better, and here is what she had to say:

Who are the members of your family?

The members of my family are my husband of 12 years, Mike, Chloe (8), Ashlen (5), and me.

What is/was your career?

I’m about to enter my 17 th year as an educator! 16 of which has been with Montgomery County Public Schools.

When was your first class, and what do you remember about it?

My first class was a Saturday morning Body Back with Katie D. in May of 2018. I wasn’t opposed to finally getting back into a workout routine, and decided to give it a try after some minor convincing from some friends. They swore I could do it, but I remember getting there and not even being able to sustain a warm-up run around the fountain! I thought “What on earth did I get myself into?” and later that day as I was helping my kids get changed out of their bathing suits, my shoulders were so sore I thought those wet bathing suits felt like resistance bands! But…I loved it! I made Body Back a priority in my routine last summer and was surprised and just how quickly I built my strength and endurance while having fun with such an awesome group of mamas!

Where can we find you? What is your FIT4MOM routine these days?

I’m typically at Body Back at the Clarksburg Outlets ; Rio on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays, and 360 on Sundays. I also look forward to my 3 rd session of the 5K/10K run club starting again later this month.

What is your favorite strides exercise?

Fun Fact – I’ve never attended a Stroller Strides class! I’m proof that this village is for mamas in all stages, not just those with infants and toddlers. In Body Back, I love anything strength, core, or cardio with the Bosu. It works and challenges the whole body and mind, and a good minute up & overs can be fun, too!

What has being a mom taught you?

My kids are always looking up to me and learn from what they see. I’ve tried to become much more confident with myself. I try to not worry so much about what other people think, to let personal insecurities go, and I’ve learned to be a lot more flexible.

List 3 of your favorite things.

1. Watching my girls grow

2. The beach

3. Coffee

Give us a giggle- What is your funniest or most embarrassing mommy moment so far?

My best friend from NJ and I gave birth to our first children just three weeks apart. I remember somewhere in that first 6 weeks trying supporting each other over a phone conversation. We were both getting ready to try and head out the door, her to a doctor’s appointment and me to run an errand. I was nursing my super-refluxy baby and my friend was complaining about hers being gassy and cranky. Not but a few minutes into us sharing our first-time mom woes did mine wind up spitting up all over the place and soaking through the clothes I just put her in, and hers had a blowout as she was placing him in the car seat. As we both tried to clean our children while still on the phone, and still trying to get out the door, I just remember stopping and thinking that watching the two of us come into motherhood could have made us a ton of money as reality TV stars. I bet we would have been pretty comical to watch!

Any advice for other moms out there?

My biggest piece of advice is to not listen to any advice. Listen, learn, seek consult, but be confident in whatever decision you make for you & your child. We’re all trying to figure it out, and none of us really know what we’re doing anyway!

What would you tell someone who is considering attending their first #fit4mommoco class?

I didn’t know how much I needed FIT4MOM MoCo in my life until after I started. This village helped me through some major life changes over the past year, and couldn’t have come into my life at a better time. Definitely give it a try. It’s so much more than just a work out!!

Thank you, Janelle for being such a valuable part of Our Village here at FIT4MOM Montgomery County! We truly appreciate you & the positive energy you bring to class and Our Village!

Check back to see who our MOM will be in September!