We are so excited to announce our MOM (Motivating Mom of the Month) for November! 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.... Margaret Oberlander!

I always love having Margaret in my classes! I admire so much her determination and focus during each exercise! She’s always up for the challenge and consistently gives 100%. ~ Instructor Courtland

Margaret is one of those mamas that always comes to the workout ready to push and challenge herself ! I miss seeing her in person but I’m so glad she is still part of the village and I can’t wait to see her IRL again! ~ Instructor Ewa

We asked Margret 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 Brad, my daughter Clara, and we have rescue doggie Maggie.

What is/was your career?

My career is working for the Department of Veterans Affairs. I am a Program Analyst who works for the Veterans Benefits Administration who help ensure Veterans and their beneficiaries get their compensation, pension, education, vocational education benefits. It is a really good place to work for since both of my grandfathers were in the Army in World War II.

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

My first class was right after Christmas 2019 at Two Left Feet. I was looking for something to do after having my daughter in July 2019 and I had a lot of fun!

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

These days I can be found at Clarksburg Body Boost on Sunday or Tuesday. I do try to get to as many Stroller Barre classes as I can, so sometimes I am at those on Saturday and my occasional work holiday Monday at Montgomery Mall. I hope to join Ewa again sometime in the early morning as that was part of my original schedule prior to COVID. I am trying to add as many lunchtime classes to the week as well, aiming for 4 or 5 classes a week.

What is your favorite strides exercise?

My old favorite exercise used to be squats, but I have actually grown to love the burpees! I cannot believe I am saying that! I also love some sideline Barre work!

What has being a mom taught you?

Being a mom has taught me that I have to trust myself that I am good enough. It has also taught me how important it is to get some time with other moms like I can at Fit4Mom Moco because it helps me feel not alone, which is really invaluable to me.

List 3 of your favorite things.

Three favorite things: Coffee, coffee, and probably coffee. Actually, I like tea too!

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

My funniest mom moment was at my one of my first appointments at the pediatricians office. As a first time mom, I was breastfeeding at the time, so to say the least I was clueless on how to work things like walking into the office and feeding the baby. I must have had this look on my face, because the pediatrician had to tell me, you know, you can feed her right here and just leave when you are done. I felt mortified because I should have known better.

Any advice for other moms out there?

Be yourself. You can only do the best job you can. I had to work a lot on my self confidence and having more belief in myself that I was doing enough. Not every person is the same mom. You should never judge yourself to what you think other moms are doing. They are not doing a better job than you being a mom to your child.

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

I would say, please come join us! I have had nothing but fun doing all my classes. I have really loved to get to know so many instructors and moms. It really has made all the difference in the type of mom and the parent I can be to my daughter. Being with other moms made me feel so much better about my postpartum body and what it could do. I love how motivating it is being with other moms.

Thank you, Margaret 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 December!