Team Spotlight - July 2022
Heather Galladora
This month, the spotlight is on....
We have such a crazy amazing, dedicated and talented team of instructors and playgroup captains here at FIT4MOM | MOCO + FREDERICK. I love giving everyone the opportunity to get to know a little more about each one of them, and this month we're going to continue our instructor spotlight with.....Mandy Eiche.
Mandy has been part of our village for some time now, as you'll read below, and having her join the #dreamteam has been such a blessing. She is always willing to step in and lend a hand and she is a super brainstormer when we need ideas and solutions. She can make a sugar cookie like nobody's business (except I guess it IS her business), and she teaches a really fantastic Stroller Strides or 360 class. :)
Now go on and read Mandy's story with FIT4MOM, and then find her on the schedule so you can join her for a class!
xo, Heather
Who are the members of your family?
My husband, Kevin, and I just celebrated our 11 year anniversary. We have two daughters, Sydney (4) and Quinn (almost 2!), and our dog, Zoey (13).
Where can people find you, i.e. what’s your role within FIT4MOM | MOCO + FREDERICK?
I am an instructor for Stroller Strides and 360. Currently I teach Stroller Strides on Wednesdays at Rio, some Saturdays at Rio/Baker Park, Sundays at Clarksburg Outlets, and you may see me pop up as a sub farther south! I mostly attend classes in Urbana and Clarksburg.
Tell us your {entire} FIT4MOM story!
My first class was in August 2018. Sydney was 10 months old and cried and screamed the whole time. Katie H told me to just keep going (we were running stairs at the time) and that she had Sydney. That was when I knew it was something I wanted to continue doing! I also learned to bring ALL the snacks that day!
A few months later, I tried my first Body Back class when she posted about having a space in her 8-week transformation session. I thought I was going to puke by the end and the other moms told me they felt the same way at their first BB class. I then did 3 transformation sessions and loved them!
There was an email about applying to be an instructor, and I was interested, but didn't feel like I was ready at that time. I thought I'll try next year, but then the pandemic happened. Having the virtual classes really helped keep some semblance of normalcy and kept me active while pregnant during a pandemic.
Fast forward to 2021, Heather sent an email looking for applicants to be an instructor. I was ready to give applying and demo day a shot! I've loved teaching Stroller Strides since last summer and got my 360 certification this spring!
What is your favorite exercise/activity to teach?
I love a good plie squat series!
What do you love about being part of the #dreamteam?
I love getting to help moms get movement in while kids are happily in their strollers. (And if they aren't happy, I'm happy to get them smiling or sleeping!) The moms can get some mom/kid time and some mama/mama time!
How has FIT4MOM or this village helped you during such unusual times?
I was pregnant through the start of the pandemic. I had just attended my first Fit4baby class two days before lock down. Having the virtual format helped me stay accountable and still have a healthy pregnancy even though we were stuck at home. It also helped keep some normalcy of getting up and doing something active instead of just sitting on the couch all day.
What’s your why? Why do you keep doing what you do?
Being a mom, it can feel like you are always giving to others and not taking time for yourself. Taking time for a class for myself helps keep me healthy physically and mentally, while also getting some adult interaction…and with most classes followed by either playgroup or just hanging around and letting kids play, they get some energy out too!
What is a fun fact that our village may not already know about you?
I have competed in dock diving with my dog Zoey since 2011 (and other dogs before that!). She jumps shorter now at 13.5 years old, but still loves it! We were inducted into the Chesapeake DockDogs Hall of Fame in 2021 (our local club). We have competed at the DockDogs World Championship 5 times and have already earned our invites to compete there again this fall! I also help jump my mom’s dogs, Tara and Camden. Camden and I were the DockDogs Big Air Novice World Champions in 2015 and Tara and I were the North America Diving Dogs Senior Veteran National Champions in 2018! This year, all of our dogs are 12-13 years old, which in DockDogs is considered a “Hero Dog” so we are calling this our Hero Dog Tour for one last big year for the pups and us!
Is there anything else you’d like our village to know?
Don't be afraid to start! No matter where you are physically, we can make a great workout for YOU! When I started, I needed every low impact modification. As I grew stronger, I could do moves that I couldn't do/sustain the week before. It's an awesome feeling to see yourself growing stronger! And when your kids start "playing stroller strides" at home, you know you are making an impact on them too!
