“Slammin’ is a Way of Life”
Hello! I’m Emily! A “born and raised” Pittsburgh girl. I live here with my husband and two children. We have a daughter that is almost 4 years old and a son who is 2. I have been with my husband since we were around 14 years old! (Say what?!) We’ve been through high school, college, deployments, a police academy, and so much more together.
But in our current daily life I’m a pediatric nurse and my husband is an Army veteran, law enforcement officer, and avid gym go-er. When Bridget first asked me to be “slammer of the month” I was kind of shocked! I have never been super athletic. In the past I was always out moving and enjoyed being active but never really pushing my limits. I did not enjoy just heading into the gym for an hour or two. I had run but wasn’t committed to it.
In December 2015 I graduated with my Bachelors of Science in Nursing. I started this venture in 2012 while pregnant with my daughter. Throughout the program I had to take two semesters off to have my kids. Going to school while pregnant, with a newborn, and/or with two kids is REALLY hard and does not leave much free time! But, with encouragement and support from my husband and parents I continued working towards my degree. After I graduated I began working as a pediatric nurse. It is a job that I truly love. Shortly after starting my job life had settled down a bit and I finally felt like I had enough “me time” to add working out into my life. See my next paragraph……HIIT at home.
Prior to starting slam I was doing an at home high intensity workout during nap time (we all know how that goes). A quiet burpee… yeah right! I was doing weighted walking lunges down the hallway into the kitchen and back. You get the picture right? However, It was the first time I had found exercise that I enjoyed. It was hard, but quick and it left me sore. Exactly what I needed in my crazy life with two small children. It kept my interest and I quickly saw results but I never kept up with the cardio part of it.
In September a friend introduced me to stroller strong moms. With my 3-year old daughter in preschool I thought, “I can swing this!” Excitedly, I decided I would try it out paying by class to class to see if I liked it. Well, it turns out that I love it and attend just about every class! I get the high intensity workout that keeps my interest, and a slam family with it! For as much as we sweat at slam, it doesn’t even feel like a workout when I’m with my fellow slammers. Being next to them motivates me to keep going. (Bridget’s motivational shouts help too!) If I was at a gym working out alone it would feel like nothing but a workout, I wouldn’t push myself nearly as hard as I do at slam. Slam has majorly improved my running, strength, and endurance. Another part of slam that I absolutely love (it may be my favorite part): moms night out! I get to hang out with these awesome women multiple times a week but we have our kids and often have to tend to them mid- conversation or sometimes….mid-squat! But being able to get together one evening a month to just hang out, eat great food, and have great interruption free conversations is just the best!
A huge bonus of slam: I can bring my kids! If it wasn’t for the ability to bring them, I wouldn’t be able to work out as often as I do with slam. My 2-year-old son comes to SLAM with me and also benefits from it! He loves getting outside, getting some exercise, hanging out with his slam buddies, and watching us workout. He is learning that it is important to stay healthy and active, learning about support and encouragement and seeing how important it is to lift others up.
Slam is helping me to become the best version of myself. But not only is it doing that, it is also bringing great people into my life. So, thanks to all those slammers that have come before me (I’m looking at you Bridget)!
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