S.L.A.M.er of the Month- November

Meet Jen of SLAM Leavenworth! Jen has been an inspiring and influential mama from day one of Stroller Strong Moms Leavenworth. Upon first meeting her I knew that Stroller Strong Moms would be lucky to have her in our group. She jumped all in right away and after attending a few weeks of classes, she purchased a Bob Stroller during class so that she could get the most out of her workouts! Not only is she dedicated to her fitness and health goals, but she is always the motivator. You can always count on Jen to be the group cheerleader. During class you will always see her giving it her all and doing it with a big smile and an encouraging word to all of the other mamas. She has created several small groups within Stroller Strong Moms Leavenworth to help encourage everyone for example the baby shower gift group and a FitBit challenge group to keep moms moving when they are not in class. She tallies the step counts each week and keeps everyone accountable for staying the course of leading an active lifestyle in and out of class. Stroller Strong Moms Leavenworth would not be the same group without this motivating, kind, cheerful, and inspiring mama. Here is a bit more about Jen in her own words.

Fitness has been a priority for me since college. After my sophomore year of college, I enlisted in the Army Reserves and contracted with ROTC, at that point fitness went from being something good for me to being something I had to maintain.

Army PT sessions and some close friends sparked my interest in crossfit and I got my Level 1 Crossfit certification in 2012. I have thoroughly enjoyed crossfit, but with this military life, it’s been hard to form the close relationships at a box that really help you thrive at crossfit. Like most moms my fitness level and health has had its highs and lows with the arrival of multiple children and hectic schedules, cue the stream of reasons, some of those just being excuses. The struggle to maintain a level of fitness and chase kids has been a challenge since my 3rd child.

SSMs was recommended by a good friend who knew Meghan Argo through SSM Savannah. I was excited to check it out when we got here to Leavenworth. I met Meghan while walking around the Infantry Barracks, and was blown away by this crazy happy girl that was so passionate to share her love of fitness and everything this SLAM community has to offer.

After just the few short months we’ve been SLAM-ing together I feel like these women are the BEST thing to happen to me! As a military wife, that has PCS’d 7 times in 12 years and finds herself dreading “friend dating” at each new duty station, this group is more precious than GOLD. Being exposed to women and moms right off the bat, becoming friends together has truly been priceless. The love, support, and friendship are incomparable to anything I’ve had within a fitness community.

I’m constantly amazed by Stroller Strong Moms and how there are always new fun ideas to make all SLAM classes unique and enjoyable and at the same time challenging. Our workouts are very similar to a Crossfit MetCon (metabolic conditioning) workout, which I like! The intensity is there but so is the FUN! It’s a sweaty social event each day! It allows you to be a mom to your child in the stroller, a friend to the women around you, all while getting healthier and stronger, seriously what more can you ask for??