- Meet our Fall Run Club co-coach, Kari Aguirre! With FIT4MOM OPRF since before her oldest was born, Kari has always been an amazing instructor. She has always been willing to jump in and sub, even right after her third baby. Now she's jumping right back in to co-coaching Run Club with Rachel this fall! Read on to learn more about this amazing mama!
- Tell us a little about your family--who's in your crew and what stage of mom life are you in right now?
- I call this season wild but wonderful! I have 3 sons, Travace will be 7 in October, Roman will be 3 in September and Maric is will be 1 on Thanksgiving Day. We also have a dog named Reggie and my husband Victor and I will celebrate 10 years married next month!
- What do you love doing outside of teaching/working for FIT4MOM--work, hobbies, passions, anything that fills your cup?
- I have been a Licensed Massage Therapist for the past 18 years and it’s something I love so much. It’s such a gift being able to go to work and do something that I truly enjoy while meeting some really incredible people along the way!
- Why did you join FIT4MOM?
- I had known people who were involved with Fit4Mom prior to having kids of my own so I had heard about it for ages. Our journey to parenthood unfortunately started with a couple first trimester losses, but when I was finally pregnant with Travace, Fit4Mom OPRF had just gotten a new owner who was doing a great job getting the word out! The only class initially offered was Stroller Strides so I asked her if I could show up with no stroller and no earthside kiddos apart from the one in my belly and she said absolutely, 100% yes. It was the first place I truly felt like a mom after feeling like one for a long time, but not being viewed as one because I didn’t have a baby in my arms yet. I felt accepted and seen and for that I am forever grateful. As my family grew, so did my love for the community! I love how it fits so many different seasons of life and is always ready to welcome anyone and everyone with open arms.
- What's one thing you wish every mom knew about taking time for herself?
- This comes in all shapes and sizes and there’s no right or wrong way to do it! If going grocery shopping alone is a breath of fresh air, don’t let anyone tell you that’s not self care. Anything you can do for yourself, big or small, will make you a better parent, a better partner and a better person! And sure, if it’s something that takes you away from your kids, you miss them when you’re gone. But as the saying goes, you can’t pour for an empty cup, so the more you can do to truly fill yours, the more you’ll have to give and pour in to them.
- What's your go to mom hack that actually saves your sanity?
- Decide once! There's a whole book on this called The Lazy Genius Way full of great nuggets, but decide once essentially means:
- Kid's birthday party coming up? Ice cream shop gift card.✅
- Someone needs a meal train? Chicken tacos.✅
- Don't waste brain power making the same decision multiple times when you can decide once, and the next time you sign up for a meal train, you know exactly what you're making and how to pack and deliver it. It truly saves my sanity and allows me to do more!
- Tell us something fun or surprising about your family or mom life?
- My dad and my father in law went to the same high school at the same time but didn’t know each other. It also happened to be the same school my mother in law’s father taught at! Shortly after graduating, my parents and my in laws got married and their anniversary’s are only 8 days apart. So when Victor and I got married, we chose the Saturday that fell between their two anniversaries. My mother in law is also a seamstress and made my wedding dress from my mom’s dress, and I made everyone’s jewelry with buttons and lace leftover! And we got married in front of the house my husband grew up in, which was also his grandfather’s house, bringing it all full circle.