Meet the Instructor Melissa Hayne Loretto.png

Meet our instructor of the month: Melissa Hayne Loretto

Meet our Instructor of the Month: Melissa! Melissa has been part of the FIT4MOM OPRF village for 4 years now. If you’re a Body Boost Monday night regular, you already know her energy (and her playlists, seriously the best). She’s confident, she’s strong, and she brings that out in every mom in the room. You’ll also catch her subbing for Body Ignite from time to time.

Melissa, we love having you leading our village! 🧡

  • Tell us a little about your family--who's in your crew and what stage of mom life are you in right now?
  • My family is me, my husband Paul, our soon-to-be kindergartner Troy, and our newly adopted husky, Mulan. We moved to South Oak Park in 2021 — the same day Troy was born, thanks to a surprise early delivery (two thumbs down, would not recommend). This phase of parenting has really been shaped by Troy learning to speak. Troy has a rare genetic condition that delayed his speech, and he didn't start talking until he was 4. Now that he's 5 and can really express himself, we're in such a fun stage of parenting; I love learning more about how his mind works and seeing the ways he takes after both me and my husband. He and Paul share a love of cars, and he and I are big into singing 2000s music and playing air guitar, air drums, you name it. So basically, we're still in the "Mommy and Daddy are cool and fun!" stage — and I'm soaking it up. We still get tantrums and whining, but after 4 years of watching Troy try to speak and finally seeing him figure it out, I'm still so thrilled to see him communicating verbally.
  • What do you love doing outside of teaching/working for FIT4MOM--work, hobbies, passions, anything that fills your cup?
  • I mean, FIT4MOM IS a huge hobby/passion of mine. I've always been a bit of a jock, and after high school and college sports ended I really missed group movement. It's genuinely my favorite hobby, so much so that Troy once told me he'd like to get a FIT4MOM tattoo because "You love it mommy!". Ha. I'm also finding my way back to competitions. I enjoy seeing what I'm capable of and completed my first spartan race in May, and I'm hoping to make fitness races another fitness-based hobby to add to my list once my personal training business reaches it's one year mark next April.
  • With that said, I'm also loving my mid-life-crisis career switch from higher education into fitness. The only reason I didn't go into fitness right after college was that I needed health insurance, and the ACA didn't exist yet back in the 2000s. It's been so much fun helping women feel strong, confident, and capable. Beyond that, I fill my cup with reading (mysteries especially!), spooky movies and TV shows, and hanging out with friends.
  • Why did you join FIT4MOM?
  • I was new to the area and looking for a place similar to the women's-only gym I'd attended in Chicago. On top of that, I was really shy about my fitness level. I'd had a traumatic delivery that resulted in a level 4 tear, and I could barely walk for weeks after Troy was born. Troy was in the NICU for 5 weeks, and almost every day I had to walk from the parking garage to the NICU — the two were quite far apart, and it did a number on my body. So did all the appointments for Troy, who has a rare genetic disorder called MCOPS12. Between being a new mom and all that walking around parking lots and medical facilities with a newborn, I was really beat up — and so relieved to find a place where the women would just "get it"!
  • What's one thing you wish every mom knew about taking time for herself?
  • Whatever is best for the parents is usually best for the kids. Sacrificing every ounce of your sanity to do everything for your kid not only means your kid(s) don't get the best version of you, but it also teaches them they need you to do everything for them. Kids don't like feeling helpless... even if they complain about having to do things for themselves sometimes!
  • What's your go to mom hack that actually saves your sanity?
  • We have a really strict morning/evening setup and schedule. Between Troy's physical, speech, occupational, and myofunctional therapy, we don't have a lot of time or brainpower left for decision-making. So we split it: I'm the AM parent on Mondays and Fridays (with Paul on PMs those days), and the rest of the week we switch — I take PMs and Paul takes AMs. Whoever's on AM duty handles breakfast, drop-off, etc., and whoever's on PM duty handles dinner, bath time, and bedtime. Five years in, I've probably gotten Troy ready for the day and put him to bed on the same day about 10 times total. I highly recommend giving this setup a try.
  • Other fun hacks: always use painter's tape when doing art projects (shoutout to Catherine Roberts for that one!), use puppy pads for messy diaper changes, build in vacuuming your car at a gas station into your schedule after kids activities so you aren't always stuck in vehicle covered in crushed goldfish crackers, and don't be afraid to ask for help! I put a shout out for help to the Body Boost crew over a year ago about carpooling for D97 preschool, and Kelly Maginot was able to help me arrange a carpool headed by her mother-in-law that was a real lifesaver for my family.
  • Tell us something fun or surprising about your family or mom life?

    Most people would never guess my husband is a Marine combat engineer — or that the only reason we met is because of his service in Iraq. Paul signed up for the Marines two weeks before 9/11 (oof), did a tour in Japan and one in Iraq, then moved back to Chicagoland once his active duty contract was up. After about a year back as a civilian, he was recalled for a second tour in Iraq where a fellow Marine told him he should think about college. Paul had actually attended NIU years earlier but dropped out for financial reasons, and hadn't really considered going back. Once he was home, he enrolled at Truman Community College in Uptown and in 2011 he was hired by Truman to help process veterans' education benefits. At the time I was working for the state on college access initiatives; my boss sent me to Truman to help students fill out their FAFSAs, and the rest is history.

FIT4MOM Oak Park River Forest offers fitness classes for women in all stages of motherhood, including prenatal, stroller & moms only classes. Your first class is free! Click here to try a class.