Last Updated on June 4, 2014.
My name is Heather and I am a Tiger Mom. This is my third year at Tiger Schulmann’s and I love it the same now as I did when I first started. I was actually a student here for two years before I brought my son here. This is not just a place where you come to listen to good music and exercise. It is a place where you actually become a better version of yourself. Here I am making myself stronger and healthier AND I get the added benefit of blowing off steam from my crazy “mommy” life.
I am your typical mom, I work, I have three children, I am the housekeeper, the chef, the chauffeur, the medic, etc. You all know what I am talking about and by being moms you know what it means. It means EVERYTHING comes before you; the kids, work, the house, your spouse, activities, sports practice, the laundry, the dishes…… When time ran out at the end of the day, the thing that could always go without attention was myself. I was last; the least important thing in my world. Now being last on my list of importance meant 1) I didn’t take physical care of myself 2) I didn’t eat well 3) didn’t get enough rest and as a result of those things I had an extremely low opinion of myself. This led to stress eating, guilt and feeling sad. But what do moms do? They put on a smile and carry on. Hitting a size 18 was a turning point for me. When I out grew the regular women’s department store I decided enough was enough. I really had to find myself before I was too far gone.
Training at Tiger Schulmann’s was the best thing I did for myself. EVER. Here I found the person that got lost beneath the crushing load of responsibilities and stress that came with motherhood.
Training at Tiger Schulmann’s was the best thing I did for myself. EVER. Here I found the person that got lost beneath the crushing load of responsibilities and stress that came with motherhood. Here I learned to make time for myself and more importantly I learned to love myself again. When I started here I was completely out of shape and weighed in at 227 lbs. I started out by taking two classes a week. As a result the pounds started to melt off. Honestly I wasn’t even trying hard. Just by adding a little exercise to my life, my body began changing. Being motivated by that, I upped to three days a week and made a few changes to my eating habits. Small changes. Nothing drastic – nothing that made me miserable – no deprivation – no starvation. More weight came off. At the end of a year, 30 pounds had come off and I didn’t really even try very hard. The second year I lost another 30 lbs. This year I’ve lost another 10 lbs.
At the end of a year, 30 pounds had come off and I didn’t really even try very hard. The second year I lost another 30 lbs. This year I’ve lost another 10 lbs.
I have learned to train hard during the week so that I can enjoy life. I don’t stress about the scale or how much I weigh. I understand what it means to be healthy in mind, body and spirit. I also have a new definition of beauty. I don’t have to weigh 120 lbs. to be beautiful. I can weigh 150 and be solid lean muscle. I can run a 5k without passing out now, play basketball with the kids, hike – I can enjoy life. I know that I if work hard all week, then on the weekend when someone says “mom can we go out for ice cream?” I can say yes without guilt. I don’t worry about how my jeans will fit or what the scale will say about it. I know I can indulge because I have earned it. I don’t worry about over-eating because food is no longer a comfort for me – it is a necessity to maintain my body. In addition, I have learned a lot of useful skills along the way. Honestly in this crazy world personal safely is an issue. I am confident that I could take care of myself and protect my children in a self-defense situation. I am not saying I can single handedly take down an attacker, but I could put up a fight long enough for my children to get away or for help to arrive. I am confident I could recognize and avoid a potentially bad situation just from my awareness and the way I carry myself. Tiger has made me healthy, happy and confident. As a result my family is happy, healthy and proud. I am always proud of my family. Mothers are hard wired to be proud of their children, but it is an incredible feeling when your children are proud of you.
Honestly in this crazy world personal safely is an issue. I am confident that I could take care of myself and protect my children in a self-defense situation.
I am still the chef, the shopper, the housekeeper, and everything else that goes along with motherhood, but what I have learned is that I should not be last. Something has to give when the end of the day comes, and it is not going to be my health or happiness. I am certainly not top priority (a sink full of dirty dishes still gets my attention before I leave for class), but I have worked my way of the chain of importance in my never ending to-do list. Because I do deserve health and happiness, and quite honestly too many important people depend on me to be around to care for them. I deserve an hour a day to care for myself and if my house is a little messier and the laundry piles up sometimes – that’s ok. My family is better off for it.
Heather- TSMMA East Hanover