Moms are on the Move at the Mall
By: Tina Shively
Updated: February 23, 2012
Being a new mom can be stressful, can keep you very busy and sometimes even prevent you from finding time to exercise.
Among the hustle and bustle of the holiday season here at Eastview Mall, his group of mom's is finding time to stay fit and active.
They're the Rochester chapter of "Stroller Strides", a national organization aimed at keeping kids engaged while their mom's exercise.
Kursten Jurs is a member. She said "With a newborn it's really hard to let them go and just drop them in the arms of somebody you don't know, so instead you bring them here and they can be a part of it."
Jurs grew up in Fairport, but moved away after college.
When she moved back to Western New York she was a mom, and was looking for a way to stay fit and make friends.
She joined Stroller Strides when fellow mom Emily Lewis started it in May of 2009.
Lewis said "It's just nice to be able to get together and have something to talk about. How you didn't sleep last nigh,t or feeding issues, or whatever or just have fun."
The group meets several times a week.
In the spring and summer, they exercise outdoors.
In the fall and winter they meet in the mall, doing laps with their kids in tow, and taking breaks for yoga and cardio exercises.
Lewis says working out with other mothers helps keep her on schedule.
"It's just harder because you're not sleeping as much and you don't have as much energy and it's hard to get motivated and it's harder because your body changed so much to get going again."
Jurs and her husband are hikers and runners, and share that passion with their sons, to help them develop habits that will last a lifetime.
She added "Being fit these days is really important for kids with all of the childhood obesity so to see us have a healthy active lifestyle it really encourages them to do the same thing."
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