Sister Spotlight:: Erin! | The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans LLC

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Name: Erin
Blog: charpenette.blogspot.com
Twitter: ecsuperhero
Age: 29
Hometown: Northwest Indiana

Tell us about your family. I am a wife and a mom to two boys, ages 4 and 2.

What is your favorite workout? Right now, I am definitely a fan of running {I’m cutting in here, but did you read Erin’s couch to 5K story? If not, you must!}, but I also really enjoy biking and hiking with my family. Although those aren’t technical workout programs, they burn calories and I definitely count them as such. Basically, I like any form of exercise that can be done outdoors. I love being outside and the chance to workout outside is so much better for me than working out in front of the TV or in a gym.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment? When I was pregnant with my younger son, I set out to be actively healthier than I was with my older son. Although I wasn’t unhealthy with my first pregnancy, I gained probably 10-15 more pounds than I should have. I started running when we started trying to conceive with my younger son and continued running (ahem, slow jogging) until I was 24 weeks pregnant with my younger son. I also did a pregnancy specific workout DVD (The Perfect Pregnancy Workout–LOVE it!) every day of my 2nd and 3rd trimester, and I was so fit and healthy. I only gained ten pounds and aside from my big belly, I ended up with a more toned body than when I got pregnant! It was really awesome to give birth and be back in my pre-pregnancy jeans at just four days post-partum. This was the first time in my life that I followed an exercise program and although there were definitely days when I wanted to sit on the couch and just eat brownies, I am glad that I set out with a goal in mind.

Have you set any goals for this year? This year, I had two goals. The first was to finish the Couch to 5k program and complete a 5k, which I did. After completing the 5k, I started thinking about what’s next. I’m a teacher and go back to work in a month, so I am a bit nervous that if I have nothing to train for, I’m going to push my running to the wayside and lose all of my hard work. So, I’ve decided to train for a turkey trot 10k that takes place on Thanksgiving morning. A few months ago, the thought of running six miles would have been laughable, but I’m up to four miles–and I think I can do this!

Who is your best support in your healthier-living journey? My husband, of course, has been a huge support. All along, he’s told me how proud of me he is. He’s also been really flexible about picking up the boys from the sitter on nights that I wanted to run after work, getting up with them on my morning runs, encouraging me to sign up for a local 5k. Aside from him, online friends have been a huge support. The best thing about running has been using a program that is integrated with Twitter. The supportive tweets from people have really kept me running! A huge support on twitter has been Kirsten (@girlsworld). What amazed me about her support is that she’s a serious, accomplished runner, but from day one of my Couch to 5k program, she’s been one of the most vocal people on Twitter. It’s really cool to realize that unlike some sports, running is made up of people who genuinely just want to see you succeed–whether you’re taking your first step off the couch or running your tenth marathon. I have a co-worker who placed in the top 200 in the Chicago marathon, finishing in just over two hours. When I completed my 5k, he was one of the first people to congratulate me. I’m sure my time of 31 minutes seemed so slow to him, but yet, he was still telling me how awesome I was for doing it.

Favorite songs on your iPod right now? Oh, this is hard! One of my favorite TV shows is Scrubs and I have the Scrubs soundtracks on my phone. When that music comes on, it helps me pick up a pace a bit because it makes me happy. I also downloaded a selection of great running songs, which is basically popular covers set to a faster pace. Some of it is cheesy, but the faster music puts me into the zone.

Who or what inspires you? I am constantly inspired by friends who I see beginning Couch to 5k because I know how hard that first step is.

Do you have any must-have health/beauty/clothing products? I love Arbonne products for skin care. Since starting to run, my skin has been a little more temperamental than usual, but Arbonne has helped to keep it balanced. It’s not cheap, but it is worth the cost to have nice skin to me!

Name 3 blogs you love to read!
Adventures in Babywearing
Moments with Love
That’s Life v2.0

5 things we don’t already know about you! My thumbs are double jointed. Some people know this, but it’s worth mentioning that I delivered my youngest son all by myself. If money were no object, I’d have at least three more kids. I secretly daydream of training for a half-marathon someday, but the truth is, I think I’d be SO BORED running for that long.

I would really love to tattoo the word hope on the inside of my left wrist.