Mom, Thanks for the Gift of Fitness

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She's our mentor, our teacher -- and for many of us, our exercise role model, too! In these very special thank-you notes, writer Mindy Berry and four other daughters describe how their moms got them moving.

By Mindy Berry

Make Time to Work Out

Mindy's mother, Jackie, has always exercised. "I tell Mindy never to feel guilty about taking time for it," says Jackie, who walks on the treadmill every morning and took up yoga last year at age 61. "When I was a young mom of three girls, I didn't have much spare time. I also worked part-time as a high-school French teacher. But most days I played tennis for an hour after school. It was my 'me time' -- I chose it over watching TV or reading -- and the sense of well-being it gave me made me a better mom." Mindy, a freelance writer, has taken that lesson to heart. "Now that I'm an adult, I realize the reason I love my morning jog and trying a new yoga or Pilates class is because I had my mom as a role model," Mindy says. "She gave me a passion for fitness."

Thank you, Mom, for...

"Starting the first girls' tennis team at your school when you were a new teacher. You'd never really played before, but that didn't stop you. You learned with your students and even went on to coach several successful teams.
All those "You Can Do It!!!" signs you hung on the kitchen cabinets in the morning when Cheree, Brittany, or I had a basketball, volleyball, or tennis game after school that day. You instilled in us confidence and tenacity.
All those long strolls when I was home from college. I planned my life on those walks."
Love, Mindy

Next: Going the Extra Mile

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