Join the MapMyFitness Quaker Challenge

There is a lot of pressure to get back in shape after having kids. I know this because I am a mother of three kids, ages five and under. We see all the celebrities dropping weight and fitting into their skinny jeans as soon 6 weeks after having their babies. Well I had a baby 3 months ago and although I am only 5 pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight, I am in no way back to my pre-pregnancy “shape”. My stomach is still squishy, my arms aren’t as toned as they used to be, the majority of my pants don’t fit, my body is just softer in general. Although I exercised throughout my pregnancy, I still gained over 30 pounds and 9 months of eating a few too many cookies left me less-toned overall. My drive to get back in shape is strong and I am not doing it because the magazines tell me that it’s normal to lose all that pregnancy weight within months of giving birth, I am doing this for me. I love how it feels to be physically fit, to lift weights, to be able to run far and fast. I love having a strong heart. Heart disease runs in my family so it’s very important for me to exercise regularly.

February is American Heart Month and I’ve committed to complete 15 activities (hopefully more) in 30 days as part of the Map My Fitness MapMyFitness Quaker Challenge. It’s a great initiative that stresses the importance of heart health and inspires women to make exercise a part of their lifestyle. Even if you don’t have weight to lose, everyone is interested in a healthy heart, right?

I plan on meeting my goal by doing 2-3 runs a week (at least one of those with a friend) and 2-3 weight workouts a week (either at home, doing cross fit or with my neighbor exercise group). I’ll give you an update in a couple weeks on my progress. So are you in?! Click here to track your exercise progress!

Joining the MapMyFitness Quaker Challenge is my first step towards becoming a healthier me. Now I’m curious to know, what motivates you to stay healthy?

For your chance to win $750 complete these two steps:

1. Share the challenge with your friends

2. Tell us that you’ve invited your friends to join the Challenge AND share what motivates you to stay healthy below

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats Company. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.