Stronger Together: Mom and Daughter Feature
This Mother’s Day, I thought it would be fun to feature two of my clients, Mary and Claire, because in a rare occurrence in my coaching business, they are actually mom and daughter!
Mary (66) came to me first, and I have been working with her for a little over a year. In that time, she’s had amazing results, going from “fit” to “super fit”! As you’ll read in their interview, she’s always made exercise and health a huge part of her life. But in the last year, she’s made strength training central to her habits for the first time ever, and she’s reaped the benefits. I would say “immeasurable benefits,” but the truth is that much of it is measurable – she’s doing chin-ups, push-ups, and kettlebell swings; and she has lost 7 pounds of fat and gained 3 pounds of muscle. In Mary’s words: “The single biggest shift for me on the path to feeling vibrant has been pivoting to strength training. Last month I was at the LA airport, and the was escalator out. Instead of waiting for the line at the elevator I walked up three flights of stairs, carrying my suitcase, a full tote and a cross body bag – without breaking a sweat!” But most of all Mary has been a delight to work with because she has an inherently positive, healthy mindset about her body and her lifestyle.
About a year after starting work together, she mentioned that her daughter, Claire (28) was getting married this summer and that she might reach out. Starting work with Claire has also been an incredible pleasure, because it is obvious how Mary’s solid, self-affirming approach around exercise and body image has trickled down in her parenting. Claire is a young professional finishing graduate school who puts a healthy emphasis on working out, eating healthfully, and setting racing goals for herself – while juggling wedding planning at the same time! In a world where so many of my clients (of almost any age) are heavily influenced by social media “fitspiration,” Claire is grounded and steady, able to weed through misinformation and focus on what really matters for her health and wellness.
So for today’s special client feature, I had a conversation with the two of them, and it’s really inspiring to see how generational health habits (both physical and mental/emotional!) have a powerful impact.
Now, I will let them speak for themselves…
Exercise as Self-Care…
Claire: As long as I can remember, my mom has always had a fitness routine. Even when we were traveling or on vacation, she always would quietly workout in the morning. It was never “I have to go get a workout in”, but more: “This is what we do to take care of ourselves.” I was very lucky to have fitness and wellness routines modeled for me from a very young age; I think it made building those habits as a young adult feel more natural and much easier.
Mary: My own mom walked 4 miles every morning without fail — rain, cold, whatever. She never made it a big deal. It was just part of her day, and she talked about it in terms of how it made her feel, not how it made her look. That stuck with me. I tried to pass that same thing on to Claire — not exercise as a chore, but as a reset. After I move my body, everything calms down. I think more clearly.
Claire: I’ve always said that my best ideas and clearest thinking often happens when I’m on a run! One thing that has been a constant from my late teens to now has been that exercise is a form of mental health. That said, my “why” has shifted over time. My early 20s were more focused on wanting to look a certain way. Now, I’m much more focused on long-term wellness – prioritizing strength training and actually fueling myself well enough to perform, both in my workouts and everyday life.
Mary: We were intentional about helping each of our three kids find some kind of movement they actually enjoyed. My hope was that when life gets hard — and it does — they’d lace up their shoes instead of immediately reaching for a drink or their phone.
Sharing an Exercise Routine…
Claire: I got into Orangetheory during college while I was in New Orleans, and took my mom to a class with me while I was home during a hurricane evacuation. For literally two or three years we both went to Orangetheory several days a week, and were able to talk about the workouts and go together when I was home. And now again – we are leveraging the same fitness programs!
Mary: What I loved most at first was the daily checking in with her— she’d go back to campus and we’d chat about workouts every day. That kicked off a whole new chapter for us. Now I’m regularly talking about fitness with my adult daughter, and honestly it’s one of my favorite things. She’s proud of my consistency, I soak up her knowledge, and I’m genuinely thrilled she takes care of her physical and mental health with exercise.
Forging the Path Ahead…
Mary: My mom lived to 100 and was sharp til the end. I think I’ve I absorbed a different mindset about aging than a lot of women my age, based on that. I’m 66 and I genuinely feel like I have 25 good years ahead — so the question isn’t if I’m slowing down, it’s how to make these next years count. What I learned from watching my Mom (and her sister who lived to 96!) is if we keep our bodies moving we do better. We can travel and enjoy a lot of physical activity well into our 80s & beyond. Every time your brain offers the thought “I’m too old for this” — stop. You’re not. If I catch myself with a thought about my age that generates a negative mood I pause on it & purposely observe how that impacts me. There are so many vibrant women in their 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s. It’s about choosing to be one of them.
Claire: When I think ahead to future life stages – whether it’s parenthood, a demanding career, or just getting older – I want to already have the habits, the strength, and the mindset in place to be adaptable long-term. I believe the consistency I’m building now is a critical foundation for everything that’s to come. Taking care of my body and my health today also ensures I’m able to be truly present and able to keep up with what’s ahead.
Mary: A couple of years ago I did RAGBRAI, a 7-day biking event. I enjoyed the six months of training as much as the actual event! In the future goal is that I’d like to do a triathlon. It’s actually the idea of training for something again that I’d really look forward to. When you build up slowly it’s amazing how much you can do that you may have thought impossible before. It’s such an emotional boost.
Claire: I would love to complete a marathon – specifically one of the majors, if I can!
Creating Healthy Body Image…
Mary: My mom was positive with me about my body — no judgment, just the steady message that I was fine exactly as I was. I think we all need at least one person in our lives who sees us that way unconditionally. I’ve tried to be that for Claire. What I’ve realized is that kids absorb everything — so the most powerful thing I can do isn’t just what I say to her, it’s how I talk about myself. The best gift I can give her is to actually believe it about myself, even when I’ve gained a few pounds, see more wrinkles or struggle finding a well-fitting pair of jeans. Modeling that self-acceptance is the real message, I think.
Claire: I feel really lucky that social media was not nearly as big of a deal when I was in middle school or high school, and in hindsight am VERY thankful that my parents were more thoughtful around my engagement with it. That being said, I think my time in dance studios in ballet definitely yielded a few years of wanting to unwind challenges with body image – as many others also struggle with who grew up in dance! The concentration in the early 2000s was the stick thin, skin-and-bone ballerina, and I think that’s challenging for any developing girl to be around long-term. It’s been really refreshing to see the women’s fitness industry specifically shift in the last few years toward the importance of strength training, because I think it prioritizes a conversation around how we feel and setting ourselves up for long-term health, rather than focusing on how we look.
Although Mary and Claire do not do their workouts together and are not a “mom and daughter” pair as clients (they have their own separate programs, calls, etc.), they are such a great example of social support in action! Their own commitment to their personal goals buoys up the other as well. Whether it’s Orangetheory classes, setting racing goals, or improving a deadlift, manage to incorporate their health habits with both consistency and balance.
If you’re already fit like Mary and Claire but want to take things to the next level as they did, click this link to set up a free consultation!
