#Embrace Who We Are – With Meredith Atwood
We all have a story to tell, but do we tell it? We all have a history of where we were in life and now where we are…but do we share it?? Not everyone can or does, but Meredith Atwood shares her story with other moms to help them realize that there is hope to be the person they really want to be.
Meredith recently took some time out of her busy schedule to tell me about her past and how that led her to who she is today and why she’s so adamant to give other moms hope. “Embrace who we are!”
Meredith had 2 children 14 months apart, both under the ages of 2 and was about 250 lbs and doing the commute, doing the law firm job and living the dream of doing EVERYTHING and she finally realized… her life was a mess. She was doing everything on the outside she was supposed to do, but in the inside she was really struggling. She was struggling with her identity and struggling with being happy. She then found her way into a spinning class (indoor cycling) and in that moment she realized she could do more than she was doing and that there was more to life than this rat race she was in. At that moment, Meredith had to find grounding and she made a decision to embrace who she was and get back to the person she wanted to be.
Those mental events took Meredith in the direction of a triathlon a year later. She then started her blog www.swimbikemom.com to share her journey with others. In Meredith’s mind, the taking on of a triathlon was kind of a silly thing to do at 230 lbs, but once she did it….she was HOOKED! She continued to write about her adventures on her blog with eventually putting it all into a book in 2012, Triathlon for the Every Woman: You Can Be a Triathlete. Yes. You.
Meredith’s goal truly then became to let moms and especially new moms know that when it gets really tough out there it is very important to find the time, even if it is a little bit each day to breathe or exercise or find something you used to like to do, but got lost in the mix along the way and do it again. She also stresses to moms to make themselves a priority, which isn’t a selfish thing to do. It is something that is necessary. Meredith found the triathlon to be the challenge she needed to get back on track.
The triathlon was the tip of the iceberg for Meredith and she now cannot even remember how many she has completed and then officially moved on to competing in 4 IRONMAN triathlons…which is the BIG DOG of triathlons.
Meredith’s latest website boom has grown to educational podcasts which Meredith shares with her nutritionist (another Meredith) to educate moms entitled “The Health Nut and the Hot Mess Podcast” which can be found on her www.swimbikemom.com website. Meredith feels this new avenue can really reach out to moms in hopes of helping them find their spark to get back on track and have hope.
Wife. Mother. Attorney. Author. Coach. IRONMAN Triathlete.
About Meredith: Meredith is all of the above. [The last on the list being the most unlikely.] Her blog (www.SwimBikeMom.com) is wildly popular among women and men who love to (or want to) swim, bike and run. And even those who don’t want to become triathletes—love to read the success, failures, and fight with fat that Meredith puts out there. She is a sought-after mentor as well as a speaker for triathlon clubs and women’s groups nationwide. She is a USA Triathlon Level 1 Coach, Youth and Junior Certified Coach, and Spinning Instructor, and coaches women from beginners to Iron distance levels. She is a regular contributor to Triathlete Magazine.
Photos courtesy of HJMT Public Relations Inc.
