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Real Life Fitness Stories

February 13, 2015
Macaroni Kid Family Fitness loves to celebrate moms and dads who have taken the leap to better health because a healthy parent is a major step towards a healthy family!            

Want to share your journey with us? Send an email to jennys@macaronikid.com answering the seven questions below, include an image, and you could be our next featured parent!

What is your name and what town are you from?

Aja Schotte from Dover, Delaware

Who makes up your family?
I have 12-month-old twins, Ava & Alexander, and two bonus children, Gregory (18) and Rebecca (16).

Briefly, tell us your struggles.  
Moving to Delaware from New York affected me more than I realized (no friends, network of people, etc). I slowly gained weight and we ate out quite a bit. I had two miscarriages and I didn't care how I looked. I was 173 lbs. when I got pregnant.

What was the turning point that made you change the way you care for yourself?
When I found out I was pregnant with twins. I knew twin pregnancies were riskier and I wanted to be healthy for my babies. I had a healthy full-term twin pregnancy with no gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia or NICU time.

What actions did you take to become healthier?
After I gave birth, I couldn't focus on fitness since my son was misdiagnosed with a rare genetic disease. We were back and forth to two children's hospitals for three months. He's doing great and is anemic and has a Vitamin D deficiency. Once that was over, I started preparing my meals, drinking more water, walking and finally lifting weights. Eating better also allowed me to produce more breast milk for my twins. I'm now a fit size 5.

How have you implemented (or plan to) your new habits with your family?
My husband and I cook healthier and choose leaner cuts of meat, chicken, turkey and fish. We make smarter choices when we dine out, which is rare with twins! We buy (or make) healthier snacks like popcorn, almonds and cut up vegetables. The twins love my healthy meals and fruits and vegetables. My stepchildren have learned to make smarter food choices also.