Wellness Spotlight: Amanda Freeman

When most people get sick of their old workout, they switch fitness studios, google the latest trends or even give up on a fitness routine altogether. But when former editor Amanda Freeman couldn’t find the “challenging, but fun workout” that delivered the results she was looking for, she found the right equipment, the right people, and opened up SLT in 2011. She’s now delivering one of the most challenging workouts available to New Yorkers (not to mention long, lean beautiful muscle tone), making her the perfect fit for our latest Wellness Spotlight with SmartyPants Vitamins.

We had the pleasure of spending the day with Amanda and seeing how this single mama of 7-month-old daughter Flynn incorporates wellness into her daily lifestyle. Read on to find out why healthy living is a topic close to her heart, what her biggest piece of healthy advice is for new mamas and how she juggles mom’ing and owning her own business.

How has your fitness routine changed since becoming a mom? Dramatically! I used to work out first thing in the morning. Now that time is prime Flynn and mommy time. I used to work out on an empty stomach, prior to eating anything. Now, I have to figure out ways to sneak it in between meetings, meals and work hours.

How did you decide to take the leap to be a single mom? It was a decision I made over the course of many years. I was never the type of girl who dreamed of getting married, but I always knew I wanted to be a mother. I was open to having a baby on my own, but it wasn’t the ideal scenario. I wanted to find a man to have a baby with. But when that didn’t happen and I turned 38, I had a bit of a crisis and that’s when I decided I had to move forward on my own. I had met with a few other women who had made the same decision before I did and learned about the experience and what to expect. It seemed like something I could handle. It took a few months for a pregnancy to stick, but on the 3rd try it did. Flynn is almost seven months old and she’s the best decision I’ve ever made.

We know everyone must ask, but how do you balance being a single mom and entrepreneur? Balance is definitely not the word I’d use to describe it, it’s more about choices and time allocation. I’d say it’s harder to be a working mom than a single mom, as long as you have amazing help. That is key. It took me about 3 months (and no longer breastfeeding) to get the hang of being a working mom, but now I try to be regimented about how I spend my time on a daily basis. I wake up and hang out with Flynn for 1 1/2 hours-ish. I get ready for work and then for the next 8 1/2 hours-ish, it’s SLT time. Some days, I sneak in a workout and take time away from one or both. I’m home around 6 pm to hang out with Flynn, do bath time, her last bottle and bed time. Then I either go back to working or I go out a see friends for dinner or something.

Why is healthy living so important to you? There were personal and professional reasons that healthy living became my focus. Personally, I learned how important health is when both my parents passed away in their mid-50s. Professionally, I was a trend forecaster at the time and I was noticing a shift in general mindset among my peers away from just treatment-based health and towards preventative health and healthy living.

How has taking a multivitamin become part of your mom routine? It’s one of the daily habits I’ve developed to keep me healthy and my life moving. Being a mom has made what I eat a little less of a priority each day. I can’t always eat the healthy foods I would ideally like to, so taking a multivitamin ensures I still get all the vital nutrients I need. I love SmartyPants Vitamins because they double as my post-meal sweet and pack in good stuff like omega 3s which are hard to get from my diet.

How does NYC help you stay active? In so many ways! One of the best parts of living in NYC is how much walking we do. I love not always having to get into a car to go places. The time it takes to get to work or home or wherever is also time spent exercising. And I find my walks to and from work very meditative.

There is no city in the world that has more fitness offerings, so the options for working out are endless. And because it’s so easy to get around, I find myself making many plans every day. Weekends are spent running around the city with Flynn seeing friends and family, shopping, looking at art, etc.

What’s one thing you hope your baby learns about what you do and why you do it? I hope I can install the value of hard work in Flynn. I hope she eventually picks up on the fact that my work gives me a great deal of fulfillment and joy. It also makes me self-sufficient and I believe that’s important for women. I’ve seen too many women stay in bad marriages or situations because they are reliant on men or their parents for resources.

What’s one piece of healthy advice you’d give a new mom? I think it’s all about planning. If you can schedule out the healthy things you want to do each day, they are more likely to get done. Pre-book a class, a meal, an appointment and take those commitments as seriously as you do your other commitments. Write them down, so you have to cross them off when they are completed.

*This post was sponsored by SmartyPants Vitamins. Enter below to win a 3 month supply of SmartyPants Women’s Complete Gummy Vitamins, including 15 essential nutrients, omega 3 DHA and EPA fish oil, and vitamin K all in one!