Meet a Mom, Featuring Michelle Fuhrman
If you’ve been following along with us for awhile, you know we LOVE women who INSPIRE. So often we as women and mothers put everyone else’s needs and wants before our own and it’s so easy to forget to take care of ourselves, fill our cups, too. Women who help lead other women to reach their goals in life is what we all need more of. Our Meet a Mom feature today is someone who simply inspires. We came across this mama on social media and with one look at her page and her content, we said “yes mama, we, are, here, for, it!”
Michelle Fuhrman is a Katy mama, Georgia raised, who loves to help others lead their best, healthiest lives. A mama to four who used to hate working out, found her love for fitness through her need to find her people in a new city. She saw some women running outside of a local Crossfit gym and decided to pull in and sign up. She soon not only gained the mama friends she’d been yearning for, but also discovered a newfound love for taking care of her mind, body, and spirt through fitness!
Her Instagram feed is full of advice, inspiration, and knowledge around healthy eating and working out to meet your goals, big or small. She’s a Certified Nutrition coach and is passionate about helping women look and feel their best. From online support to designing realistic meal plans for busy moms, Michelle’s goal is to help the every-day mama reach her full potential.
We got to chat with this amazingly fit, inspiring mama about all things mom life, what she loves most about Katy, and her advice for mamas struggling to find the will, energy and time to workout and eat healthy!
Where are you from originally and how long have you lived in Katy?
I am originally from Peachtree City, Ga. I attended nursing school in Alabama then moved to Miami Beach where I started my marriage and my family. Then we moved to Texas, I have been living in Katy for 9 years now.
You’re a mama, obviously! How many kiddos do you have and how old are they?
4 kiddos! Mia-age 10, Anniston-8, Tyler-7, and Savannah-4
What’s your favorite thing about raising a family in the Katy area?
I love so much about Katy. Most of all, I love the people. I have met so many amazing people since we’ve lived here and I feel like it’s truly become home even though we do not have family here (my husband and my families are all in Georgia). We love the community we live in (Cinco) and all the activities there are for kids from weekend play spaces to sports and the wonderful public school system. We also love that it feels like a small town but it’s close enough to the city to feel we can get out of town for a nice dinner.
Greatest gift about about being a mom?
Seeing my kids make good choices and be kind to others.
Least favorite mom job? (i.e. packing lunches, dishes, bath time, etc.)
Can I choose all of the above. I literally dread ALL of them on a daily basis! 3 of my kids are finally showering themselves and its GLORIOUS!
One thing people would be surprised to know about you…
I used to hate working out!
Favorite local things to do in Katy/Richmond/Fulshear? (With kiddos or just for mom!)
I love going to La Centerra with my family and letting the kiddos play on the green space while my hubby and I sit and chat.
Do you have a favorite family friendly restaurant in the area?
We love Grimaldis, Whiskey Cakes and of course, and LUPE!!!
We’re big on self-care for moms, as hard as it is to find the time, what’s something you do just for yourself?
I have grown to love working out and it is truly time that I love. I put my headphones on and listen to music or a podcast and have my ME time. I need to do it more often but I love taking epson salt baths at the end of long days. I lock my bedroom door so I wont have any little people visitors interrupting my time. Sitting in silence with a lit candle is so therapeutic. I also love taking strolls through Target with a coffee…ALONE!
Funniest shortcut/routine for helping you through parenthood?
I decided a few years ago that I am SO OVER matching up socks after they come out of the dryer. I tried getting all white socks to prevent this issue but then the grandparents give colored/printed socks for Christmas so we end up with a million socks. So now I just have a giant bin that I throw them in. Most of the time my kids have mismatched socks on but guess what? They’re fine. We are all fine. Mismatched socks and all!
Best mom hack that makes your life easier?
Packing lunches the night before, having water bottles by fridge ready to fill, laying all the clothes out by the kitchen table, getting cereal bowls and spoons out for breakfast, and having coffee prepared and ready to turn on. The less I have to do in the mornings the better! I tend to be on point with these details Monday morning and it gets less and less efficient as the week goes on! By Friday morning, I am in bed past my alarm and it’s a disaster trying to get out the door on time!
Tell us about your mission to empower women to live happy, healthy lives!
I love showing women that they can change their bodies and lives through working out and proper nutrition. I have experienced this first hand and I strive to be as real as possible through my platform, showing women that they too are capable of change.
Have you always been healthy and fit? How did you adopt this lifestyle?
Other than walking, I never worked out until my third and fourth pregnancies. I moved to Katy after having our second daughter and I was determined to find friends. I was driving to the store one day when I saw a group of women about my age running in a parking lot. I saw a sign that said Crossfit and I pulled a quick u-turn, parked, and went inside to inquire about how to get signed up. I didn’t even want to workout, but I desperately wanted friends. This is where my passion for working out began. When my 4th child was 2, I decided to stop Crossfit and to sign up for a bikini competition. I had some stubborn pounds to lose after my last baby and I knew I needed some changes to what I was eating.
I entered a strenuous 16 week competition prep where I had a strict meal and training plan. It kicked my butt but I saw my body changing weekly. I ended up placing 1st in my division (against women in their 20’s…go mamas! We are stronger and more able that we think!) and I became qualified to compete nationally. I did shows in Miami and New York where I didn’t place well, but I learned so much about how mentally strong I was and how I could do anything I set my mind to. I hung up my bikini competition hat and decided to use my platform to empower other women/moms in their weight loss/fitness journeys. I became certified as a nutrition coach so I write meal plans and do online coaching for women. It is so awesome to be able to pass on my knowledge to others and watch them gain confidence in making wiser food/lifestyle choices.
Best advice for a mama walking the postpartum journey, but wanting to get fit again?
Take it 1 meal/1 workout/1 day at a time. Losing weight and getting in shape in a healthy, attainable way is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s not a fad diet or a pill or skinny tea that is going to change your body. It’s little changes throughout your days that will add up to yield big results. With this being said, I strongly believe that there are seasons in a mamas life that aren’t aren’t meant to be spent exercising and eating chicken and vegetables. When moms of newborns who come to me for advice about how to lose the baby weight, I advise them to hit the pause button. Babies are not babies forever and you can’t get those days back. The gym will always be there. Especially for nursing moms, I think when your baby is a year old is a good time to get serious about exercising regularly and getting serious about cleaning up your diet. Till then, enjoy that baby!!!
If a mom is in a workout slump (cough cough, Nat!) what advice would you give her to get back on track?
Find something you enjoy doing! There are so many options for working out. You’re much more likely to stick to something that you like doing. Even something as simple as walking 20-30 minutes a day is awesome. (especially if you can find time to do it alone either before kids wake up or after daddy gets home. It can be like a mini escape from reality for a busy mama!). Also, there are so many gyms around Katy that have great group fitness classes with awesome childcare. Finding a buddy to start exercising with is also huge. The companionship and accountability will increase the chances of you sticking to it. Breaking a sweat and having time to yourself to de-stress is a wonderful thing for you to do for yourself as a mom. It’s not selfish, it’s truly of great benefit for you and your kids.
Do you experience mom guilt and if so, how do you deal?
Oh yeah, I have all sorts of mom guilt on a daily basis: “Why am I losing my patience so easily?” “I am not as good as a mom as so and so” “My kids have eaten chicken nuggets 5 days in a row” “I am too tired to read a bedtime story to each of my kids. I’d rather watch The Bachelor” But in the end, I know I am doing the best job that I can. Of course, some days are better than others but I know I am not perfect and I just pray that God will equip me to be the best mom I can be and that my kids will feel loved and secure each day of their lives, despite the mistakes I make.
How important is it for you to have a passion outside of being a mother?
I believe it is huge. I love being a mom but I think it’s so important to find an identity in addition to being a mom. I believe God placed in me the strong desire to be a mom. I also believe He gave me other gifts and passions that aren’t related to being a mom and that’s okay! It keeps me sane having something other than laundry and dishes and cooking to focus on and I think it makes me a happier, more balanced mother for my kids.
Who has most influenced you to be the mom you are today?
My mom, 100%. If I can be half as amazing as she has been as a mom, I will be happy!
When parenting gets hard, what’s something you tell yourself that gets you through?
Tomorrow is a new day. From the time babies are born, I feel like they are always going through a stage that brings on new challenges…colic, growth spurts, teething, separation anxiety, terrible 2’s, potty training, then tween years bring attitudes, door slamming, crushes and eye rolling. It never ends! But one “bad” stage doesn’t last forever. It passes and then new challenges arise that will also eventually pass. Thank God, tomorrow is a new day!
Name one thing you hope your kids look back and remember about their childhood and you as their mama?
That I loved them deeply.
What would you tell the old “You” before you had kids?
Never say never! It’s hard to say what you’ll do as a parent before you’r sin the game. Bribing is one thing I swore I would never do and I do it on a daily basis!
We are all about community, as are you! What does having a mom tribe mean to you?
Having mom friends who support and lift me up in a judgement free way! As I get older, I am realizing its all about QUALITY, not quantity.