Fit Mom We Love: Carla Birnberg of MizFitOnline
Play is more fun than workouts!
We’ve long been fans of Carla Birnberg of MizFitOnline. Not a play on “Miss Fit” as many presume, Carla is one fit misfit with a sense of humor we love. She’s also a super-fit mom who serves to inspire her community of readers — and moms everywhere! With a plan to start her family with adoption from the get-go, Carla shares what surprised her about motherhood and how being a mother has changed her views of the world. (Watch this video for more on that…so sweet!)
Q&A With Fit Mom Carla Birnberg of MizFitOnline
What workouts do you love? While I do engage in some traditional exercise routines, the majority of my workouts tend to be PLAYouts with my daughter or friends. Kickball, hula hooping, badminton, Skip-It, jump rope, etc. Anything fun that makes the time pass quickly and feels more like PLAY than work. What workouts do you love to hate? Cardio. So much so that fact has become a fact of my MizFit branding. I do cardio. Consistently. I’ve never really had a day where I’ve enjoyed it. If you could have a mom superpower, what would it be? Ahhh, another arena in which I’m a misfit. I wear my cape (literally) a lot and am pretty content with my current mamahood powers. I know before my daughter I’d have wished for the ability to monotask like a superwoman — but the older I get/the longer I’m a mother I’ve realized being present (and monotasking) is much more in alignment with the mom I want to be. What was your biggest surprise about motherhood? May I say everything? The stuff people warned me about (you’ll never pee or shower alone again!) were the things I never really minded. The stuff no one thought to mention (the isolation in the early years … the fact my child was/is the worst sleeper on the planet) were the things that really shocked me. I also never imagined she’d be my little sidekick in the way she still is. I knew we’d hang together before kindergarten — but I assumed once her peers came more into play our relationship would diminish. She’s seven now so I know that’s coming — but I’m adoring every moment she chooses to just hang out and be with me. If you magically had an hour added to your day free of obligations, what would you do with it? READ. I was an English literature major, and I’d love to have the time to start with the classics and re-visit all my favorites. Has being a mother change your view of your body and how you treat yourself, especially in front of your daughter? If so, how so? Again, I’m a misfit. For whatever reason I’ve always thought I rocked. Heavier. Fitter. Less conditioned. I’ve always felt unstoppable. That said, I’m now highly aware of what we consume. Not in the form of “calories” but in the form of information. I know I’m just one piece in the puzzle that will form how she views her body. Everything else from pop culture to literature to magazines plays a role, too. As much as I can, I’m careful what gets put in front of her/what she hears. Want more MizFit inspiration? Check out more of our Q&A with Carla over on Fit Bottomed Girls! —Erin