Jen Wildgust is a neighbor and fellow mom-entrepreneur! She is truly a “Motivating Mama” — a Certified Image Consultant and motivational speaker. She launched her own business Reflections of Radiance in 2017, as a way to share the gifts of confidence and acceptance of self with others.
#WellMomBlogs caught up withJen Wildgust and asked how a busy mom-entrepreneur can make such a transformation… And that age-old question: how does she fit fitness into her schedule? Like so many of us moms, and busy business women, Jen was going through the motions and didn’t give much care to her physical appearance or physical exercise! However, when Jen found a local running training team, it became a grounding force, an accountability system for fitness and the starting line for a lifestyle change!
The SWIFT Running Team and Jen’s journey from couch potato to marathon runner is featured as the inspiration of many of her public speaking topics! The below “In Her Own Words” excerpt is taken from a speech that she shared with a gym-goers as an introduction to a workshop about how to dress for body type and what colors are most suiting!
In her talk, Jen analyzes how training for and running the Philadelphia full marathon, taught this Motivating Mama so many life lessons! #WellMomBlogs just loved the way she uses the analogy of life as a marathon, reminding us to celebrate the journey along the way! Here is Jen’s inspiring story….
IN HER OWN WORDS
IN HER OWN WORDS
I am a sprinter by nature. Not literally — as most of my life, the only time you would have seen me sprinting was if someone was chasing me or I was running to the bathroom. Figuratively speaking; however, I love the rush of waiting until the last minute. My most creative energy appears in the eleventh hour and my best work is done when the pressure is high. As a sprinter, I have learned to wait until I see the finish line to get into position. When the gun goes off, I hit the ground running and usually don’t stop until the race is over. While I have spent many a morning lacing up my shoes for the day ahead, my entire thought process about life changed a few years ago, when I learned that Life is so much more than a sprint – It is a marathon.
A little over four years ago, our family moved to a Greater Philadelphia area suburb. Not long after we settled in, a new friend asked if I would be interested in signing up to do a boot camp. Despite the fact that I was not “the boot camp kind of gal”, I said yes.
Two mornings a week at 5:15am, we would meet at the park to do strength training and cardio exercises. Part of the workout included running a ¾ mile loop around the park. The rest of the group had to add on extra mileage while they waited for me to get back. I couldn’t run the whole distance so I did what I could and walked when I had to. It took weeks for me to finally run the loop without stopping — and boy did that feel great!
After two months, I started to enjoy running and was motivated to sign up for a 5k. Shortly after, I signed up to run a 5 mile race and joined, S.W.I.F.T., a local running group. Shortly thereafter, I went to Philadelphia to cheer for SWIFT members who were running the half and full marathon. This experience encouraged me to sign up for a half marathon the next spring and a full marathon a year later.
Training for and running the Philadelphia Full Marathon taught me so many life lessons:
REACHING A GOAL TAKES MORE THAN A DECISION
REACHING A GOAL TAKES MORE THAN A DECISION
Making a decision is one thing, but taking the steps to make it a reality is what matters most. For 37 years I wanted to be motivated to exercise. I thought about it often. I thought about it while we sat and watched transformation shows on TV while eating ice cream. I thought about it while my kids were running around the playground and wanting me to chase them. I thought about it as I saw others making a difference in their own lives. I didn’t own that decision until I put my sneakers on and stepped outside.
YOU MAY NEED TO ALLOW OTHERS TO BELIEVE IN YOU, SO YOU CAN THEN BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
YOU MAY NEED TO ALLOW OTHERS TO BELIEVE IN YOU, SO YOU CAN THEN BELIEVE IN YOURSELF
As a child, I was the last to be picked to be on a team in gym class. This led me to believe that I wouldn’t add any value to a sports team. In order to be a part of boot camp, I had to ignore these beliefs. It was hard. I worried about fitting in. I felt insecure when I was the last one to get back to the basketball courts after running the loop around the park. In order to improve my skills and become successful, I had to constantly ignore the voices in my head that wanted me to believe I didn’t measure up. Day after day, what really helped was allowing others to believe in me until I believed in myself. Without them, I may not have ever crossed the finish line.
WE NEED TO RUN ALONE SOMETIMES
WE NEED TO RUN ALONE SOMETIMES
I really don’t like setting my alarm for 4:30am for a 5:15am run, but I get up knowing my running buddies will be there waiting for me. I don’t want to be the reason they decide to stay in bed, so I get up even when I don’t want to. While I always prefer running with a friend, there were many days when I had to run alone. Traveling or our busy schedule sometimes got in the way of training with the group. What kept me motivated, was the fact that we were all getting out there and running the miles. I didn’t want to be the one that didn’t’ stick to the plan, so I ran alone when I had to.
FOCUS ON THE VICTORIES
FOCUS ON THE VICTORIES
Getting to our goals can take so much longer than we planned or had hoped. It can be discouraging. It can make you want to give up. The key is to not allow yourself to let those feelings overwhelm you. As I trained for the marathon, I had days where I couldn’t keep up with the other runners. I had days that I wanted to quit. I certainly had days where I didn’t think I had it in me to run THAT far. Forcing myself to look at how far I had come instead of looking at how far I still had to go, made all the difference.
REMEMBER TO CELEBRATE THE JOURNEY!
REMEMBER TO CELEBRATE THE JOURNEY!
In the end, it’s not as much about reaching the goal as it is about celebrating the journey! When I signed up to run a marathon, it was because of the joy and excitement on my friends faces as they ran their marathons. After running the marathon myself, I learned what their smiles were actually saying. The emotions on their faces were reminiscent of all the memories they had made up until that day. The stories they shared with friends along the way, the hills they climbed and the valleys they went through. They were celebrating really fun training runs and the ones that took everything they had to finish. They were thankful they made it to that day and were celebrating each mile as a representation of the hours and weeks they had invested. It is the journey that makes the finish line possible. It is the journey that keeps me going. It is the journey that continues to empower me to become the best version of myself. It is the journey that encourages me to help others do the same!
~ Jen Wildgust, Mom, Entrepreneur, Running Champ
Plants Power Purpose 