Join the Earthfootwear and #mamavation teams this Tuesday, December 1 to discuss the answer to these and more questions! Party details included in the bullet list below.

And don’t forget to enter this week’s giveaway. Click here to enter for a chance to win a pair of Exer-Walk shoes from Earth Footwear (3 winners!).

What: Earth Footwear is sponsoring this week’s #gno Twitter party (Click here to learn about #gno!)

When: Tuesday, December 1, 9-11 p.m. EST (8CT, 7 MT, & 6 PT)

Where: Click here to party with us on our custom Tweetgrid. (Use hashtags #gno and #earthfootwear.)

Topic: Fitness, exercise, and healthy living over the holidays

Who: @alyssabecthold @banteringblonde @bookieboo @craftymamaof4 @earthfootwear @kaisermommy @mombloggersclub @momitforward @stacieinatlanta @vdog

Party Favors: Click here to enter for a chance to win a pair of Exer-Walk shoes from Earth Footwear.


RSVP: Please leave your Twitter ID in the comments to follow and be followed (on Twitter, of course!) by other #gno gals. The best format is as follows: http://twitter.com/jylmomIF.

But,  since I decided I’m done having kids, I’ve been dying to shed 20 pounds and no time like the present to make that happen. What a better way to start off the new year… healthier and in a better position to shop, right? LOL!

I’m not gonna lie! As much as I’ve been wanting to start exercising again, winning a pair of shoes gave me the perfect bit of motivation at just the right time. I had completely forgotten first and foremost that I even entered the giveaway. And second and most importantly, that the prize came with a “Change Your Body in 30 Days Challenge” from Earth Footwear led by Leah, @bookieboo on Twitter and the marvel behind #mamavation.

So, in an effort to stick to the challenge, I am going public, admitting my exercising ways, and Whrrling about my progress (power of positive thinking, right?). Feel free to join me as I Whrrl my way skinny…. er, healthy!

I’d love to see your comments on my stories. I’d also love to have you join in the fun and get healthy with me. Just tag your Whrrl stories with #mamavation and #gno and let the weight-loss love fest begin. And, because every goal needs a prize (IMHO), let’s set a date now to go virtual shopping in February as a #gno IRL! Are you in?

Here’s my first Whrrl of a story!

Such is the case with Leah Segedie and her Internet-wide movement, Mamavation.

Until July 21, moms can fill out applications explaining their desire to lose weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle.  On July 22, four moms will be chosen as finalists and the world wide web gets to vote.  On July 30, the winner will be announced.  That winner, that mom, will be treated like a weight loss all-star, complete with a virtual team who will design an exercise regime, a new diet, and provide all the coaching she needs to reach her goals in a 2-month period. And don’t even get us started on the goodies the chosen mom will receive.

Working with one ‘Mamavation Mom’ at a time, Leah hopes to teach moms how wonderful life can be when you have the energy to keep up with your kids and are setting a healthy example for your family.

Before Leah began this campaign, she motivated moms virtually on Bookieboo, a site she created as a go-to place where moms could share their struggles staying or getting into shape. Leah knows just how difficult the journey can be.

Three years ago, when Leah gave birth to her first child, a son, she weighed 253 pounds.  While she was pregnant, her father was diagnosed with cancer and given only 6 months to live.  Five days a week, Leah helped her mother to care for her dying father. Watching him suffer was tremendously painful and Leah found solace in food.

Like so many of us, she believed the weight would come off after she had the baby.  But, also like many of us, that wasn’t the case.

When her newborn son was only 3 months old, Leah’s father lost his battle with cancer.  Though she had prayed for an end to his suffering, she was devastated.

But with the devastation came a ‘moment of clarity,’ as she calls it.  She didn’t want to be the ‘fat mom.’  She wanted to ‘model healthy behavior’ for her family.  In that moment, Leah decided to make a change.  So, she stood up and started walking.  At first it was once a day and then twice.  She joined Curves and began to practice Taebo. Five pounds at a time, Leah began to see a difference.

Working at a healthy lifestyle the traditional way, with  diet and exercise, Leah lost over 100 pounds.

After losing the weight, Leah decided to start Bookieboo.com (named after her son).  The site has over 40 contributors, many are certified personal trainers, but all are moms.

Knowing how tough it can be to balance being a mom with taking care of yourself, Leah is reaching out, hoping to give a little extra resolve to one mom at a time. Having recently had a second son, Leah is on the ball with getting back into shape one more time , and she has the support of whole bunch of moms on Bookieboo who are doing the exact same thing.

And, she will soon have the pleasure of changing one mom’s life for good. If you know someone looking to make a major weight loss/life change, there is still time to apply.  Head to Mamavation.com to learn the details.

With her ‘one mom at a time’ philosophy, Leah looks forward to working with many Mamavation Moms in the future.

About the Author: Danielle Smith is a mommy to two smart and sassy small people, as well as the founder and primary author of ExtraordinaryMommy.com. You can catch her hosting a brand new live show, The Spin Cycle, on MomTV.com every Wednesday at 9pmEST. She also hosts a show on Blog Talk Radio and contributes to WhyMomsMatter. Danielle is thrilled to be contributing to MomItForward as ‘giving back’ has always been an important part of who she is and what she hopes to teach her children.