It's that time again! Time to meet another Mom of the Month. April's Mom of the Month is...
Alexandra Rajala!!!
Hometown.
Carlton/Cloquet, MN
Tell us about your family.
(husband) Jake, (children) Easton, 2 years old and Emma (our golden retriever)
What's your favorite exercise?
It is difficult for me to name just one! I have absolutely come to love the Strides 360 classes, they have challenged me and get me out of my comfort zone and get me doing exercises I would never even think of on my own. Keeps my heart rate up and before I know it the hour of class is done, it's so fast paced!
Tell us about your career.
Registered Nurse- I have worked at Essentia for the past 6 ½ years on the 8E, Neuro-Trauma floor. We specialize in trauma, stroke, neurosurgery and seizure patients. I absolutely love being a nurse and truly feel I was meant to be one. I have so much passion for my career and adore my co-workers. I am blessed to have found a career that I am so passionate about and can see myself doing for many years to come, plus nursing has so many different paths you can take!
Proudest moment(s): Graduating from St. Scholastica with my BSN in Nursing and passing my NCLEX board examination. After all those years of college, I had tears when I saw I passed and I could finally move on in my career and LIFE (haha)! Also, marrying the love of my life and the birth of our first child, I don't know how I ended up with the greatest man and sweetest boy!
Surprise us with a random fact!
I am the oldest of 5 children- half of my family is from Argentina (mom included) and I was born in California, lived in Colorado most of my childhood and ended up in Minnesota (after my parents divorced) and married a Michigan man!---Oh, how life has up and downs and comes around 360! Now, I don't think we will ever leave Duluth, Minnesota!
Where is the furthest from home you have ever been?
Ecuador for my dad's wedding and Dominican Republic for vacation
How did you discover FIT4MOM?
I saw many ad's popping up on social media and heard about it through the grape vine, but it wasn't until my friend April (who is also a member) got me to attend an anniversary class about a year ago with her while my husband was deployed overseas. Right then and there we signed up and it was such a great bonding experience for us and I knew the community was just what I needed!
What does FIT4MOM mean to you, and how has it changed your life?
Wow, where can I start. I have always been a very active and social person and my husband and I loved going to the gym and running together. However, after Easton was born those things that were so easy to do prior to having a child became harder with schedules and getting together with friends became harder with juggling nap/feeding times etc. I started to feel a little isolated and missing those things I loved before. Being in Fit4mom has made me feel apart of a community, it has made me come to realize that it is ok to take time for me and make sure I am the best and healthy version of me possible in order to be the best mom and wife I can be. I have developed friendships over the course of the year that I now not only look forward to the hour of exercise but to hang out with my friends!
I feel like I am finally back to being ME! I love that my son can see me being healthy and active and he loves getting to play with other kids and participate in play groups! There is no judgement or competition in fit4mom, we are all at different levels and the instructors are top notch to make modifications and push you wherever you are in your fitness journey! It's refreshing to see women uplifting other women!