In order to best care for those you love, you must also take care of yourself. As a health consultant, Jenna Lento, co-owner of Fit Mamas, saw many clients putting themselves last on the priority list. The physical and mental ramifications were unmistakable and she knew she needed to do things differently when she became a mother.

Jenna’s Journey

Born in the Toledo area, Lento moved eight times due to the hockey career of her husband, Evan Rankin. In 2015, the couple made their way home. Jenna explained, “[W]e loved this city…our family and friends are here, and Evan wanted to retire with the Walleye. We believe [the Toledo area] is a great place to raise a family.”

The University of Toledo alumni strived to balance her career and passions. Jenna pursued journalism as a reporter for 13ABC and as a weekend anchor for WTOL 11. She worked as a health consultant and instructor at Pure Barre, cultivating her dedication to wellness. She was compelled to found Fit Mamas because she saw the frustration new mothers faced in finding time for their workouts: “If you see a need in your community, you fill the need.”

Lento recounts that when she realized she was expecting, she created a list to prepare. Balancing multiple careers, Jenna knew adding a new baby would create major shifts in her schedule. She understood from experience that her health must stay a priority on her list, but finding the right combination of fitness and child care proved challenging. Jenna decided to start Fit Mamas to allow moms with little ones to combine childcare with fitness.

Recruiting reinforcements

Jenna recruited Libby Langenderfer, a long time friend, to help her see her vision through. With the support of local businesses, Fit Mamas meets for workouts and group outings where mothers can bring their little ones along in strollers.

Classes are held at Fitness4all in Perrysburg, though in better weather classes take place at parks and other child-friendly venues. The “stroller workout” allows participants to run, walk, march and complete high-intensity bursts while baby sits snug in his/her stroller. As all parents are aware, baby doesn’t always sit quietly, but Fit Mamas is a “judgment-free” group.

Q & A with Jenna Lento

What’s your favorite activity to do with your family?

I love exploring the Toledo Zoo with my husband and little one. We are so blessed to have such a beautiful zoo and we really enjoy making memories there.

Best holiday memory from when you were a kid?

Every Christmas Eve, we put on our best clothes, attended mass and always had a big beautiful dinner (thanks to my mom’s cooking).

What’s your go-to activity when you have a few minutes to yourself?

I usually dig into a good book. I love reading non-fiction books that inspire me to be better. I’m kind of a self-help junkie. There’s always room to improve and grow.

What is your favorite Toledo hangout?

It’s too hard to pick one! I really love our coffee shops and restaurants.

Describe Toledo in a sentence?

The city of Toledo delivers opportunity and is the foundation you want to raise a family.

I grew up in Bangladesh, but as the child of a diplomat, I have lived all over the world, from Beijing to Belgrade to Kuala Lumpur. I have always been surrounded by people from different countries and cultures, so I never felt particularly unusual or foreign. Only after coming to the US in 1993 to attend college in D.C. did I start to feel “different.” For one, the number of times people leaned into my face to declare, “Your English is very good!” was shocking. I could not understand why the immediate assumption would be that I wouldn’t be able to speak English fluently.

I transferred to a small liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia, which was populated by a diverse student body. My inner circle tehre was comprised of a Scott, two Philippino-Americans, a Nigerian-Kazakhistani raised in Austin, a Lebanese-Somalian, a Muslim from Lubbock and other women with interesting backgrounds. We gravitated toward one another due to our inability to be boxed into a specific category.

Defining ethnicity

Subsequently, I moved to New York City, where everyone is so busy being unique and unusual that no one was particularly concerned with me. I fit in seamlessly and experienced the freedom of being completely myself, without being labelled based on my ethnicity.

A move to Toledo

In 2015, I moved to Toledo–my husband’s hometown–with our family, and I once again experienced what it felt like to be different in a sea of homogeneity. While there are many foreigners living in Toledo, I notice they tend to fraternize within their own community much more than I’d previously witnessed. Toledo is quite liberal and accepting, but I often feel as though people are more comfortable when they can categorize me in some way, allowing them to understand me within their own context.

I have met and befriended some wonderful people, folks who don’t see me in terms of my background, but I have also had my share of unpleasant experiences. For the first time in all my years living in the U.S., I was ordered to “go back to my country.” My children, who are both American, have been — more than once — defined by the color of their skin (and often incorrectly).

While it has been challenging in some ways to be judged as different, I want my children to feel proud of their differences yet still feel they belong here, as citizens of a country which once readily embraced other cultures and people.