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Boss Lady Marie Hughes



Keeping moms fit during these ever-changing times

boss lady, Marie Hughes

Back in 2014, with her then-one-year-old daughter in tow, Marie Hughes of LaGrangeville attended a Stroller Strides class at FIT4MOM LaGrangeville and immediately fell in love with the program. 

Eventually, she earned her FIT4MOM fitness instructor certification, lost a whopping 80 pounds, and took over ownership of the LaGrangeville FIT4MOM franchise, lagrangeville.fit4mom.com.   

HVP: What do you like most about owning your business?

Marie: The best part is building a village of local moms. It's a unique and special sisterhood that I am deeply proud of and honored to lead. 

HVP: What affect has the COVID-19 pandemic had on your business? 

Marie: In the past, moms came for the workout and stayed for the connections. But since COVID-19, we have gone completely virtual, and all our classes are now offered via Zoom. We also have several weekly play dates and even Mom's Nights via Zoom. 

HVP: How has going remote affected your clients?

Marie: In many ways, our classes and community have been a positive outlet during this stressful time. We are still able to see each other and laugh, connect, and commiserate. 

We get our workouts in together and encourage each other to keep self-care in focus when it would be easy to let that go. 



Attending classes gives our moms some consistency in their days. I have gotten tons of positive feedback from my moms about our Zoom workouts being a comfort, and their little ones looking forward to the familiar faces, songs, and silliness from "normal" life. 

HVP: With your two daughters home from school, how do you meet their needs while running a remote business? 

Marie: Our daily routines now focus on checking Google classroom for the morning announcements and assignments, followed by breakfast and getting the family ready for my 9:30 a.m. Zoom workouts. 

After class, the girls and I do a bit more schoolwork, crafts, play on our swing set, or decorate our driveway with chalk masterpieces, games, and obstacle courses. After lunch, we work on more school assignments, artwork, bake, or play instruments or the girls play while I catch up on business tasks.

In the mid-afternoon, we often have Zoom play dates with our FIT4MOM families, including story time, indoor scavenger hunts, crafts, LEGO and play dough challenges. It's the fun stuff we used to do in person but enjoy together virtually now. 

HVP: How do you manage the added stress resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic? 

Marie: Much like all the moms I know, we're wearing so many hats right now, and trying to maintain a happy home while feeling some real anxiety and uncertainty. 

Our FIT4MOM Run Club has launched a virtual session, and I am finding my runs (mostly on the treadmill) are one of my best stress relievers. 

I am beyond grateful that my moms have stuck with me even when we can't be physically together. I am honored to be able to help them make this time more manageable.