I Heart Mama was founded in 2012 by May Funabiki, MPH and ACE-Certified group-fitness trainer. May is mom to a happy baby girl born June 2013 and 4 year-old delight. She proudly resides in Oakland, CA with her family. May’s diverse experiences in and passion for community health program management, as well as delivery of culturally competent customer care inspired her to start I Heart Mama. She’s managed nutrition & weight education programs at Kaiser Permanente and directed clinical and behavioral healthcare services at a family resource center. She grew up in the lovely cacophony that is Brooklyn NY, headed to Cornell University to earn a B.S., and then landed in sunny CA where she planted roots after getting an M.P.H. from UC Berkeley. She is an urban outdoors enthusiast and late-blooming runner. She jogged over 4 miles for the first time in 2011 and has since completed 5 half-marathons. She is a persistent pedestrian, intermittent bike commuter and inconsequential camper.

Upon starting her new life as a parent, May acutely felt the tension of wanting in one moment, to prioritize care of her toddler over care of herself and in the next moment, wanting desperately to drop everything to get in some physical activity that she knew would so benefit her, her sanity and her child in the long-run. Every day was the constant stress of “Will today be the day when I can fit in exercise?” “Shouldn’t I?” Should I??”

She thought how lucky Bay Area residents are to have so many mom and baby exercise programs to choose from. She also thought how unlucky it is that most of these programs are not accessible or even known to many mothers, due to high cost, far distance and/ or lack of diversity. She knew that studies show correlations between lower socio-economic status (SES) and higher rates of obesity, which is in turn a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and cancers. Multiple stressors may work against a a low SES mother aspiring to live the healthiest life and raise the healthiest child(ren), including food deserts without grocery stores, lack of dependable childcare, emotional eating, lack of safe places to walk and exercise, underemployment, and single parenthood.

She queried – A little sunshine, sweat  and support among friends is not too much to ask, nor offer, right? Especially when one now has a baby in tow, no? And her heart started to quicken…