Profiles of five active women who seek balance while juggling work, family, school, home and their sports of choice.

Dawn Lovejoy
Dawn Lovejoy of Ann Arbor has traveled a road few of us will ever know. Nearly 14 years ago, in a span of 72 hours, she was divorced, protected by a women's shelter and started a new life with her two boys, Brendan and Connor. Lovejoy, 47, has been dedicated to an active lifestyle for herself and other women ever since.

As the manager of Team Priority Health, a women's cycling team, she hosts women's-only clinics and participate in events that raise awareness for women in bike racing. As a coach with USA Cycling, she attended the first women's-only leadership seminar last January at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs that brought together women from all over the United States. Since then, she said, the participants have created an active support system for each other that allows them to pool knowledge and resources with other women across the country who are committed to women and athletics.

This year Lovejoy took on the role of co-director of the Tour De Kids cycling race in Ann Arbor. In addition to all of her community involvement, she owns own Vento Training, a coaching and training business and also works at the Ann Arbor YMCA as a personal trainer and instructor.

Needless to say, her calendar is pretty full most days. Lovejoy said the most challenging thing about staying committed to an active lifestyle is knowing when to be flexible and "go with the flow" and knowing when to lay down the law and "just do it."

"That's a simple thing to write down, but the reality is that being active affects everything else I do and it can be complicated," Lovejoy said. "But, like all people with active lifestyles, you take activity away? It's really ugly."

Lovejoy employs structure and flexibility in maintaining an active lifestyle.

"Before I had kids (now almost 15 and 17) I had a set schedule. Now I have a set schedule for some things, but also have to be flexible because you never know."

Lovejoy puts her training in her planner and says it has the same value that everything else has. "I don't ask myself if I feel like it, if I want to, etc. In fact, I try not to think about it. Without being too ‘Nike' about it, I just do it."

Lovejoy said she has a lot of support in staying active, including her husband Mark.

"I have the amazing good fortune to meet and get to know and work with people who are professional athlete's and also people who are discovering fitness and are experiencing the changes in how their body feels as it's becoming stronger.They are all so motivating," she said. "Their energy, all of it, is very encouraging."

She admits that balance is a tricky thing. "As the years have gone on, I've experienced many personal and physical changes. Being attuned to how my body is feeling and taking care of it has, in the long run, made it easier to have the energy and health to take care of my family." Lovejoy said that when her kids were young and she was a single parent, she'd bring a baby sitter with her to races. "It was hard. I remember, vividly, carrying all the things that needed to be loaded to go to a bike race as well as a day out for young kids. I wondered whether it was worth it." Sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't.

"At that time, that day, that season, maybe not. But now, after doing this for a while, it absolutely was." Why? Lovejoy said because she has had the chance to learn so much about herself by working as hard as she did to be active.

"The things I've learned from training and racing, I've been able to use in other parts of my life and there are a lot that have nothing to do with fitness."

Emily Beeton
Beeton, 32, lives in Plymouth with her six-year-old daughter Katie. She's a single mom who works full-time at an architectural firm in Southfield while also working on a business degree at Eastern Michigan University.

Despite that, she has completed seven marathons, three of which were trail marathons she did this year alone.

Beeton said she's always been an on and off runner, but it wasn't until 2004 that she started to participate in races. After her daughter was born, Beeton continued her running routine by taking Katie with her in the jogger stroller.

"Now that she's old enough to ride a bike, I run with her biking along side of me," Beeton said. "We run to local parks so she can play, and I play with her. Sometimes I'll do pull-ups on the monkey bars. It's a nice break in the running routine and it gives Katie more of an incentive to join me."

When in the midst of marathon training, Beeton said she enlists the help of friends and family and tries to take advantage of the days that Katie spends with her dad. Lately Beeton has grown a bit weary of running and discovered mountain biking this year. "I love it!"

With her busy schedule Beeton manages to avoid fast food and junk food "like the plague," she said. "If you only buy healthy food, then you tend to crave it. Although I do believe that any really good workout deserves a little ice cream!"

The impact of an active lifestyle touches just about every area of her life. "I could probably write a book on this," she said with a laugh.

"Simple daily activities such as getting out of your car each morning become easier," she explained. "Apart from the physical aspect, running has enriched my life in many profound ways. I have seen beautiful parts of Michigan that I would not have seen otherwise; my thirst for life has deepened; and the thing that I enjoy most is my long runs where I find answers to questions that I didn't know I had.

Kathi Shipley
Shipley is a 39-year-old mother of one at the moment. She and her husband Skip are adoptive parents expecting their second and third child in the coming 18 months. Shipley's daughter Hannah, 3, is from China. The Shipley's are adopting a son from Korea this winter and have been waiting 2 years to be matched with another daughter from China.

Shipley started running in 1998 as a replacement for a smoking habit of 10 years. "I could not run 20 minutes without stopping, she said."

She is now a cycling instructor at the Oak Park YMCA, personal trainer and an ER & Critical Care nurse at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing who competes in triathlons, adventure races, and marathons in her free time.

"I have completed multiple 5Ks, the Hawk Island Triathlon, The Flying Pig Marathon, The Spring Fury Adventure Race, The 24 hr. Blast Adventure Race, and the Muddy Buddy race this year."

Life will certainly change with the addition of two more children, but Shipley is realistic about the fact that life will become more challenging and optimistic about her ability to manage that challenge.

"We have a terrific tot-watch at my YMCA, but I'm sure just getting there will be a daily adventure," she joked. "I have a single jogging stroller now but will be buying a double, and will have Hannah ride her bike for runs."

Shipley stays motivated to be active with a "smiley face" system. "I put them on my calender for every workout," she explained. "This accomplishes two tasks simultaneously. It is a kind of reward system, and it keeps me honest about how much I am actually working out."

Shipley said she works out in the mornings, "before all the insanity starts."

She makes time for her training because it is important. "I am happier, more relaxed, and more patient, and I want my daughter to see me as a role model. To see that you can be whatever you want, and it doesn't have to be only one definition. You can be a mother, a wife, a nurse, and an athlete."

Shipley became involved in mentoring other athletes when she took a cycling/spinning class a few years ago."I was always thinking "Man, I could teach this." After about 6 months the instructor had to leave. Shipley took a certification course and started teaching.

"I think the biggest reason my class is successful (besides the crazy music & a great workout) is because I encourage the women to see themselves as athletes. Many of these ladies (ages 25-60 and many mothers) have no problems defining themselves as good mothers and friends, etc., but have difficulty believing they can be athletes too."

Shipley also encourages her students to set an athletic goal for the year. Her class did a 5K together last fall (a first ever for many) and the Hawk Island Triathlon this spring. They put together an informal group, hired a swim coach and trained all winter. It was so successful, Shipoley said, they are starting a triathlon training program at the YMCA for the winter/spring of 2009.

"I am dedicated to the idea that every woman has an athlete on the inside. We may not be all built the same, be fast, or run prettily, but that does not discount our accomplishments."

Nutrition is something Shipley believes is critical to living a healthy lifestyle. She is a healthy eater, but admits a weakness for an occasional McDonald's breakfast burrito, slice of pizza and beer.

"I think the biggest keys to good nutrition are moderation & planning," she explained. "I am going to occasionally sit down and eat a ton of something because I am stressed, sad, whatever," she said. "It's important to forgive yourself and say, ‘OK, I will restart eating well with my next meal.' Don't let one mistake derail your entire dietary program."

Not that Shipley believes that weight loss is paramount, but for many women, she said, it is an important goal. "I speak from experience when I say the biggest key to weight loss is to love yourself and accept your body," she said. "I'm not saying you have to love everything about yourself, but be able to look in the mirror and point out the positive attributes, not just the negative."

Shipley used to weigh in at 155 pounds on her 5'3" frame. She is now 115 pounds. "I didn't get there by hating my body. I finally decided I was worth putting effort into myself."

The positive benefits of her active lifestyle are that she is stronger, healthier and happier heading into 40 than she has ever been. "I am more patient & relaxed when I work out," Shipley said. And she doesn't have the complaints of an aching body or sore back many of her co-workers suffer from. "Unless of course, I just did a long run!"

Shipley is fortunate to have a husband who is completely supportive of her efforts and who occasionally pushes her out the door to run when she is grumpy. "Seriously, he says I am never prettier than when I am glowing and proud of myself after trying something hard & new."

Jacqueline Skiver
Skiver has always enjoyed sports, which has lead to participation in a number of different disciplines, but admits that the challenge of work, sports and raising two daughters did not always come into balance.

Now 43, she started out in Karate in her early twenties and received a black belt in record time, but also enjoyed competing in sparring (fighting). Skiver then began working out with weights because she wanted her kicks to be stronger.

Once she started to see the results of the weight regimen, Skiver discovered bodybuilding and competed in that sport for about 10 years in the late 80's and 90's.

"I also managed to throw in a few power lifting meets as well, she said. "They just seem to go together."

Despite not having a lot of muscle mass on her small frame, Skiver never placed out of the top three in her ten years of competition. She managed to win Bodybuilder of the Year and also qualified for Nationals on several occasions. "I never went to Nationals because I was raising two daughters and had to place work as a priority, and I didn't like spending time away from the girls."

One day she saw an ad for an Outdoor Athlete Adventure Race and decided to start doing some biking and running. Skiver said she called her brother, who is a triathlete, and asked him to be on her team.

"He jumped at the chance and we recruited one of my favorite training partners." The three competed in most of the races in the Outdoor Athlete series over the next several years and then graduated to Infiterra Sports Races. "We also did a few Indiana, Illinois and Ohio races. Our team was called, "Two Sticks and A Rack."

Skiver said she did her last adventure race in 2007 and is sad to say that she's done with the sport due to a back injury that makes it painful to run.

Instead of give in to the injury though, Skiver, who lives in Plymouth, joined a slalom ski team. "I have started to really focus all of my effort on slalom skiing and I'm still working out almost daily to always improve my strength and cardio," she said. "Skiing is also something I'm able to do with one of my daughters and that creates a bond."

Marnie Hart
"I am a 36-year-old busy mom of 2-year-old twin boys who loves to mountain bike and work out."

A Canton native, Hart now lives in Farmington with her husband and sons. She said she used to teach aerobics and was also a cardiac rehabilitation nurse in Chicago before she got pregnant with twins and went on bed rest for three months.

Talk about a transition.

When the Harts' learned they were having twins, they moved back to Michigan to be closer to both of their families.

Hart works weekends as an Nurse Manager for a home care company at an independent living facility where she oversee the caregivers and answers all emergencies for the building.

Time is not on her side when it comes to staying active. She said she manages to get one night a week of riding in with the Girlbike mountain bike group, who organize rides on trails in Southeastern Michigan, and tries to work out when, and if, her boys nap.

"I definitely cannot workout everyday like I used to, but somehow I try and do something on most days." That means Hart puts the kids in the stroller and dog on the leash and walks to the park, or she does a Pilates video before she starts her house chores or she does some weights before getting in the shower (she keeps weights in her bedroom so that she has to walk by them before taking a shower.) She said she also does push-ups and sit-ups when she is on the floor playing with the boys. "They like to mimic me and we count together."

"After work on the weekends I try and go to the gym before I go home, unless I have to go grocery shopping. It is a constant struggle to find the time." The gym has a day care, but she admits, "I feel bad taking them when we could be outside playing."

Hart also finds the change her body went through with a traumatic pregnancy a difficult adjustment. "I am working with what I have and hope to have my flat stomach back someday!"

She does not have a diet she follows, rather she said she keeps track of how she is doing by the fit of her clothes. "It is hard to get back to where I used to be when I don't have the time to work out like I used to," she explained. "But the boys are totally worth it so I try and not beat myself up over it."

Being active has always been a priority in Hart's life. "I think I got this trait from my Dad. He‘s always liked to work out, and I hope to pass that along to my boys. " Hart is also motivated to stay fit so she can keep up with her kids and be active with them in whatever sport they grow to like.

"I feel inspired by older women that I see on the bike trail or working out in gyms and I plan to stay active forever. It is good for my mental health and a huge stress reliever," Hart said. "Being on the mountain bike trail is like therapy for me. I feel at one with nature. I think I ride with a big smile on my face."