Having successfully battled post-partum depression with a combination of prayer and exercise, Munford-Clark wanted to share what she had learned with other women and has found two ways to accomplish that goal. This past weekend, she was awarded 1st runner up in the Mrs. Ohio pageant, where her platform was exercise and wellness for mind, body and spirit. In addition, she has recently produced an exercise video for moms, called “Losing Baby Fat.”

After the birth of her first son, Munford-Clark found that she just did not feel like her self – she experienced feelings of alienation and irritability, her self-esteem was low and she didn’t even feel like talking with friends and family.

“I just did not feel good about myself,” said Munford-Clark. “My husband was very supportive throughout, but it was one of my friends who brought the problem to light by asking me if something was wrong. At that moment I realized that these symptoms had a name –- post–partum depression.”

It took nearly 15 months for her to feel like “herself” again, according to Munford-Clark. When she was pregnant with her second child, she recognized the same symptoms. This time, she combated them with a combination of prayer and exercise.

Munford-Clark is an expert in the areas of health and wellness. She is a certified athletic trainer, a personal trainer and group fitness instructor. She has a bachelor’s degree in sports medicine from Mount Union and a master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Akron. At Mount Union, Munford-Clark teaches a wellness class, a requirement for all Mount Union students.

“A lot of people know I am an advocate for wellness,” said Munford-Clark. “I teach approximately 500 students every year in my wellness classes and they know my emphasis is not just physical fitness but true wellness – body, mind and spirit.”

Another motivating factor in her post-partum recovery came before she delivered her second son. While she was six months pregnant and watching television one night, Munford-Clark began watching the Mrs. World Competition.

“I remember it very vividly. I was pregnant, tired and sitting on the couch watching TV and here were these married women, many of them with children, who were fit and competing in a pageant,” said Munford-Clark. She decided to make this a goal for herself and got online to investigate where she would begin on a state level. The Mrs. Ohio competition was set for the following July, and she decided that she wanted to be ready to compete.

Munford-Clark had her son in December, and with the combination of spiritual strength and physical fitness, began to search for pageant sponsors who would help cover the $4100 cost of competing in the pageant. At the same time, at the urging of a family member, she decided to develop an exercise video aimed directly at moms – one that would combine the spiritual component of prayer with the physical component of exercise.

The video definitely embraces the mind, body and spirit theme that Munford-Clark stresses. In it, she gives healthy living tips and talks about nutrition.

“I begin the video with a prayer and the idea of regaining control is infused throughout,” said Munford-Clark. “That is a message I feel is important – that you are in control and knowing that you can do all things through God.”

For her video, Munford-Clark chose two moms she knew. Munford-Clark felt that having real moms – not actors – was important to the authenticity of the video.

“One has a child under the age of one and the other has teenagers. I wanted to show that all moms can benefit from exercise – whether you just had your baby or if your child is an adult,” said Munford-Clark. “A lot of women say, ‘I just never lost those last 10 pounds.’ But you can do it.”

The video is broken up into three segments of approximately 10 minutes each. This was done to make it easier for moms who want to do just part of the video at a time.

“Sometimes I just do 10 minutes when I get up in the morning and then 10 again at night before bed,” said Munford-Clark. “I am a career mom, a wife and my time is limited like most women. But you can always do something. And if you do, your risk of disease is reduced and you will have more energy. That will translate to better relationships with your family and friends, and especially with that new baby.”

With the video complete and an outpouring of generous donations for the pageant fees, Munford-Clark traveled to Columbus over the July 10 – 11 weekend for the Mrs. Ohio pageant. While she says that competing in the pageant is a wonderful boost for your self-esteem, Munford-Clark stresses that is not the reason she chose to compete.

“I wanted to get my message out and I truly had a platform. I felt that the Mrs. Ohio pageant would be an excellent way to bless others with what I had learned about wellness for new moms,” said Munford-Clark.

Apparently the judges of the pageant were impressed with her vision, and they awarded her the Judges Award for Best Interview. The interview portion of the competition counted for 50 percent of the total points in the contest. She was awarded the Miss Congeniality prize and the overall prize of 1st runner up.

Munford-Clark hopes that her video will help her continue to get the word out about total fitness for moms.

“I can be overwhelming as a new mom,” said Munford-Clark. “But it helps to know that there is someone out there who has experienced the same thing. You can be blessed with a higher self-esteem.