Lawyer balances fitness instruction with work, parenting and pregnancy

Lesley Dormeyer of Cape Girardeau plays many roles throughout the day as a lawyer, Beachbody coach, group fitness instructor, mother to a 3-year-old son and wife to a lawyer -- all while pregnant with a daughter who's due Aug. 22.

But that isn't slowing her down.

Dormeyer's day starts with her own workout routine about 5:30 a.m., even if she has fitness classes scheduled that day.

"Me teaching is for the people who come to class, not for me," said Dormeyer, who has been a Beachbody coach for two years and a fitness instructor for five years.

She teaches PiYo, Turbo Kick, Insanity and spinning classes at Saint Francis Medical Center's Fitness Plus and Snap Fitness. During her first and second trimesters, she also taught ab and weightlifting classes.

As a lawyer, Dormeyer works 40 hours a week in the office, plus the extra hours spent responding to emails in the morning and evening. She also spends about 15 hours a week as a Beachbody coach and fitness instructor.

While adding the workout classes to her schedule may make her life seem chaotic, Dormeyer said being a fitness instructor and working out regularly are her stress relievers.

"I'm an attorney, and my husband's an attorney. It gets very stressful, obviously," she said, adding she also learned during her first pregnancy she has ulcerative colitis, a disease that causes inflammation in the digestive tract.

"If I don't keep my stress under control, then that will flare up," she said.

Her son, Kolten, also has his own workout routine he wants to do, she said, and he sometimes asks to do Turbo Kick.

"On the weekend, we go to the playground, and I'm the crazy parent running around doing everything their kid does," she said. "He definitely knows what a fit and active lifestyle is."

And as for the baby, to be named Kyra, Dormeyer said working out is "like rocking a baby to sleep."

When Dormeyer didn't do her normal morning workout a couple weeks ago and only taught a spinning class, the baby moved all day, she said.

"She was upset she didn't get her morning workout in, because that's her nap time," she said.

Dormeyer hopes her active lifestyle will inspire other parents to stay active, she said. She's creating a website, lesleydormeyer.com, to help people on their fitness journey and also encourages those who are interested in learning more to email her at lesleydormeyer@yahoo.com.

At her classes, Dormeyer said she has noticed the people working out are trying harder.

"Whatever I do, they try to do more, because they see someone that's gained 50 pounds while I've been coming to class," she said. "People try harder when I'm still trying with them."

One of the more challenging parts of working out while pregnant, Dormeyer said, is not being able to do as much anymore. But she plans to stay active through the rest of her pregnancy.

"I go to bed pretty easily and sleep pretty deep right now," she said. "I'm satisfied with life, and I'm happy where it's at."

klamb@semissourian.com

388-3639