Local Mom To Be In Shape Magazine

Fitness professional Dina Metrano has been working to get the word out about the benefits exercise can have in warding off depression - particularly the post-partum variety. And soon, she'll be able to get the word out to a sizeable audience with help from an article in Shape Magazine.

Metrano, a mother of four boys who lives in Lynnfield and who is a yoga/fitness instructor at Pumps in Wakefield, told Patch.com in a recent interview that after the birth of her youngest son, she found herself struggling with post-partum depression. "I didn't know what was wrong with me," she said. "I thought I was just in a funk." Still, she went about her daily business during this time and recalled that "I always felt better after exercising, it was like a roller coaster ride."

This is actually not the first time Metrano has appeared in Shape Magazine. She got a previous mention in the magazine for her "I Will Not Be Defeated" t-shirts, which she further discusses here on her website, and a photo of her appeared in another issue for a donation to "Pilates In Pink." The seeds for the upcoming magazine story were planted around the time of the t-shirt story, when Metrano suggested an article on easing depression through exercise.

"You see it a lot - and a lot of people don't recognize it," said Metrano. "I want people to understand that there's an out. Exercise just helps."

Metrano also points out that even just an occasional yoga class can go a long way in enhancing one's physical as well as mental well-being. "You don't have to work out like you're training for the Olympics all the time," she said. Along with the importance of exercise, Metrano also cites the importance of simply leaving some time for one's self.

Along with teaching yoga, Metrano has also done off-ice training for youth hockey players, and she also does athletic conditioning for girls' sports, as well as yoga classes for elementary school students. At Pumps, she has also been involved with the Spin For Matt - Mazz Appeal fundraiser that raised funds for a local boy battling leukemia.

In Lynnfield, parents whose children attend or have attended Huckleberry Hill Elementary School may also recognize Metrano as the woman who warms up the crowd right before the annual Fun Run event in May.