There’s nothing quite like putting on a swim suit to realize what kind of shape you are (or aren’t) in! I’d like to say that I’m just as fit and trim as I was a few years ago, but that just wouldn’t be true. I’ve found that being a mother to young children hasn’t helped me maintain as healthy a lifestyle as I’d like. However, I have managed to do a few things that have kept me from becoming a total couch potato!
Not long after my youngest child was born, I promised myself that I would never let more than a week slip by without a formal workout. I’ve gone a bit longer than that a time or two, but I generally stick to this promise. My goal was and is to keep exercise a part of my life so that when my children are all a bit more independent, I won’t have to relearn the habit.
Another thing I’ve done to ensure that I fit exercise into my days is to be flexible. Before I had children, I woke up at the crack of dawn to hit the gym. The idea of doing that now is laughable. One of my children is a horrible sleeper. I can’t remember the last time I had a full night of sleep. I’m certainly not about to make it worse by getting up earlier than necessary. So, I’ve learned to work out at different times of the day. Though I still prefer to exercise first thing in the morning, I’ve learned to enjoy the occasional afternoon workout as well.
Something else that has had to change is my idea of what exactly qualifies as a workout. There was a time when I thought a run of less than four miles wasn’t really a workout. Needless to say, my attitude about that has changed. If I wait until I have the time to do a longer workout, I’ll be waiting for a few days at least. Instead, I’ve learned to work with what I’ve got. My workouts are typically less than 30 minutes and sometimes as short as 15 minutes. I figure something is better than nothing!
Perhaps the hardest thing for me to accept has been that in order to take the time to work out, I have to take time away from something else. I’m not willing to let that be time that I would spend with my kids, so it’s usually the housework that has to go. Though it sometimes pains me to look at a sink full of dirty dishes, I know that I will get to them. It helps to remind myself that even if I do the dishes, there will still be more in a few hours. A workout is something that, like time with my children, can’t be undone. I think it’s safe to say there is no harm in relaxing housekeeping standards in order to take the time to improve one’s physical and mental health!
From workout videos, to walks and even trips to the gym, my workout routine is always adapting to my life as a wife and mother. It may not be ideal, but for now, it works. No, I didn’t love the arrival of swim suit season, but I can certainly think of many worse things. That’s good enough for now!
Tell me, how do you make exercise a part of your life? Busy moms want to know!