Exercise that makes sense to me.. The Mom vs. the Warrior

I went to the gym yesterday morning. And I was very happy to note that I did not die on my strength training and actually had that awesome running feeling at one point after the 5 minutes of oh-my-god-my-legs-are-going-to-explode bit at the beginning. The awesome “oh wow! What a cool feeling to be running! I FEEL LIKE A GAZELLE!” feeling lasted for a whole 4 minutes! (I honestly nearly giggled out loud).

I get the Spartan WOD (work out of the day) emails. And it’s really a bit of a joke. I can’t even do 1 burpee- never mind 30, with a 4 mile run and 100 crunches. I mean c’mon! besides the fact that I physically cannot DO that.. who the hell has *time* for that??? So..  I continue to get the emails because, hey, everyone needs a good chuckle in the morning.

That brings me to this question then:

How DO they find the time? If I had no family, no Hubby, no JOB and no house I might be able to devote the time required to do that level of training (again, a bit of suspended disbelief is in play here as I still can’t do a frickin’ burpee or a full push up..).

Clearly the above is not my case, and having highly active kids (yes.. We may do too much, but there are worse things you know!) begs the question: how do I find time to get into reasonable enough shape to a) complete the Spartan  that I have registered for in 5 months and b) not have a heart attack trying?

Well- by being a little inventive for one; and trying to commit to a certain time at the gym. I have decided that I can manage 2x per week at the gym. If I can get an extra in, that is even better. And the rest of the time? Gotta start being inventive.. Go sledding. Seriously.. real honest to goodness sledding is a work out (as long as you actually get on the sled- standing around chatting doesn’t count! J). The walk back up the hill 20 times in a row certainly counts as a work out to me. I am usually sweating and feeling it by the end of an hour on the hill.. Skating outside with the kids is another way- now that the deep freeze has passed I think I will start lacing up and getting out there with Jac and David (and bring James along too!) for some good old fashioned skating.

Other options: swimming. Not “I am off to do a billion laps” swimming. Good old free swim with the kids. IF you are playing with them, you are moving. That is better than sitting on your @$$ doing diddly… And the champion home-grown exercise in my house: the Wii.. yep. Just Dance 4 (or 3 or any one you might have) will give you a serious cardio workout in my house. We are very serious about our dancing- we get into tank tops and yoga pants,  and bare feet so you don’t  go careening into your fellow dancer (or a an innocent family member spectator). Water bottles are a must and you gotta crank the volume.

So while it may not be the Sunday version of the WOD “Long, aerobic run. 1-3 hours”, but when you are so many things to so many people (and you want to be the best you can for each of course) it is important to try to lead a healthy active life, not only to teach your kids, but so you can be around to be an active grandparent and – dare I say it? Even be a great-grandparent. But I have to do it in the way that makes sense for me. With that in mind- I will go sledding tomorrow with Beavers, I will try to get to the gym as much as I can- but I will not sacrifice my life that I love so much for exercise. I aim to incorporate exercise and a healthier lifestyle into my life, my family, and even my friends (it is contagious you know).

Be active, but do not give up your life to do so. and hey, why NOT get the family involved too? Isn't that part of what we are trying to teach, do and live? Ski, skate, sled, swim, play at the park.. go to the gym once in a whole too, if you can fit it in. But it is ok if you can't- as long as you are moving- right?

Maybe that is how I will start to see Mom the Warrior, instead of the Mom vs. the Warrior.