Sweet!

I came across this video last night while searching for a photo for Jonathan to use for a school paper. the kids thought it was really cute. So do I. Enjoy! It takes us back a few years...that little boy is gone, replaced by a bigger boy with more developed vocabulary...

Are you an exercise addict?

OK. I'm back. Sort of. I did go and tackle that silly Midnight Mansion game...taa daa! Mommy is not so lame after all!! Then, I was done. And I didn't come back here. My bad...

So! I read an article in Fitness magazine that has stuck with me. The title was something along the lines of "Are you addicted to exercise?" It was an interesting article...gladly I can say "NO!" Especially today, when all I really want to do is sit and whine about my sore bum, sore hamstrings and quads, sore deltoids (!) (exclamation point! ~ because I usually can't work my delts long enough to get them sore as my shoulder joint tends to whine before I reach the point of muscle fatigue.) AnyHoo!! Where was I? Oh, yes...I. am. sore.

I enjoy exercise. I teach BootCamp 3x a week...really the name just sounds tough. I do a variety of lighter weight, higher rep exercises, usually hitting most muscle groups with occasional cardio bursts. It's not a cake walk, but not like the Army, I dare say. And I lead a group cycle class 2x a week. We all sit on special bikes made for group cycling and do whatever circuit I have come up with...like stand on a hill (resistance turned up), sit with a sprint, jumps...whatever I decide goes with the group of songs I have put together on a CD. Then, on Monday, I got a call from the Y. Could I take the TTh pm BootCamp class too? Uh...NO! Michael said not both, one would be OK. I guess he really doesn't want to see me grouchy because I am totally exhausted! So, for the next 6 weeks, I have added Tues eve BootCamp from 5:30-6:30pm...followed by Wed morning BootCamp from 6-7am. Do the math...less than 12 hours apart...woe is me...;-)

So this article talked about some women who would get up early and go for a run, you know, 6 miles or something, before going to work. Oh, and they'd walk or bike to work. Then they'd grab a quick Yoga class at lunch, and they'd pop into the gym after work to swim a couple miles. I'm thinking, "Do you have a life? Like, when do you get your laundry done? Must not have kids?" I don't know...One lady said she was ashamed to admit she turned her husband (maybe boyfriend, can't remember) down on a weekend he had planned out of town because she didn't want to miss her planned workouts. WOW! Now, these ladies are addicts! The article told of some of these people actually getting help, counseling, for the addiction. It's a real problem...

Me? I can skip it if I want. That said, I like that I lead the exercise groups. Otherwise I wouldn't be at the Y at 6am, and then I have to drag my kids into daycare, and out...(sometimes that's harder!). I like my exercise. It's helped me lose 25#, give or take depending on the week. I hope to lose up to 60#...a lofty goal, but achievable. I have lost, thanks to exercise, over 25 inches too! And that's exciting! Still, I am glad to know I am NOT an exercise addict. If I can find someone to sub my class, I'll gladly go away for the weekend...

How do you get it all done?

A friend, Jen, recently posted "How do people "do it all"? I often wonder the same thing. Usually when I am trying like mad to get the kids to nap. So! I know I should get exercise. And I know it's good for the kids to play, and run, and get dirty, and have a snack, and get naps. I'd like to scrapbook and preserve their (and our) memories. But how to you get it all done? How can I get exercise if I have to load the kids into a stroller, which means they aren't playing and running? If I let them play and run in the yard, I walk around a little, and water the plants, and clean up the flower beds and pots, and pull some weeds, and push some little one in the swing, and...zzzzzzzzzz...snore!... NOT A WALK! If I choose to go to the YMCA, I am bringing my kids to the daycare there which means, yes, they are running and playing, but they are not getting fresh air. If I get on the treadmill at home, I am on and off, and on and off, and on and off, getting a snack, or getting a drink, or pulling Jonathan off of Annisia, or changing a diaper, or checking to see where my little ones are (if they're outside). You get the picture. Speaking of pictures...

This is how Mommy gets to maybe use the treadmill. Gates, chairs...all so the wee one doesn't decide to join in.

Back to our topic...
How do you get it all done? I don't relish the thought of walking on the treadmill in the hot sunroom in the summer...and doing it at naptime. I'd rather do something like check my email, post a blog(!), get some chores done, scrapbook (yeah right!), nap (YEAH RIGHT!)...Mayhaps that's my only time to do it some days. What do you think?