Excercise-A Healthier Mind and Body

"How old is your baby?"
"6 weeks"
"You look great for having a 6 week old!"
"Thanks!"

But I don't mean thanks.  I mean, please, Mrs Stranger, don't comment on my body, especially since I just gave birth.  I'm not sure why people feel it's appropriate to talk about my weight at any time, especially after it's just multiplied exponentially.  I'm not wearing these yoga pants because I think they're the height of fashion!  It's because they're the only pants I own that fit!!  I know they're just being nice, and trying to pay me a compliment, but all it does is make me feel self-conscious. 

When I originally started this blog, my description of what I would be writing about included exercise, a word I later went back and deleted because I felt like I wasn't really addressing it.  Well now I am, kind of.  SO, to you, Mrs Stranger, I'm going back to the gym!



I first started exercising after Ellie was born.  We got a family pass to the YMCA through Evan's work.  I never really learned how to exercise since I didn't play any sports in High School.  (Well, I WAS in the band, which is kind of like MMA, in that we both wore outfits (us, polyester pants that went up to our armpits and polyester jackets, MMA garbage-bag like sweatsuits) that were designed to make us sweat the weight off. )  I signed up for an intro program that was almost like having a personal trainer.  I would meet with the instructor 3 times over 6 weeks and she would teach me how to use all the machines in the Wellness Center.  I had a card I filled out each time I exercised, which had to be 3 times a week for at least 1/2 hour, that she was supposed to check periodically. I recorded which machines, the amount of weight I lifted, or the duration of time I did cardio.  I really enjoyed it.  I held me accountable and MADE me make the effort to get there and exercise. 

We are lucky enough to have babysitting at our YMCA and we have a fantastic staff that does a great job with my kids.  When my intro program was over, the babysitting (Child Watch) staff became my accountability.  If I missed a few days, someone would say, "We haven't seen you in awhile!"  I know they didn't mean it to sound like they were making sure I was exercising, but it was someone who noticed when I wasn't there and that made me feel like I had to get up early every morning, before taking Caden to preschool at 9, to do my 1/2 hour of cardio.  (I stopped lifting weights as soon as I was done with the intro program.  SOMEONE, made a comment about my muscular arms and it made me self-conscious.  (Uncle Rob!!!!  Steve too. He's not blameless!))  I got a little obsessive about it and started going 6 days a week, mostly because the kids had swimming or some other Y activity that got me there anyway. When I got hooked on books again, after a LONG stretch of not reading, I relished my time on the elliptical because it gave me 1/2 hour of uninterrupted reading time.  It was AWESOME!

When I was in my third trimester with Vince, I stopped going. I was just too tired to get up and get the kids there, then work out and manage the rest of the day.  After he was born I tried to get back into the groove of getting up and going every day again, but I just couldn't manage it.  I had preschool drop-off and pick-up and activities...it was just too hard to squeeze it all in.  So I quit going regularly. 

Today marks Olivia's 6 week birthday!  You know what else happens at 6 weeks?  Babies are old enough to go to Child Watch and mom's are cleared by their doctor to resume exercising.  So I've decided that once I get the big kids on the bus, I'm heading to the Y.  I don't have preschool drop off and pick-up to worry about, just Vince's activities, which ARE kind of at a bad time to work in  exercise, but I have to remember how much I really loved going after Ellie was born.  I felt stronger, healthier and good about myself, because I lost her baby weight and could fit back in my old clothes!  So in an effort to live a healthier lifestyle I'm going to do it.  (And lose the 20 lbs I still need to go before I'm back to pre-Olivia weight.  Which, who am I kidding, is the real reason I'm going to the Y.  All the other stuff I just said is to make me feel less vain!)