Since becoming a mom almost two and a half years ago, the time I’m able to devote to sweating has greatly diminished. Before kids it wasn’t uncommon to go for a leisurely run, then take a yoga class, and then follow all that up with a swim at my local beach. Now I’m lucky to get out the door for a quick walk around the block! And I know I’m not alone in this scenario. Some days I still get bummed out about not having as much flexibility (literally and figuratively!), but I’ve found that if I look for things I have to do to double as a workout, I end up feeling pretty accomplished.
Just last week I had to do the “water run” for my yoga studio. This is the chore I loathe the absolute most. It requires a trip to my local wholesale club, loading up a big cart full of cases of water, unloading them into my car, driving to the studio, and then unloading those waters. Sounds fun, right?!
When water run day was upon me, I found myself with no one to hang with my 9 month old daughter. I wasn’t quite sure what to do, since the evening yoga students would not be happy to see an empty cooler. Realizing that I could strap my girl into the baby carrier and treat the water run a little bit more like a workout actually got me pumped up! As we made our way through the store and I lifted the waters from the shelf onto the cart then into my car, all 21 pounds and 7 ounces of her provided some great weighted squats. The smell of her sweet baby hair made the “workout” completely bearable too!
This experience was just a routine responsibility that provided an opportunity to be turned into something more. Our days are filled with this kind of stuff. Giving ourselves credit for checking off the daily tasks and realizing that chores and errands can also count for something else feels so productive.
So walk to the corner store to pick up a gallon of milk rather than drive. Play on the playground with the kids (when did the monkey bars get to hard?!). If doing laundry means multiple trips down and up to and from the basement, consider that your stair master for the day.
Life is busy and crazy and constantly changing. Feel good about what you can do, what you did accomplish and relish in that. If there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish a “pre-baby workout,” there are certainly not enough hours in the day to worry about it.
Happy Sweating!
