Back on the Exercise Bandwagon

This year has been up and down in terms of exercise. After the new year, I resolved to exercise at least four times a month. It wasn't a huge goal, but it was a 400% increase from what I was doing! 

I hit the 4 times/month goal, and then friends from Henry's school started a YMCA club, and we would go every Monday. With that commitment plus my frequent jog around the lake on Saturday morning, I started surpassing my goal. 

And then I threw out my back. And so I haven't been exercising at all. Just walking around the house was a big event for several weeks. 

My back is finally on the upswing, and so I am re-committing to bringing more exercise back into my life. I am so grateful for a body that can move without pain--I don't want to take a minute of it for granted. Our young bodies are fleeting, and I want to strengthen my body and take care of it as much as I can. Having two babies completely obliterated my core strength, which is why I want to bring yoga or pilates back into my life. 

We definitely don't want to incur more monthly costs, so it makes sense to attend classes at the YMCA, even though the timing of the classes is not great. I'll have to leave right after dinner and miss the bedtime routine. At least it's only once a week.

It's so hard to miss that time with my family. It feels so limited and precious. I also feel bad about putting extra work on Matt. But, at the end of the day, I owe it to myself and my family to take care of my body. 

On top of that, I'll try to jog two times a week: once on Saturday while the boys take Hoss to the dog park, and once during the week when I take Henry and Tate to the YMCA. It also looks like there's a Zumba class for kids on Sundays at the YMCA. I wonder if adults can do it alongside their children? That could be really fun.

Part of my feels really lame for being back in this space stating the same goals over again, but this is the reality of my life. Our lives are in large part our habits, and it's difficult to maintain healthy habits. It takes commitment and recommitment. So, I recommit to:

• Running twice a week for at least 30 minutes
• Stretching every night before bed
• Going to a yoga class once a week
• Treading water in the pool for 20 minutes as often as I can

These sound like lovely goals! And I'll be able to maintain the top three, even when the weather changes. Because the top three goals have specific slots in my calendar, it will be easier to turn them into habits. Hooray! 

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