Find all of my 31 Moments of Motherhood posts here.
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[Lights come up on a woman in workout clothes.There is a table to the side with a plate of spaghetti, a remote control, and an alarm clock.]
Me
I knew that I would never make it to the gym on a regular enough basis for it to be worth it, so I decided that I needed to find ways to exercise at home.
But the truth is? Trying to get in a workout at home with young kids is just a smidgen short of a miracle.
I tried exercise videos…[stepping back into “scene”]
“Okay kids, this will only take me…19 minutes. I promise! [starts doing knee raises] What? You need to go the bathroom? And some juice? [Phone rings…she picks up remote control and turns it off.]
I tried sneaking in yoga routines…
[Downward facing dog pose] Hey, wait…don’t crawl under me while I’m doing my yoga! [high plank pose] And no climbing on top of mama…I might collapse on the kid WHO IS UNDER ME.
I had pretty good success sneaking out for evening runs…when the daylight lasted past dinner…
[Picks up plate of spaghetti, and shovels in a few big mouthfuls before putting plate back down] Okay, everyone has their dinner…I just ate a plateful of pasta…and I’m off to go running. [Holds stomach and forces a grin] Here I go!
I even tried waking up before the kids to exercise…
[Alarm clock beeps, and she walks over to turn it off] 5:30? I’m up, I’m up. Just need to tiptoe down the stairs, put on my sneakers in the dark, and hope that I don’t fall asleep mid-sentence this afternoon.
None of the “tactics” were that pleasant, and some of them were downright frustrating. Try doing squats while holding a fussy toddler, and you will know what I mean. But every time I drag myself out of bed early to go to a hot yoga class or leave my cozy couch in the evening for a run, I come back feeling energized and more able to do my job as a mom.
It is always worth it. Always.
[Lights down.]
