A couple days ago someone left a comment on the Facebook Page:
Could you do me a solid and blog about when you have time to workout??
I had started writing a response to this question a couple days ago.
It had lots of tips and pointers in it.
But then I deleted it.
Because here is the thing.
I don’t have time to work out.
With a whole bunch of kids, five who are ten and younger and one who is still a year away from kindergarten, with not a lot of money at my disposal, with baseball and swim team and basketball and dance class and drums and coaching and homework and concerts and conferences and parties…
There is no time.
With jobs and bills and laundry and cooking and vacuuming and mowing and wiping and shopping and tidying and organizing and driving and all the other shit we moms (and dads) tell ourselves we have to do and we should do, there is definitely no time to exercise.
So I make the time.
If it’s a choice between folding clothes and going for a run, I’m lacing up my sneakers.
If it’s a choice between loading the dishwasher or getting to a yoga class on time, well, screw the dirty dishes.
If it’s a choice between taking a shower or going to the 4th grade class party in my stinky and sweaty gym clothes, um, the mom next to me will just have to plug her nose.
Because exercise for me is non negotiable.
It’s not really an option.
But how did I get to this point?
How did working out become a necessity? Something I looked forward to?
Well, that happened once the reason why I exercised shifted.
Finding the time to exercise became much easier when I started working out for my health and not because of the size of my muffin top or in order to fit into the jeans I wore before I had kids.
It’s not really about weight loss or a number on the scale for me.
It’s about staying sane. About not losing it on my kids. About not needing to take antidepressants.
It’s about not only being an active participant in my kids’ lives now when they are young, but also later. When they are older. When I might actually want to be friends with them. When they might have children of their own.
It’s about being able to do all the fun stuff I like to do now — like playing golf and horseshoes and running marathons and doing triathlons and body surfing and boogie boarding — when I’m in my seventies. And eighties.
And nineties.
It’s about knowing that if I had to, I could seriously kick someone’s ass.
Exercising isn’t optional.
It’s not a phase I go through to lose a few pounds.
It’s a part of my daily routine.
I need sleep.
Water.
Food.
Shelter.
And Exercise.
Working out makes me a better mom. A better wife. A better daughter.
Working out definitely makes me much less of a bitch.
Don’t get me wrong.
There are days when I don’t want to work out.
At all.
But I also don’t want to OD on another bottle of Xanax or spend another week in the psych ward of the hospital.
And when I look at it from that perspective, it’s kind of a no-brainer.
So I don’t know if that’s the answer that you were looking for.
But it’s really that simple.
I don’t have time to work out.
I make it.
Move your butt. Wear this t-shirt while you do it. Click here to get it.
I love this! I exercised before kids, during and during pregnancies. It’s not about being in shape or perfect either, a lot of it is showing our kids how to be healthy. I must ask how do you get up early to workout? I used too but have a hard time rolling out of bed!
Well, I’m more of a morning person, so that helps. But I also really focus on the feeling I’ll have when I know I can check working out off of my list of things to do rather than the feeling of not wanting to get out of bed 🙂
I treated exercise as optional for years before taking this course — and now it’s a daily part of my life, and I can do a headstand for the first time ever. It has also helped me treat other personal goals as non-optional, so def the best investment I’ve made this year. Highly recommended.
Joanna, you have done so well! Thank you! Keep it up!!!
Don’t make excuses, make time. You smart lady, you. Love this perspective.
I agree. Just have to make time. I like the slogan by Nike “Just do it”
Mmmmhmmmm. I get you. I need to laugh, sleep and workout to burn off the crazy too. And the timing thing is never easy, just necessary. I would just add to your FB commenter to make sure and do a workout you love, or at least one you don’t hate with a passion. And just go for 20 minutes. You can do a lot of good in 20 minutes, HIIT is one of the best bangs for your buck and you don’t have to spend 45-60 minutes doing it. Keeping the workouts short might also help us come back for more since they don’t seem so overwhelming and like such a time-suck.
What do you do when you work out? Weights, treadmill? What routine do you use?
Your words resonateswith me in ways you will never know. Before your xanax statement I thought oh here we go another exercising non meds comment. My luxury is not that great. My mental health requires the meds BUT I am so much better when I exercise. I had a recent really bad hospitalization that I attribute to being off the exercise wagon. Keep up the good work. Yesterday your FB post was nothing short of the bravest thing I have read in a while. You are a great read and a great mom. Thank you!
Now that exercise is a regular daily thing for me, people keep asking me how much more weight I am going to lose or when I will be done. I will never be done and the weight loss is a nice benefit. I just like me better now. I feel better; I sleep better; I can focus on tasks more; and I have confidence. As another person said, once I started making time for exercise, I figured out how to make time for other things that I had been neglecting.
YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!! Keep it up, Vicky. You are kicking ass and you are an inspiration.