What haven’t I done to get my workouts in? Almost nothing. Am I addicted to exercise? No. I’m addicted to feeling great, running fast, sweating as much as any human can sweat and eating back all of the calories I burn off. If that’s wrong, I don’t want to be right.
One of many vacation gym workouts! This was taken at Caesar’s in Las Vegas. It was in a basement type room and those “plants” outside the window are fake and are on a rooftop. #WorstViewEver
When I got pregnant with the twins, people had a lot of shit to say, as you can imagine. One of the most popular topics was of course my fitness and how it may change. There were more then enough women telling me my running life would have to take a back seat and many more relating their tales of woe and how it all went downhill after little demons started ruling their lives.
The difference between me and most of these women was this: I actually want to work out. I want to run, bike and swim until I can barely breathe and, something told me I would be feeling an even greater need to get out and run after having not one, but two baby boys.
I was right.
In the six years since their birth, I have gone to some disturbing great lengths in the name of fitness. I remember the time when I…
...signed-Up for a triathlon three months after they were born
Yes. I did that. I’ve written about it because when you go that far off the rails, it’s just too good of a story not to tell. I think I blocked most of the training out because I haven’t a clue how I biked and ran (I refused to swim) to get anywhere race ready in time for my very first triathlon ever. I did it though and it’s one of my proudest accomplishments. Postpartum, it was one of the only things that made me feel like myself again and that was worth more then sleep at the time. Truly.
My very first triathlon. I had a mountain bike with road bike tires on it. #ForReal
…did P90X and other ridiculousness in the living room
For the first six months of the boy’s life, or the time I refer to as “pre- B.O.B. running stroller,” I was trapped in my living room for most of my workouts. I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to do some dreaded strength training and I knew someone who could loan me a copy of P90X. I hated it, but I did it. I enjoyed the plyometrics but little else.
I have one memory of trying to do some of the ab work. I was flat on my back grunting through leg lowers with basically no ab function whatsoever. I felt so weak and so unlike myself, and then my shirt came up a bit to give me a full on view of my flabby, deflated looking, post-twin belly. It was horrifying and I cried hard until the boys cries for food were louder then my own.
…asked people to watch my kids so I could race
I cannot tell you the number of times I have had to juggle the boys and a race, but I haven’t missed one yet. When they were younger I would have little sleep, lots of packing, instruction giving and more packing. The race was the easy part.
The boy’s babysitter and her daughter. She is my saving grace and I have no idea why she keeps coming back! #CrazyTown
…ignored security guards and ran though it anyway
Unlike when I’m on my bike, on foot I can easily go though, around and sometimes over almost any road block. I’ve been yelled at by security, police officers and road workers alike but I pretend I can’t hear them over my iPod. I have yet to feel like my life was endangered any more then simply being out on the road with traffic.
…woke up at a very un-vacation-like hour on vacation
I’m either cursed or blessed that no one else in my family runs. Since I don’t have the excuse of running with someone else later in the morning, I have woken up at 5am on family vacations, to get my run in, for years. Most of the time it’s very rewarding and I can run out to the ocean or check out the downtown area when no one else is around. Plus, the sunrises are pretty amazing.
I could actually feel my soul smile when I saw this in the early morning hours in San Francisco.
One vacation in particular, when my brother and I were both newly married, we left our respective spouses to fend for themselves with my evil grandmother very early one morning. I don’t think either one of us told them our pre-dawn plans, and they woke-up to my 90-year-old nasty Cuban grandmother in the kitchen and no one else. Surprise! That’s what you get when you’re not a runner.
This is a picture from that long ago vacation. That’s my grandma’s happy face.
The point to my confessions is this: Make excuses to exercise instead of coming up with all the reasons why you can’t. Anything is possible if you make it a priority.
[Tweet “What is your best excuse to fit in fitness? Anything is possible when you make it a priority!”]
What have you done in the name of fitness?
How do you fit workouts into your busy schedule?
LOVE THIS
and my first thought was NOTHING REALLY HERE and then I realized it’s because it’s everything here.
talking the steps in a hotel and leaving the fam at the elevator.
parking faarrrrrrr away.
challenging the child to a playground competition.
all that.
I need to harness your efforts and momentum here as well and be glad Ive no Cuban grandmother? 🙂
That’s exactly what it’s ALL about…but you knew that because you wrote the book on it!
What can I say, but you are awesome and seriously need you around more often as far as exercise and fitness are concerned, because you really are so inspiring;)
Thanks so much Janine!! I know you pack a lot into your day – it doesn’t have to be fitness 🙂
Ha this is hilarious and so true and relatable. I think anyone who enjoys running or working out can appreciate this! I’ve never put my life in danger but I have done a lot of crazy stuff while working out. I’m terrified of getting in trouble by police so crossing lines is something I actually haven’t done!
That is too funny!! Usually they are just fixing a road or cutting back trees so I run onto someone’s lawn and around all of it…safely 🙂
I totally agree with the principles of this post! 99% of the time I’m right with this no excuses/make time/rearrange schedule etc. but I have to be a voice for those who try their best (what you can when you can?! :)) I also exercise to feel great and amazing and most times help clear my mind but there are also stretches of time where things are out of balance at work, or even at home. No excuses but sometimes I am needed so desperately in one of those areas that running to the gym ain’t an option. On another note, I really wish I liked p90x.
I couldn’t agree more – there are absolutely times when you just can’t possibly fit in fitness but that’s not an excuse, that’s LIFE!
I wish I liked P90X too, especially in those early months with the boys. It was torture!
This was a great article. I’m sending yhe link to my good frind in FL. She just turned 40…& found out she is pregnant with her 4th baby. She is a fitness freak and a peraonal trainer. She is so nervous how her life is going to change with being older. She had her first 3 kids when she was in her twenties. Everyday she’s like “I don’t know anyone who is 40 and pregant and loves an active lifestyle.” I need to get her to read some of the blogs you have written about…I think that will really give ber i sight that she is not alone and can do it! Thanks, Allie! Always a pleasure reading!
OMG yes! She is NOT alone and I would love to talk with her. It can be so isolating to be “older” and active but it can be done and done well. Thank you so much for this and I hope your friend is motivated and comforted by it 🙂
I love this :). I have done some pretty crazy (I mean this only in the best of ways) things to get my runs in too :). Like you said I enjoy it! Some people like to get up at the crack of dawn to fish or to hunt or to golf and no one gives them a hard time….for me, I run! I have some interesting running stories from when my kids were little. I didn’t race then, but I still ran a lot. I ran while I was pregnant :). I ran about 3 weeks after they were born (slow and short, but I still have interesting stories). I had a full time job teaching preschool until my girls were 4 and 6 and now I home school. It basically comes down to you make time for what you want to do. I want to run. I will rearrange what I need to and go at anytime of the day pretty much :). I wake up early and go on vacation too :). The one time I didn’t was when we went to Disney! I was dead tired!!!! We were doing Disney from 8am till midnight everyday…that was enough exercise :)!
OMG the one time I didn’t run on vacation was also at Disney! I was WAY too tired from all that is Disney!!!
And yes, whatever your passion is you can MAKE time to make it happen. I know you know this all too well. Thanks Jen!
That is SO funny!!!!! Great minds think alike :). I totally brought my running stuff and planned on running before we got our Disney days started, but I was so DEAD (we were determined to get every minute of Disney in that we possibly could)! It was so worth it though. We had the best time and some of the best memories…I am pretty sure we walked a million miles!!!
Exactly! My boys were only 4 at the time so I was just completely spent. Between caring for them, packing everything we needed for a day in the park and then walking, walking and more walking, I needed all the recovery I could get in-between days. It was an amazing vacation though and I can’t wait to to bring them back!
I love it!! Great reflections on really wanting something and then doing it!
You got it Kris! Thank you!
Yep! It’s all so true! Like you, I found my need for exercise increased with kids, rather than decreased. Although with #2 this year has been a lot harder, but it’s starting to get easier again as breastfeeding is now behind me. Woohoo!
Luckily (I think?) I had two at once so I didn’t experience that second child thing but I can only imagine how hard it is having a newborn and a toddler/pre-schooler. Being a mom and an athlete is tough all around and I know you have made a lot of sacrifices in the name of fitness!! Keep up the 5K work Laura 🙂
Love this… and your first sentence about if this is wrong, you don’t want to be right….agreed!! The dreaded 5am exercise dvd…I’ve done that…my least favorite way to exercise is doing a dvd in my house…but if I have to, I will. Getting up at 5:30 am to run on vacation, you already know I’m guilty of that as well. And as the kids get older, it gets easier…. they get to an age when you can leave them at home by themselves while you go for an hour run….that’s life changing!
I couldn’t agree more about the dreaded DVD exercise experience. I just don’t like exercising inside my house at all!! And yes, it’s already easier with the boys now and at least I can do hill repeats out my front door and still watch them play in the front yard. One step closer…
Thanks Paria.
yes amen! ditto to the max and infinite plus 1 🙂
i basically make everything fit around my fitness, my fitness comes first. growing up with major scoliosis, going to a chiro 5 x per week from 11-20 years old, then having spinal fusion – those all have shaped my life and made me a person that truly values fitness. i may have had spinal fusion, but i know i need to move my body in order to feel better. and hello, it helps my BRAIN and sanity 🙂 happy wife brain, happy home. i have rarely had a trip where i didn’t work out… if i know i’m going to miss some exercise, i plan for it and just embrace the moment. ok so maybe i go a little extreme the days leading up and after, but i’m not crazy. i still know how to enjoy myself! i happen to like feeling good, there ain’t no shame in my game girlfriend! in fact my meeting this morning was held during a nice 2 hour walking session.. gotta love this healthy life we’re living! have an awesome day!!!
YES the brain help is priceless! And so glad you’re having moving meetings – how cool is that??
I think you nailed it exactly – none of this seems crazy to me because I want to workout and sweat my face off too. To the person who doesn’t, of course they are going to think it’s nuts. I think they are nuts for not wanting to do the same thing!
Exactly! I know we speak the same language here, right down to the twin factor 🙂
I’m pretty sure I’m crazy when it comes to getting my runs in, because none of this seems too crazy to me. The craziest one I’ve done is run over and over again around a block on vacation to get in an hour long run. In grad school I’d put my research note cards on the treadmill so I could run during weeks of heavy studying!
Sounds completely normal! LOL. Those loop runs are the worst. In a particularly bad winter here, I did 3-mile loops around my neighborhood to get a 15-mile long run done. It was pretty boring!
I know someone who would show up at a race and try to find someone at the race to watch their kids while they were racing. I’m going to guess you never did that. lol
OMG NO! Now THAT is a little nuts…although it probably would make me run faster 🙂
Love this:) I may or may not have seen a ‘no trespassing ‘ sign in Coronado and got yelled at for trespassing onto the U.S. Navy Seal training beach:) good looking guys though I must say:)
That sounds 100% worth it! 🙂
Love this post! I honestly think I’m going to be the same way when I’m a mom, because I really enjoy working out and do everything in my power to get my workouts in — including working out at 11 pm or canceling social plans once in awhile 😉 Oh and I just realized that I have a good answer to this: In the name of fitness, I’ve worked out in both mother-in-law and father-in-law’s houses with random in-laws and people watching me just so that I could get a workout in that day (one of those times was Christmas Eve before the festivities started, haha).
Gotta love that!! Not awkward at all, right? LOL – good for you!
I’ll do all kinds of crazy things to make time to workout… and when I went to an office I was notorious for coming in sweaty from lunch. NO shame.
That tri thing though… you are a beast. Rock on.
There is no shame in office sweat 🙂 Keep it up!…if you ever go into an office, which I hope you never have to do!
Not any more! Woot!
I’ve left a screaming baby in the arms of my husband to head out on a run…that was just last week. I felt a little guilty but he wouldn’t give me the baby, he said “GO!” I think he knows that when I don’t run I get super cranky, it was probably a move of self-preservation on his part. HA! I get it. I need to sweat and move, maybe it’s an addiction but it’s a good one.
I have left screaming babies as well and have come back better for it. It’s nice to have husband’s that actually get our crazy and help us run it out 🙂
I don’t know how I missed this! I definitely agree with you that fitting in workouts is possible if you want to make it happen. You can make an excuse or you can overcome the excuse. I too got a lot of isht when I was preggers about how much I was working out and what I was doing. It was annoying. I felt great when I was active! And I still do!
Exactly!! You have done a great job of fitting in your workouts and incorporating Cooper! I wish I could have done more then stroller runs with the boys but I couldn’t handle baby yoga, etc. with both of them!!