Mommy Excuses

There is no doubt that life as a stay-at-home mom is less than glamorous.  There are times when I have a great day but when, in the evening, I recount the day's events to Dave I'm struck by how a) boring and b) unimportant my work sounds.  The never ending loads of laundry, time outs, dirty dishes, wrestling matches, trips in and out of the car, and house cleaning can leave one to feel sorry for oneself.  It's easy to long for a different life.  Remember when you were patted on the back at work for a job well done?  Remember when you had cute clothes and a cute body to go in them?  Remember when you could set goals and have the means to accomplish them?  And it's all THEIR fault.  Those little people who ruin everything!

Yuck.

This attitude which is so pervasive in the world of young moms and one that I have been guilty of plenty of times is just plain ugly.  Remember those days as a working woman that you longed to stay at home and have babies?  Yep, the grass is always greener.

I recently took an unexpected trip home to WA and stayed with my family for two weeks.  I must say, my sister, Nicole, has every reason in the world to complain and wallow in her circumstances.  She recently had her third baby, just moved to a new house, has endured the longest flu that wiped out her entire family multiple times, and her husband, an accountant, is working 12 hour shifts, 6 days a week.  Ugh.  I kept saying, "No, really, how ARE you?"  Every time, she said, "great"....and meant it.  Nicole finds joy in her task in the life she CHOSE.  She doesn't resent her husband for being an extremely hard worker and for supporting her family.  She doesn't resent her children when they are, all three, climbing on her like a jungle gym as she is attempting to accomplish a task.  She chooses joy.

I must admit that I am the queen of excuses.  There is a triathlon that starts 100 yards away from my house that I've been wanting to do for SIX years.  Each year there has been an overriding excuse.  Some of them have been legitimate like being "great with child", but other times I invented some reason why it just wouldn't work out.  This year, I'm going for it.  I've paid my entry fee.  It's going to happen.  I have two small children at home, a busy schedule, an even busier partner, and I'm still doing it.

My list of excuses is a mile long:
I'm in terrible shape (thank you baby #2)
I hate swimming
I don't have a swimming suit
I've never done a long race
I'm busy with other commitments
It's cold
My toe hurts

You get the picture.

This morning, I decided to go for a 10.6 mile bike ride.  I didn't want to go.  Excuses were running through my head at warp speed.  It was raining, there were trees and branches down in the road because of yesterdays flash flooding.  But, I saddled up and did it.  It. was. glorious!  At about mile 6, a car pulled up, honking behind me.  It was Dave with the kids.  I got a kiss from my trusty coach, Jack, and kept on going. I got poured on, soaking wet, but it didn't matter. Will I break any records at this race?  Certainly not, but I will teach my children how to set a goal and accomplish it.  I will teach them how important it is to care for our bodies and chose exercise over other activities.  

Happy Mama done with the ride

 If you are a Mama and are wanting to set some fitness goals, may I suggest a few tips?

1. Set a firm goal that has nothing to do with weight.  When we have a goal number in mind, we tend to only put in the work up to that point and then loosen the reigns and gain it right back.  Consider a fitness goal like a distance to run or being able to hold a plank for a certain number of minutes or a race of some kind.

2. Get your children involved.  I run three times a week with both my kids in the double jogging stroller.  When I feel tired I make Jack say, "Good job, Mama.  You're doing great, Mama.  Keep going, Mama."

3. Get your partner on board.  Tell them in advance when you'd like to work out, plan things for them to do with the kids while you are gone, etc.

4. Choose it.  You cannot do it all.  When you have a choice between a clean toilet and going for a run, choose the run.  Just let it go.

5. Set out your clothes the night before.  Get your stroller out, fill up your water bottle, pack diapers and snacks for the kids all the night before.  If it is all ready to go, you'll have one less excuse in the morning.  Another thing that works well for me is to leave the kids in their jammies and go before breakfast.  I just put cereal in a little cup for Jack, change their diapers but leave them in their jammies, throw a blanket on them and go.

6. Don't stop.  If you fall off the wagon, don't stop. Don't feel like you have to start over, just keep going from where you left off or take one step back and keep going.

No more excuses.