The Mommy Mile & The Start of Something New

Super late to the party, even by Netflix standards, my husband and I started watching Mad Men recently and the other night I made a remark. The main female characters were slighting a divorceé in the neighborhood over the fact that she walked.  And they didn’t know where she was going.

So, Marcus and I were talking about how women were in a lovely shape back in the mid-50s but weren’t pushing themselves through marathons or crowding into the next Zumba class at Lifetime Fitness. It was a totally different world. And he said, it was a world where families ate better. There weren’t the number of fast, convenient choices there are today… by a long shot. Those options that were available were considered too pricey on a regular basis. Therefore crazy workout regimens weren’t a needed thing for most, because they were eating well and doing hard work around the home as their substitution for working out.

Some people naturally love exercise.  It’s a drug– fueling them with endorphins throughout the day and keeping them sane once those wear down later in the day. Others think it’s a means to an end, your pants won’t be tight and they’ll be happier in the long run.

I love exercise when it’s fun. A great hip hop class, for instance, will get my heart rate up and a smile from me every time. But if there is too much going on in my life, it’s hard to get out there and get my dance on… or a walk… or anything else. I’m living a Mad Men exercise life in a day where the nutrition is a bit different.

It’s important to be real and be healthy. We’ve talked about that before. And in my busy life building a business this past year, it’s been hard to fit that exercise piece in much at all. So recently, I started doing a short Tabata routine in the morning before the boys woke up and we headed downstairs to have breakfast. One morning, they woke up early and came into our bedroom while I was in the middle of the routine.

And you know what? They laughed and asked immediately to join in.

Now, I can’t wake up any weekday morning without them asking if we’re going to do our workout routine. It’s hysterical. Now I’m the one laughing as they attempt to do mountain climbers by my side or a bur-pee just a little too close to me.

My mother was of the generation of moms who walked early each morning and that was something impressed on me. Maybe I’ll impress something on them through this short exercise routine that they’ll carry with them for years. Maybe they’ll want to be active long after they’re done playing tag or playing team sports.

I’m taking Logan with me to the MommyMile next weekend because he said he wanted to walk with me. So, we’re going to walk together. And maybe he’ll continue to encourage me on my #berealbehealthy journey that I veered off of for awhile because I was recreating my professional life. We’ll start this new adventure in some ways together.

If you’d like to sign up, you can do so right here.  Hope to see you out there next Saturday!