Health and Exercise

I have struggled with exercise over the last few years. Prior to B's arrival I was going to Curves 3-4 time a week. I was able to continue this right up till about the 30th week of my pregnancy. I was really fit and felt really good at the time. Unfortunately after his arrival I no longer had the time or money to keep it up.

I have let my fitness (or lack thereof) slide recently and have been saying to myself that it would have to wait till he goes to school and I have a bit more time to myself. One day it hit me that that will not happen for another 2 years and that is a LONG time to neglect such an important thing.

I still do not have the money to join a gym and then leave B somewhere. I purchased a Wii a couple of years ago and while he was still napping in the afternoon I would do the Wii Fit while he was asleep. As he has stopped that I haven't been able to do it. I could do it after he goes to sleep at night but I'm usually too tired then. I know, it is an excuse and I will look at breaking that and getting it out again.

In the meantime, last week I decided that I could walk. It's free and I can do it whenever it suits. So every day (except for the 2 days I work) I have got B on his bike and we have gone on a brisk 30 minute walk. The other day I walked to a nearby park which is about 15 minutes walk away so he got out and had a play then I walked home again so it was still my 30 minutes but broken up in the middle. Where I live is quite hilly so I am not only walking up hills but pushing a bike and a 16kg toddler so really feel like it leads up to a good workout. Or at least, as good as I can get at the moment.

My commitment was tested this afternoon as just as I was thinking we should go there was a huge thunderstorm rolling through. I got us out of the house quickly and walked even quicker to try and beat the rain. And beat it we did - by about 10 minutes!!

I am already feeling much better by this exercise and think it is great for both of us to get out and exercise together. I have also noticed on the days we go for our walk/ride that B goes straight to sleep at night instead of bouncing off the walls for about half an hour (or longer). Definitely motivation to keep going - hehe!!

Another area I'm working on is my diet. It is generally pretty good as I want to set a good example for B and have him enjoy healthy food. I tend not to keep unhealthy food in the house but sometimes I buy a block of chocolate as a "treat" for myself. Over January I read Peter Walsh's books. One of them is called "Does this Clutter Make my Butt Look Fat?" It really resonated with me that clutter can be tied into weight. I have been working really hard at decluttering (another post on that later). But one thing that really resonated was he said to ask yourself "does this help me live the life I want?" (I have paraphrased here) It was a bit of an a-ha moment and I realised that even though I enjoyed my "treats" in the short term in the long term they were not doing me any favours. I am not one of those people who can have chocolate in the house and just have a little. If you are I really admire your willpower but if it's there I eat it!!

So there it is - more ways for me to look after myself and I look forward to reaping the benefits of my new regime. I will keep this up - if only to get an early night!!!