My favorites:
It is too cold outside for me.
It is too cold outside for the kids.
The tire on the jogging stroller is flat.
It is windy.
It is rainy.
It is snowy.
It is hailing.
It looks like it is going to rain.
It rained last night and the ground is wet. I don't want to slip.
My feet hurt.
I need new running shoes.
My back hurts.
I was up all night with the baby.
I stayed up too late blogging.
I can do it tomorrow.
It is the weekend.
I just showered.
It is too early.
It takes too long to get the kids ready.
The kids haven't eaten breakfast.
M needs to nap.
A has a cold.
M has a cough.
I have a chest cold.
I have to be somewhere in an hour.
I am waiting for a phone call.
I am waiting for a package.
It is too late.
Greg will be home from work soon.
I don't have my Ipod yet. When I have it things will be different and I'll go every day.
My Ipod isn't charged.
It will be dark soon.
Don't pretend that you haven't ever thought these things. Everyone uses the same darn excuses.
But, spring is almost here. (Note that I unfortunately didn't say it was HERE, just that it is ALMOST here.) After spring comes summer, and in summer it is hot. So hot in fact that everyone in our neighborhood flocks to the community pool for a cool dip in the water. The tall, skinny, blonde bikini-clad mom from Prague is no exception. If you aren't sure to which woman I am referring, just ask all the dads who, coincidentally, were never interested in taking the kids to the pool until moving into this neighborhood. They get bright eyed with the mention of her name or country of origin. The other moms and I would love to hate her, but she is too nice. This may be her only flaw.
Sitting poolside in my bathing suit with Prague Mom only one time was enough motivation for me to lose the baby weight plus some after Baby #1, two years ago. I saw her outside her house recently and the motivation is back. She looked fabulous. (Don't get me wrong, I don't want to look like her. It would be hard to go somewhere and be gawked at all the time. All I want is to not feel like a beached whale while standing next to her. I'm not sure if that is possible, but I'll make an attempt.)
So fast forward to this week. I decide on Sunday to set some fitness goals. I will go walking/jogging every other day and work up to running. Maybe this year will be My Year for running a 5k. I will drink lots of water. When I go walking/jogging, I will remember to take my IPod. (Not really a fitness goal but might turn out to be one since Greg might chase me down and superglue the thing to my ears if I continue to forget it.) I begged him for it at Christmas and have never remembered to take it with me. Not one time.
On Sunday I also planned to get up today and take the kids out in the double jogger. But it was cold. And it had rained. And M was tired and I KNEW that if I put him in the stroller he would take a crappy nap and then not sleep for the rest of the day. I give up on going outside but feel guilty and decide to do some sort of exercise. I contemplate the treadmill but didn't want to deal with A trying to jump on there with me. I have visions of him being maimed by the thing and would like to keep those visions just that, visions.
Finally I decide to try one of my workout tapes. Yes I said tapes, as in VHS. I am sorely lacking in the exercise video area, so my choices were limited to Buns of Steel (1987) or Denise Austin's 30 Minute Fat Burning Workout (1989). Naturally I choose Denise Austin since it is only 30 minutes and it is a whole two years more current than Buns. And besides, check out that jacket on the right. Of COURSE I am going to choose that one.
I put M down for his morning nap and put the tape in. A is upset because I have interrupted his beloved Dora until he sees fuchsia-clad Denise and her fuchsia-clad friends on the screen. He giggles a bit and so do I. They totally have 80s bangs.
I start huffing and puffing to the beat. A runs around me in circles and yells, "Reach, Reach, Reach, Reach," Denise Austin style. He's a good motivator if you forget the fact that he is hanging on my legs as I kick them in the air. I try to do the grapevine. A runs between my legs and it is quite the balancing act trying not to fall. He is still yelling, "Reach, Reach, Reach!" I reach. After a while he gets bored and starts throwing Buzz Lightyear figurines at the wall. Whatever kid. As long as they are not directed at me or at the TV I don't care.
I am proud to say that I made it the full 30 minutes unscathed. (And so did A.) There was a time in my life where I found it impossible to go 30 minutes without dying. Maybe I'm in better shape than I thought! Now if I can only stop making excuses and get out and do some real exercise. Once I get out there I am always glad that I did. It's just the "getting out there" part that is hard. Motivate me, Prague Mom. Motivate me some more.
13 comments:
YAY Em! It always feels so great to get out there and workout. You are going to look so hot this summer.. watch out Denise you will have your own fancy VHS workout tape featuring you!
So, my challenge to you and the rest of the family is a 5K run in our hometown in July... I'll buy you breakfast and the best Lamb sandwich that money can buy!
You are ON, Big Sis!
Way to go!!! Keep up the good work!
Oh my gosh I just busted into my friend's collection of VhS workout tapes. Mine is "the firm" we'll see about that one LOL I am "the flab" right now. You just sparked me into tomorrow morning workout!! Thanks!! I'll post tomorrow and tell ya how it went!!
Woo! Go you hot mama! I think if you did some 80's bangs then you'd work out even better though.
Ugh. Exercise. I know how you feel. It's so much easier to make excuses not to do it than to actually do it. I need to get out there and do some exercise myself, but who has the energy. I applaud you for popping in a tape and doing your exercise with a child underfoot. That's how it would be for me, too. Picturing that scene in my head made me laugh! :-) Good for you. I have a neighbor who I call Barbie who makes me want to exercise, too, but she looks the way she does by obsessively exercising and throwing her kids in the gym nursery for two hours a day. (oh and by getting a boob job). I'd rather spend the time with my kids than throw them in a gym nursery. I have buns of steel too! LOL! Ah, the days of skin tight leotards and tough as nails bangs! :-)
ahh man you had to remind me- i was loving my excuses-- my mom sent me a postpatrum workout tape- hint??
Wahoo, Emily. That is EXACTLY what I have been doing this week. I finally ran, scratch that - jogged and speed walked this morning - without kids. It was nice, I highly recommend it.
I love your poem!
Hey....good start!
Everytime I try and work out with an exercise tape, I spend more energy trying not to step on a child and saying, "move! Move!" than actually working out.
I am laughing so hard at A right now. Only because I have SOOO been there with J. Good for you, though! And don't believe her folks, her pictures indicate she ain't half bad looking. ;)
Denise Austin is EVIL. She tortured my life from 93-96, while I was in college. EVIL>>>
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