One hour.
One hour is how long my workouts are.
Give or take five minutes, but one hour is not long.
Many, MANY times I've got two or three kids with me.
They often hang out in the kids area, eating snacks and watching Netflix and occasionally screaming or shouting at one another, or me.
I consider it a GIGANTIC perk at my gym, to be able to bring them any old time I might need to.
No charge.
Sometimes they derail my workouts. Sometimes they require my attention at an inopportune time and I have to sacrifice some or all of my workout to tend to them. Sometimes I ask for the music to be turned up, please, so that I don't have to hear them. They've even tried to make a mad dash out the door. Life happens, kids are busy and dependent and that's OK. I don't beat myself up over missed workouts anymore. Take an unscheduled rest day and move on.
Always, my expectations are low, and although I'm doing my best to make sure they're not being a nuisance, I'm quite certain they are.
My oldest daughter has been making comments lately about my body. She tells me she likes my stretch marks, my saggy areas. She tells me my big arms are extra good at hugging.
We have always, always practiced body positivity in our house. It has been important to me since, well, always, that we enforce that it's not OK to talk about other peoples' bodies in a negative way, and personally, I kinda' think that we should just maybe not talk about bodies. Unless we're talking about our own, and how awesome they are, and what they're able to DO, but maybe we just, not, talk about how they look.
I was bullied as a child about my body. I was bullied badly. It sticks with me still, and I'll be damned if any of my kids is a bully, or is a victim of bullying, so not only do we not criticize our own bodies, but we make a point of celebrating what we are capable of, rather than what we look like. We're supposed to work out so our bodies' look a certain way, right? I've certainly trained for a look myself, but truthfully, I'll never give up on other goals. I would like a 200+ back squat. I would like to do butterfly pull ups. I want to be able to kip those damn toes to bar, and I would like to just generally be a better athlete. The looks part is really a secondary goal to all the other stuff. I won't sacrifice training for any look. Ever.
With two daughters who are growing up in what I would consider the most body conscious era ever, thanks to social media, and filters, and I am fighting harder to show them that everyone is different, and has different strengths, but ultimately, we do not talk about how bodies' look.
My youngest will be starting kindergarten in the Fall, and though I have daydreamed of this day for years - when I will be alone at the 9am class EVERY time I go, I will also miss taking him with me. He has seen his Mom be the most consistent, simply because he has never known a pregnant Mom, and lemme tell you, I definitely created a weight loss battle for myself while preggers!
All 3 of my kids have never known anything other than a Mom who works out. It is very, very important to me, mostly because the change in my mental health is tangible, but also because I like being fit enough to still carry my 65lb babes, two stories, to their beds, when they've fallen asleep downstairs.
Our goals as parents is to raise good, kind human beings. If I can instill in them that taking care of their bodies' isn't an option, but something they should enjoy doing, then I feel like I will have assisted them in "leveling up". Be nice. And also lift some heavy shit. And hopefully one day, we will lift heavy shit as a family. And run races together. This is my true dream. 💗💗
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