Why I Want To Be Fit

Some days I struggle with eating right and exercising. It's true. Some days I am like "wahhhhh I just wanna plop on the couch and eat ice cream". Heck yesterday I would have rather done laundry {my most awful wife task} than workout. And then I did two T25s, back to back. Some days I love it, some days I hate it but no matter what I do it and I always feel better when I do.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to Kendall's preschool Easter party. It was fun. I always love observing her in her classroom setting, seeing her interact with her friends, it's really a joy to watch. I'm very thankful that I'm able to be a part of those types of things.

While the teachers were setting up for "The Easter Bunny" to visit the kids were dancing to music on the boombox. The kids who had moms with them were all "MOM! Jump and dance with me!!!". And I did. I didn't even hesitate. I just got right in there and jumped and twirled and danced. It was awesome and the kids got a kick out of it.

I felt so good about myself. Forty plus pounds ago I would have never had the confidence to jump in there with the kids and boogie down. Forty pounds ago I would have been the mom sitting, observing, wishing I were in the mix with them. I would have smiled so no one would know that I was insecure but inside I would be sad.

Then there was the day that Kendall wanted to race up and down our insanely long, gravel driveway. Three months ago Shannon would have been, "Oh why don't you ask daddy, I'll sit here and judge the winner!". But instead I got up and raced her no less than twelve times. She won all twelve times, of course, but it still felt good to be able, have the ability, to get up and do that with her.

Being fit, in shape, healthy is so much more than looking good in a bikini this summer. It's feeling good. It's feeling capable. It's feeling confident. It's playing with your children.

I feel like we {people who workout more days than we don't} get a lot of gruff from outsiders. "You are crazy!" "Take a day off!" "Is it even healthy to workout that much?" And so on and so forth. It is so ironic to me because I feel that everyone should be taking the time to get some sort of physical activity in their day. Being active is not something that should be shamed, it should be applauded and encouraged and something we all should strive for.

I know I'm a little bit more intense than some people. I hate to not workout. I don't take rest days and when I do I feel guilty and make up for it the next day. It literally keeps me sane, Jimmy can tell immediately if I haven't worked out by the time he comes home from work. It's just part of my life in a way that makes me feel so much better.

Of course I want to look great, who doesn't? My current goal is to look and feel the best I ever have, even after two kids. But even more important is ensuring that I live a long, happy, healthy life. One where I am able to keep up with my kids for years to come. Growing up my family wasn't the most active. I did cheerleading until junior high school and then never played another sport or got involved in any other activities. Hopefully I will teach my children the importance of taking care of yourself and they will want to be active in their lives.

Some days I do feel guilty making my exercise such a big priority. There are times when I feel like I should be doing something one on one with Kendall during that time and then I feel selfish for choosing working out over that. But then I realize, most days, it's just 25-30 minutes and we still get to do plenty of fun things. I also hope that in seeing me make such a commitment to being fit and healthy she will too {when she's older, of course}. It's definitely a balancing act, especially since I work out at home, but it's one that I've {kind of} mastered and feel good about.