Why I Exercise (other than because I like it)

There are so many many reasons to stay fit.

May I quote the great Elle Woods? “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands.”

It’s true. After years of battling anxiety and depression, nothing gets me off on the right foot in the morning like a big ol’ dose of endorphins. I am much less likely to yell at my children if I’ve worked out.

I’m competitive, I like to eat, I don’t like being fat, I’m kind of hyper active and if I ever want to talk to people I have to keep moving while we converse or I lose interest and…what were we talking about?

The number one, all time reason I exercise, though, was expressed perfectly in my group fitness instructor certification class: life is easier when you’re fit.

I have four boys. FOUR. BOYS. To say they are energetic would be an understatement of epic proportions. My four-year-old gets out of bed by 7am every day and immediately starts talking, usually asking for food with his first breath. He then goes nonstop all day until he passes out mid-sentence. I am not exaggerating. Y’all. If I wasn’t fit, I would be dead or in a mental hospital.

So, in addition to the daily life of being a mama to four boys and homeschooling and writing for various blogs and businesses and keeping house and cooking and OH MY GOSH THE LAUNDRY, I want to do fun things with my guys. I want to make memories. I want to explore and enjoy creation and this new, cool city where we live.

My gym time, people, gives me sanity and strength and the ability to live a good life.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m tired today (mostly because the two littles still haven’t figured out how to sleep an entire night), but look at the fun we had!

A day at the pool with these guys keeps me motivated at the gym!
A day at the pool with these guys keeps me motivated at the gym!

 

Our best attempt at an "usie"
Our best attempt at an “usie”

 

They're planning how they're going to keep mom up tonight
They’re planning how they’re going to keep mom up tonight

 

Too cool for school. And apparently his mom.
Too cool for school. And apparently his mom.

 

The biggest boy who swims and is somehow a 9-year-old teenager
The biggest boy who swims and is somehow a 9-year-old teenager

 

Now this one sleeps. He also plays hard and snuggles.
Now this one sleeps. He also plays hard and snuggles.

 

The other one who doesn't sleep when he's supposed to and takes a nap on the concrete AT THE POOL
The other one who doesn’t sleep when he’s supposed to and takes a nap on the concrete AT THE POOL

 

Mama and the chubby one. And I've worked hard on those shoulders.
Mama and the chubby one.

 

Oh yes. That's my chubby baby ready to swim.
Oh yes. That’s my chubby baby ready to swim.

We checked out the Warner Park Pool with friends a couple of weeks ago and had a great time. I’d told the boys we probably wouldn’t get to go swimming much this summer because I couldn’t imagine wrangling the four of them by myself at a crowded pool. Or even a not-crowded pool. Going with friends, though, broke the ice, so to speak, and I realized a few things: 1. my big boy can swim! When did that happen? 2. My second biggest boy can strap on a life jacket and be self-sufficient. 3. The two big boys can watch out for each other and yell for help if they need it. 4. I can totally rock out the pool with these four on my own.

So, after a morning at the Y where the boys played and I got a solid workout in, we ate some lunch and headed downtown for an amazing afternoon. I was a little miffed that I wasn’t allowed to use Eli’s float (meaning I had to hold him the whole time), but with the big boys playing on their own and Owen in his puddle jumper, we did just fine. I even managed to nurse Eli without any stares or comments. Bam.

I still get tired. I have to rest. I’m not as young as I used to be.

But I refuse to go down without a fight. There is so much I want to do with this life and these people I’ve been given and exercise gives me the stamina to do it. Need some motivation to work out? Look at the people around you.

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