Exercise... like Brushing Teeth

Heeelllooo! And I am back! Not back, back, but back for right now. I will not totally be in the game until I get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep per night.

BUT! I have some inspo – and time at work- to write about one of my favorite topics. Exercise! Exercise is a long-lost friend of mine. It’s one of those things that is so hard to get into a consistent routine with, but once you do it’s just like anything else you do – laundry, shower, go to work, etc. But once you get out of the routine, you have to start all over again and it just becomes a chore.

I used to run 6-8 miles a day 6-7 days per week before kids. It was just something I did. Even if I had a million things to do, I’d run first. I just knew my mood and my day would be better if I ran. I did this no matter the weather. Outside if it was nice, inside if it wasn’t. Or sometimes it didn’t matter. I could run outside in 30 degree weather or rain or 90 degree weather.  And if I just did not feel like running, I would do a kickboxing or boot camp video, or go to a boxing class, or just go on a walk. It didn’t really matter what I did, as long as I did it. And it was my number one priority for the day, which is how and why it just became a habit, just as much as showering or brushing my teeth.

Fast forward to life after kids. Running and exercise in general (and even brushing my teeth), felt like a chore. If I had the energy to run, I didn’t have the time. If I had the time to run, I didn’t have the energy. I tried to get back into doing T25 videos because they’re only 25 minutes, but even that would be interrupted. I finally got back into running when my twins were 8 months old (and sleeping through the night) and could go with me in a jogging stroller without having their brains smashed around. And then, 5 months later, I was pregnant again. I still exercised, just modified it, but now I have a third kid in the mix and my time and energy are slashed and exercise is once again a chore.

So, what makes exercise a chore for you? The time? The energy? The nagging part of “I should really do this”…? The chore for me is really the time it takes. I could do just 15 minutes at a time 3 times a day, but 15 minutes of uninterrupted time is sometimes asking too much. If I do go to the gym and take my kids, the whole process takes about an hour plus. Plus I sweat a ton so if I want to be presentable for anything else the rest of the day, I have to shower. Then re-apply make- up. I don’t even bother brushing or drying my hair anymore. It takes a lot of time…time I should be cleaning the house, or playing with the kids.

So now think about what makes exercise a gift for you.  Is it the endorphins you feel afterwards? The energy you get from doing it? Feeling stronger from it?

To me, there are several things that make it gift. I love the feeling of actually doing it (maybe not the first 5 minutes though) – being able to move my body and the energy I get from it. I love the alone time. I love to zone out. I love the mood enhancement I get from it. And for a short time, I have more energy to contend with the limitless energy of the kids. It’s these things that motivate me to find a more consistent routine to make it a habit again. One solution of mine was to just set a timer and do 20 minutes of whatever came to mind – jumping jacks, squats, mountain climbers – when my youngest goes down for her first nap of the day or her second or third nap. Even if my two year-olds are around and I have to break up several fights in the midst of it. Heck, it may even benefit them. They’ll see me exercise, then eventually maybe they’ll imitate me and then exercise will become a routine for them.

How will you fit exercise into your day or your lifestyle? Maybe it’s just purposefully making several trips up and down your stairs in your house while doing laundry, or playing “follow the leader” with your kids, or walking up and down your driveway until your neighbors come over questioning your mental health.

Think about how you can transform exercise from a chore to a gift. Once you do, it becomes a routine, then a habit, and then part of your lifestyle and it’s just something you do because you value your health. Like brushing your teeth.