Then my surprise c-section happened. After my c-sec, I noticed it took much longer to feel like myself again. I also started to notice my energy level drop drastically, and my muscles seemed lacking. I just felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and drab. I remember sitting in my living room chair and thinking: I AM GOING to workout again. I didn't know what I would do, just that I had to do something. I needed a boost in confidence and function.
All my life I considered myself an active person who makes exercise a part of her life but technically I let that slip away. So then fast forward 5 years when I had my fourth baby and realized the thing that was missing in my life was a good sweaty workout. My husband has had goals to lose a few himself so he joined a gym but realized it wasn't as effective as having a personal trainer would be. Since personal trainers are pricey, we looked around and found a place that combines a personal trainer with a group workout that incorporates cardio with weight training. Since you sign up as a group you have a lot of motivation to do your best- plus you're investing more money than you would at a regular gym so you tend to GO more. So Tony started going and since I could see he loved it, I got interested too. We started going together since our summer break schedules allowed it. That was a ton of fun. Since school has started again I've had to go alone but I just love being active again. It's made a lot of difference to my overall mood each day as well as give me more energy! People always say that, and I already knew it, but it's really true. I'm always surprised when I realize it again just how true it is. I can't believe I let 5 years go by without working out consistently!
What I love about my new routine is the combination of cardio and weight training. I feel like I'm accessing muscles I never have before. The best part of it too is making time for me. I think more moms need to do that! Plus, I've noticed my kids are learning this new way of thinking- that exercise SHOULD be a part of their daily lives. We took them to the track in their new Skechers shoes and I taught them some of the stuff I do at the gym. Planking, push-up, squats (galore), and lunges... to name the most common moves. A few days later at home Brody caught me doing more and asked, "is that a lunge?" and he started doing them with me.
It's nice to have shoes for kids to be active in and that I'm confident they are comfortable with. These all have memory foam inserts and Kenley and Hyrum's shoes are both 100% machine washable! Knowing this, I thought that would be a nice feature for 6 months from now when I wanted to clean them but little did I expect I would have to wash them after only an hour of wear when he vomited all over it! So, funnily enough I got to check out how good they did in the wash. They came out as good as new so I'm a happy mama! Don't worry about Hyrum; he was okay, he just ate too many skittles before running around having races with us. That, and the heat and his asthma might've contributed, too. Now that I have working out down, I should probably reevaluate our eating habits and the bags of candy we seem to have lying around. (;
One of the reasons I didn't want to exercise much the past several years was worrying that I just didn't have enough time to shower & doll myself up afterwards. Sure, it's kind of a trade off some days but I've noticed that- all it really means is that I have a bun in my hair most of the time. Doing it this way has actually simplified my life. What I've gained: more energy, confidence, muscles, tone and definition, healthier skin and hair, kids who are learning how to live better, eat better, and I'm also a better mom when I give myself a break and do something for me.