I found the most interesting article on WebMD the other day! It was in one of the baby email subscriptions I get. I honestly felt like I was reading my very own thoughts.

It is called Parents Who Exercise: Overcoming the Challenges

It points out that there are easy ways to incorporate exercise into your life as a parent. However, a majority of parents find it hard to exercise, even seasoned fitness freaks.

This is true whether you’re in the throes of sleep-deprivation with a newborn or stay busy driving your children from school to soccer practice, tennis matches, and piano lessons. Even people who had a strong commitment to exercise before having children will struggle to find consistent time to stay fit once they become parents.

It is no joke that it is ten times harder to workout now than it was even when I was a big preggo house! Oh I used to have these long luxurious workouts. Now I find myself squeezing them in in between feedings or during naps. If I do 30 minutes I feel like a fitness champion! That is a long luxurious workout these days. It is a far cry from the 75 minute yoga sessions or 60 minute run/strength training sessions I used to do.

Time constraints, lack of sleep, and selflessness are all perfectly valid excuses for the short term, says Hull. But, he warns, be careful how much time you let go by.

“It’s easy to sit on the couch,” Hull says. “It’s not easy to get out and exercise. [But] down the road, if parents have lost all this physical activity for years, they’re not going to snap back.”

I promised myself to not fall into any of the 3 above mentioned traps. I want to instill how important fitness is to Jack. Sometimes he sits around and I workout in front of him. He watches me. I also see him watch the TV if I am doing a DVD. I know right now I look silly to him, but he is learning about fitness at the age of 4 months, and he doesn’t even realize it. This article also touches on that. It is important to teach our children about being healthy and fit, and continuing to workout yourself is a big part of that.

You don’t have to be athletic to be physically active, says Keller.

Move around, walk to your neighbor’s house instead of calling, take the stairs, park farther away from your destination. All these things help burn calories and keep you moving — and they all add up.

I always park far in the parking lot. I have been doing it for years and years. It is my one little extra constant calorie burner. A few more steps a day add up over time, just like the article states. I never drive around looking for the closest spot. That is stressful for me. I would rather take it easy, park far away, and leisurely head into the store.

I think this tip is so important! Exercise Tip for Parents No. 5: Establish Family Fitness I want Jackson to learn from me how important being active is. I hope that while his big 4 month eyes are watching me look silly while working out, that his is absorbing all of it. I hope he picks up on all the small healthy things I try to do.

I think this article is a good read. It is a good way to remind yourself that you can do it all, even in the moments where it seems impossible. It is not selfish to take 20 minutes a day to do a workout routine. It is actually very caring. You are making sure that you will be around for a long time for your children and family. You are taking steps to keep yourself healthy and your family healthy through your examples. Children are sponges and they absorb everything we do, even if we don’t think they are. Setting a healthy example might be one of the most important parts of parenting. I plan to continue to maintain my activity. I did not let pregnancy stop me, I barely let birthing a baby stop me. Sure I took a 3 week break, but I consider that understandable. Even during the most exhausted  early days of being a new parent I managed to squeeze something in! I still do. I feel better after I work out. I get more done on days I get a workout in. It am able to manage stress better if I workout. Yesterday I has a very rough day. I had done pilates early in the day, but come 5 when he finally fell asleep for a nap, I did an additional 20 minutes of the elliptical. For a total for 50 minutes of working out. I felt a million times better after that second workout. Sure, I have laundry to do and my living room was a disaster from the crazy day, but a happy Momma is better than a spotless house. It is healthier for everyone. I manage to exercise majority of days in a week. I sometimes even do it every single day!

I will be saving this article to reread when I feel as if I am unable to get a workout in. I can read it and be on my fit way.