The Couch Potato Work Out

I admit: I'm a couch potato mom. Which is a mom that loves to play with her daughter, but as soon as she's done (or said daughter is entertained by something else), is back at her beloved couch.

At this post, I had wrongfully assumed that working out was harmful to my motherhood (or wifehood). Indeed, panting on a treadmill does not do any good for my ability to hold Melissa or communicate with my husband afterwards. But I realized that, amazingly, there is a way for me to exercise at my own rythm, leaving me more energized than worn out.

Oh gosh, I can't believe I just wrote those words. I sound like some work out video person, which I'm SO not. But I have noticed a pattern in my life that I function MUCH better if I do things in my own rythm/way. Like pushing Melissa out, for example. The "cheerleader" nurses counting on my ear drove me crazy. I tried their way for almost 3 hours, and nothing. Then I decided to ignore them, pushing and breathing whenever felt right (whether they told me to or not), and Melissa was born in 15 minutes. See, I might look clueless, but I know what I'm doing!

Now back to exercising. It's hard to believe, but before I got pregnant, I actually did go to the gym for a couple of months. I still kinda remembered the exercises the instructor had me do outside of the machines, so I decide to just do them on the floor while Melissa played. I was amazed at how easy it was! This was SO much better to do without having killed myself in the treadmill beforehand. And Melissa loved having mommy close doing crazy movements.

I'm not going to try to explain these exercises to you, because I'm not a gym instructor, and if I tried you'd all send me your chiropractor bills. But I do abs, squats, and couple others that I don't know the name. It takes me 15 minutes tops to finish the whole thing (that's counting on Melissa climbing me/making me chase her half the time), but I have been doing this EVERY SINGLE DAY since last Tuesday. And amazingly, it does give me more energy! Imagine that - exercise had always been a cause of weariness for me, not of energy. The strech afterwards also helps my sore baby-carrying muscles.

Do you recognize me now?? I'm so proud of myself!! Even if I'm sure I'm NOT doing them right - you know, the posture, and all - but who cares. I'm moving for 15 minutes everyday, so that's gotta count to something, right? RIGHT??