Finding Ways to Move

I have been personal training now for over 10 years. I have trained all kinds of clients and along the way I have had many stay at home moms. When I first began as a trainer, I was very ripe and only 19. There had never been a time in my life that I didn't make time to exercise so, when I would hear the excuse from parents that "I just don't have time to exercise." I didn't get it. I thought to myself, "how could someone that doesn't work not have time to exercise?" You can see where my mind was at that time. Well, now that I am a stay at home mom, I realize just how much energy is required to be a parent regardless if you work outside of the home or are a stay at home mom. And I completely understand the feeling that there is no time to exercise since everyday seems to fly by so fast. I think that I get it, but I still don't agree that there is no time to exercise. I know that my workout routines have certainly changed. Gone are the days of daily runs on the beach followed by a 90 minute yoga class. Instead, every morning after working on my website and then training some in-person clients, I load up the BOB Sports Utility Stroller with rice cakes, apples, and books to keep Frankie occupied so, that I can get a whine free run or roller-blade. The entire length of the workout, I remind him that we are going to the park next and this way I can avoid any melt-downs. On the occasions that I try to do a home yoga practice it usually ends up turning into a wrestling match. My husband, Sammy practices JiuJitsu and then teaches Frankie all of the moves like the guard and arm-bar. Anytime that I lie down on the floor to stretch, Frankie, in return, likes to practice them on me. The workouts aren't quite like they used to be pre-mommy world. What I get in return is this adorable little boy kicking his legs, pointing out airplanes and practicing all of his new vocabulary.
So, next time that you catch yourself saying that there is no time to exercise, re-evaluate that statement. Because if you are not exercising then you are decreasing your life expectancy and therefore in the long run, decreasing your time!

Inspiration by Augie

This weekend I went to the IDEA World Fitness Convention in San Diego, CA. It was my first weekend or night for that matter away from Frankie. I had a constant internal dialogue going with myself that it was important for me to go away and have some independent time. The weekend was definitely worth the separation anxiety that I felt. I went to a lot of great classes and the highlight of the event was one of the Keynote Speakers, Augie Nieto. Augie is one of the most successful innovators in the Fitness Industry. He is the founder of Lifecycle, Inc. If you have ever stepped foot into a gym then you know his product well. He has always lived and breathed his passion of fitness. In 2005, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's disease. He was honored with a Life Time achievement award from Idea and I was honored to hear his acceptance speech. His wife was by his side as he wheeled himself on to the stage on a high powered hydraulic wheelchair. As he made his way to the podium, he boosted himself up with his hydraulic chair so that he towered above the audience. The entire audience gave him a standing ovation and roared with applause. As he looked out into the audience, his eyes began to fill with tears and so did mine. You could feel and see his passion for life and the gratitude that filled his heart. He talked with great effort about his diagnosis and Lou Gehrig's disease and the message that hit home with me was what he said about living and dying. Simply stated, he said, "I had two choices, I could either wake up in the morning and choose to live or I could wake up in the morning and choose to die." He has without a doubt chosen to continue living life to the fullest. He has waged an aggressive campaign to find a cure for ALS and as of January he has raised more than $7.1 million dollars.
His presence and heart felt words will serve as a constant reminder to me to live each day to the fullest and to truly appreciate my health.