Walking on the DNR Canal
There are a few things that happened to me after I had my daughter. Of course the overwhelming feeling of love and devotion. A very close second was the most intense exhaustion I have ever experienced. Because of this, I felt like I had no choice but to be in my best physical condition. No more eating what I want, and goin’ out for margaritas just because. This little dumpling had me up at 4:30 am for the past 3 years. And no, I am not exaggerating.
It all happened naturally. During my pregnancy I slowly lost my taste for meat. Then breastfeeding made me lose my taste for milk and milk products. Then my daughter having me up really early in the morning changed my entire routine. I couldn’t sit and watch TV until her nap. There are only so many nursery rhymes and books you can read for 4 hours straight. Luckily, we live ½ mile from the beautiful DNR Canal.
I packed Mia in our stroller and started to take her on long hikes on the river. When I say long, I am talking 3-4 hour walks. I have the range rover of strollers (highly recommend this stroller, we’ve put in about a thousand miles in ‘er and she’s still going strong!). She absolutely loved it. Instead of reading about different kinds of animals, her mornings were filled with seeing them. Blue herons, huge snapping turtles, ducks…and geese. (Legions and legions of geese. Why does the world need so many geese?) So many critters and wildlife were spotted on these journeys. You name it. She knew the difference between a female and male duck by the time she was two. One of her first words was “bamboo” and could spot it out from the other vegetation at a very young age. All thanks to these daily nature hikes.
Aside from my daughter being around nature and us bonding over her new experiences, it got me back in shape. These 6 mile walk soon turned into 4 mile walks mixed with 2 mile runs. Which turned into running the entire time. I haven’t been in this kind of shape since high school. My daughter watches me and runs with me now on the canal. Her favorite line “girls are the best runners’, and “daddy can’t catch us”. He hilariously walks behind us rolling the stroller with a stuffed animal strapped in.
Getting back in shape before I had Mia never lasted. I would have stretches where I would go to the gym, and be on a health kick feeling great. And then a vacation would throw it off, or getting the flu would temporarily ruin the momentum of the routine. Now I can’t afford to. If I do not feel my best, I see the difference in how I am as a mother. Pretty simple. If you feel like crap you are not going to be your most patient self. Mia is making me become the best version of myself, from the inside out.
Here are some of my tips for getting in a healthy routine:
Set out your workout gear the night before.
Make sure everything is as seamless and easy as possible. Get your shoes by the door, your favorite sports bra out in plain sight. I cannot tell you how many mornings turned frantic all because I couldn’t find a sports bra at 5am., which killed my motivation to get out there. Totally unnecessary, and incredibly annoying.
Get your snacks ready the night or morning before
If you are bringing your little one in your workout routine, they must have snacks with them at all times. If you’re a mom you get this. So I cut up my apples, get her bottle ready in advance. Basically everything that can be done, is done the night/morning prior.
Find a place that makes you happy
Find your DNR canal hiking trail. Once you find that place that you truly love going to, it becomes intimate. You get to know the nature, the local animals, the local people. There are so many people that saw Mia grow up on our hikes. Mia got to know them too. It really is an incredible thing.
Have a fun reward at the end
Take the little one out for a fun breakfast after you complete your workout. It gives her and you something to look forward to. My absolute favorite thing to do is surprise Mia with a “tea party”. I did it once, and she totally freaked out. It doesn’t take much…the smallest little details make the difference. I packed her favorite stuffed animal, brought a silly hat, and her plastic little tea pot. She was thrilled to pour her elephant tea, and I was thrilled to sit back and watch her host a fabulous tea party.
Find another person to join you
Find a mommy group, or grab a neighbor to help get you motivated. It is way harder to bag out of a workout if someone is going through the trenches with you.
Find the time of day that works best with your schedule
I had to start at the crack of dawn. I had no choice. I repeat, I had no choice! Being a mom is hard, and finding time for yourself is sometimes the hardest thing. But it is an important thing.
Lastly
It is so important for my daughter to see me as an image of strength. There is a wonderful post We are Mamas, and we are warriors. I highly recommend this read!
One of the most unnatural things to do as a mother, at least for me is I can be doing a million things right, and if I miss one thing, it is my only focus. That’s crazy! Give yourself credit for doing what you can. If you miss a day, who cares. Just pick it up where you left off.
For more tips about getting in shape I recommend this article 8 Ways to Squeeze a Workout into Your Busy Day. This blogger finds a way to balance it all 🙂
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