My newest exercise craze is the Latin dance workout, Zumba. It’s a crazy, high-energy class that combines salsa moves with hip hop and samba and mambo, all set to loud, pumping music. This morning, I participated in a Zumba class at my YMCA. How I wish I had the Latina heritage in me–my hips don’t seem to move in that sexy samba way. I’m thinking that my instructor probably isn’t Latina herself–perhaps the name Ramona Goldstein gave that away. But man, did this girl have energy! If I could steal half of her endorphin bursts, I could make it past 3 pm without a second cup of coffee.

I’ve never loved to “exercise,” per se, but most of my life, I’ve been a fairly active person. In high school, I was on the drill team, so we danced for over an hour each morning. When I lived in Santa Monica, I became a yoga junkie. And even after I had Annabel, I fit in walking quite easily; in fact, I’d sometimes walk for 2 hours a day with her in the stroller, as it was the only time she’d stop crying as an infant!

But having 2 kids has made fitting exercise into my life more difficult. Perhaps it’s the juggling of schedules–trying to haul Annabel to ballet and Luke to library class, all on a Monday. Or perhaps it’s the regulating of sleep routines and feeding, especially when Luke was really little. Or let’s be honest, sometimes I’m just a lazy, overtired mama who doesn’t want to pop in a yoga dvd while my kids are napping. I’d rather sit on my couch and eat bonbons. Literally.

But about a year ago, I decided that I needed to exercise again for many reasons, most of which are a given:

- it was good for my cardiovascular health
- it would help define my muscles
- it would finally help me shed the muffin-top bulge that’s persisted since Luke’s birth
- it would help me to de-stress

So I joined the local YMCA, with a huge discount granted because of my mom’s group. It, like many gyms, has a drop-off kids’ room. But what made this particular babysitting room stand out to me was that it is MOMS who work there. When I bring Luke into the room, all the moms (he calls them ‘teachers’) know him by name. If he’s having a tough day, they hug him and redirect him to eat his snack and to color with markers. If he gets a haircut, they notice. If he’s wearing his favorite orange shirt for the third day that week, they accept it with understanding.

This is the #1 factor that’s made my “new” exercise routine successful: I’ve stopped feeling guilty about dropping my kid(s) off in the babysitting room because I know that they’re well-cared for. I can run in, sign Luke in, and make it to my kickboxing class, usually on time.

And for 3-4 times a week (on a good week), I have that one hour to MYSELF. I like the classes; social butterfly that I am, the comaraderie of a group workout class makes the hour more fun and also makes it go by faster. I’ve met nice people, of all ages, who I look forward to seeing on a weekly basis. Sometimes I hop on the elliptical machine and listen to my ipod shuffle while gazing at Ellen’s latest antics. But lately, it’s been Zumba twice a week, kickboxing once, and a weight training class another time. Mixing it up makes me feel less bored.

What I realized the other day, though, may be the best result of my exercise routine–my kids notice. Annabel asked to see my muscles the other day. “Mama exercises to keep her body healthy and strong,” she told her daddy.

Wow–if only she can maintain that outlook through her teen years. If only my children, and all children, can look at physical fitness as a way to keep their bodies strong, instead of worrying so much about body image, weight, and what others think of the way they look. Perhaps by modeling this, Annabel and Luke will always think that being fit is just part of what we do.

In looking back at my initial list of why I began to exercise consistently again, I realize that my own mindset has changed. I don’t think I’ve lost weight, probably because I’m hungrier and I eat more. But I’ve had other, well, benefits:

- I like the free time away from my children that exercise affords me.
- Exercise, and the endorphins that accompany it, makes me feel happier.
- I feel more accomplished in my day.
- I feel proud that I’ve done something for me.
- I feel sexier, and that equates to, well I’ll let you finish that thought.
- I have more energy on the days that I exercise.

If you looked at me, you probably wouldn’t notice anything different about me due to exercise. But I feel it, I know it deep inside. And like I try to teach my children, that’s probably all that really matters.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 28th, 2009 at 12:21 am and is filed under Family Life, Health, Motherhood / Parenthood. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.