They are 2 years old and 10 months old. My goal is 4 – 5 miles per walk, 5 days per week. On my lowest week, I make it at least 4 days a week and walk 4 miles for 2 of those days and 5 miles for the other two: 18 miles. On my average weeks, I make it 5 days, switching between 4 and 5 miles: 22 – 23 miles. On my “perfect” week (I haven’t yet achieved this), I would walk 5 days, 5 miles each time: 25 miles.

I don’t share this to brag. Walking around a loop a few times really isn’t that big of a deal, but I know how hard it can be to make it part of your life, especially when you must include the schedules and naps and food demands of a young child or two. I make it work for me and my two because it’s important for me. We Moms tend to do everything it takes to build a good world for our babies, and rightly so. Sometimes we forget, though, that nothing matters if Mommy is too sick, too tired, or too depressed to be involved. Exercise is an essential part of keeping yourself healthy. I know this. You know this. It’s taken me until now, though, to really commit the time and effort to live this.

The Whole Exercising Story

I’ve always been pretty thin, and I can’t take any credit for that. Genes. Thank you, Mom and Dad. I ate what I wanted, exercised sporadically, and I was a size 2 when I got married. I moved “up” to a size 4 after the first year of marriage, and then I got pregnant.

Enter Pregnancy, Twice

I stayed pretty fit through my first pregnancy, but I still had about 15 pounds of extra weight hanging on when I got pregnant again. I gained an additional 35 or 40 pounds during that pregnancy. I still wasn’t huge, but I was uncomfortable. I was totally wrapped up in being Mom of two, though, and regular exercise just wasn’t happening for the first few months. When Robbie got to six months old, was sleeping through the night and on a regular nap schedule, I started doing some work-out dvds at home. I was kind of sporadic, though. I lost down to that same old 15 pounds plus a few more, and that’s where I just stayed.

Enter Pregnancy Again

Then I got pregnant again. I know what you’re thinking… Yes, I do know what causes this, and I like it!; Back to the exercise topic now: with this third pregnancy, I have decided that it won’t do to repeat the pattern. I keep adding on another 5 pounds or so; at this rate, I’ll be stuck at 30 pounds over a comfortable weight. A comfortable weight, by the way, is not a size 2, again, mind you; that size 2 was before I got Mommy boobs. We’re talking more like a size 6 (maybe) or 8. That’s good with me. I’d rather wear bigger pants and actually have boobs.

What I’m not okay with, however, is having a 5-months-pregnant belly when I’m notpregnant, having granny flab on my arms long before I’m a granny, or refusing to even own a pair of shorts because my thighs are way too friendly with each other for that sort of exposure. (The ghostly pale hue of my skin will have to be dealt with somehow, I guess, once I get to shorts. But that’s another article.)

Walking It Off, Baby

So I started walking. A week later I saw my mother-in-law and she said, “Annie, you’re the only person I know who loses weight when she gets pregnant.” I love my mother-in-law and her keen powers of observation, have I mentioned that?

Before I started walking, I was having a lot of trouble getting out of bed in the morning. I blamed early pregnancy fatigue, and certainly there was some of that. But there was also a body that wasn’t using enough energy:

“People who exercise regularly are more tranquil and suffer less from stress and anxiety. They are able to concentrate better and sleep more deeply at night. Researchers have demonstrated that the amount of deep sleep you get is proportional to the daytime energy expenditure. The more you exercise, the deeper you sleep. This may be why people who exercise actually have more energy during the day. I see this everyday in my practice. Patients who don’t get any exercise will almost always complain of a poor energy level. Regular exercise will almost always increase their energy level.  The more energy that you use, the more energy you will have.” See the source.

I didn’t mean to turn this into an article about why you should exercise, so I’ll stop extolling the benefits and get to the day by day of how it’s done. Or at least, how it’s done in my house. Tweak to match your personality and preferences and little people, just don’t tweak so much that you tweak out the exercising part.

When, Where, and How

Find a time of day when your children are awake and happy and so are you. Okay, you should at least be awake. We’ll make happy optional at this point. I’ve found that as soon as you hit close to nap time, babies don’t like strollers anymore. If your kids are different, then walk during nap time and let them nap if you want. I still think it’s not the best, because you probably won’t get a full nap out of them and it will throw off the rest of your day. But that’s me. You be you.

I go in the morning, because if I wait until afternoon, too much other stuff is trying to crowd in my day and I let it crowd out the exercise. My two wake up at 8 and we all eat breakfast. (I am awake, dressed in my exercise clothes, and drinking my coffee before 8). I finish before they do (better fine motor skills, I guess), so I do my usual morning routine/scramble around the house, then wipe them and the mess, and let them run and/or crawl around while I finish my chores. I finish up by 9, load them in the stroller, grab my phone and water bottle, and we head out.

Find a location that is convenient. I know I would not exercise regularly if I had to load (and unload) kids in car seats in order to do it. I happen to live across the street from the city park, which has a wide, paved, 1/2 mile walking loop (along with multiple pavilions and small playgrounds, a pool, and tennis courts. I know. I’m lucky). If I get bored of the park, I just cruise around town or walk to the other park, which is about half a mile away. It has a paved walking trail, too, and soccer fields.

However, most of the time I stick to the park across the street. Consistency matters. I know the number of loops I need to walk, and, hamster-like, I keep on walking until I get dizzy. I also know the people who come there, the regulars who show up at the same time every day like me. We’re not all chatty – walking is serious business, people – but it’s nice to recognize faces, get a nod and a smile, and know that at least one of them would call 911 if I tripped on a stick and broke my leg. Or if someone tried to grab me and the double stroller and push us into an unmarked van before anyone noticed. Cheery thoughts, eh?

Gear up.

Be smart about walking. Have the gear you need, and by gear I mean good shoes, a good sports bra, and something comfortable to cover your body. Tank top, t-shirt, shorts, spandex, jogging pants. I, for one, cannot afford to go buy an entire new wardrobe of great fitness wear, but I can go buy a decent sports bra (or two). I have a stack of tank tops. I have two pairs of jogging pants that fit me well. I have a good pair of shoes (and socks… more than one pair of socks!). I’m going to be washing clothes 5 days out of the week anyway, so I just make sure my walking clothes are in there.

The only other gear (for myself) is my 1-liter water bottle and my cell phone. I also recommend getting a little can of Mace or one of those alarms to hook onto the stroller right by your hand. Chances are good that you’ll never need to use either, but you want to have them just in case. That’s why I carry my phone, too. If I see anything weird going on, I call Joe and tell him about it. Usually it’s nothing: a man in a truck whom I’ve never seen in the park before, just sitting in the parking lot. He was there two days in a row, and I called Joe both days and told him. Here’s what the man looks like, here’s what the truck looks like, etc. Nothing happened and he didn’t come to the park anymore; but maybe nothing happened because he saw me talking on the phone and looking at him. Who knows? I am on the “better safe than sorry” side of things; if I ever saw anything really weird or obviously illegal, I would skip Joe and just call 911. Then I would call Joe…

Think about gear for your children as well. The loop I walk has a good deal of shade, but about 1/3 of it requires walking directly into the sun, no matter which direction I’m walking. So Mara has a pink floppy hat, and I keep an old crib sheet in the stroller. When we curve around into the direct sunshine, I throw the sheet over the canopy on Robbie’s half of the stroller so it hangs down in front of his face. He doesn’t like having his view blocked, but he likes direct sun even less. You might need sunscreen or bug spray for your babies. I don’t take sippie cups or snacks for them; they’ve just finished breakfast, they’re not exerting any energy, and they can have a drink and snack when we get home.

Push yourself.

Push yourself further than you think you can. I used to walk regularly, but only 2 miles or so each time. It didn’t make enough of a difference quickly enough to keep me motivated, and I let it slide. That changed when I started walking again, because I walk with my neighbor about half the time. She is an itty bitty woman whose youngest child is almost 9 years old. When my neighbor walks, she does at least 10 laps. That’s 5 miles. The first time she told me that, I said, “Hmmmmmm.” And then “hmmmm” again. And then, “How many laps?”

I was walking by myself 2 or 3 miles at a time, thinking that was my limit. Then I went walking with her and we walked 5 miles. It wasn’t about fatigue or distance; it was about boredom and laziness. I get bored when I walk by myself, and I get lazy when there’s no one to push me further. But now that I walk with her, I know we are going to walk 5 miles. And now when I walk by myself, I know that I <em>can</em> walk 5 miles, so I make myself walk at least 4.

You’re getting a free ride; what more do you want?

Think about entertainment for your kids… but not too much. You’ll notice something with your kids. They will get bored around mile 2, especially in the first couple of weeks. But then they’ll get used to the routine. So they’ll get bored around mile 3, instead. What you shouldn’t do is let your kids haul fifteen toys, a blanket, and a doll with them. You know what happens: one by one, each item is dropped (oops!) out of the stroller, Mom leans down and grabs it, loses momentum, hands it back. Repeat ad infinitum. Mara gets one small blankie or toy. If she drops it, it gets shoved in the back of the stroller until I decide to pause for a drink of water. Robbie gets nothing but a pacifier, and I hold off on that until around lap 6.

What they do get, though, is conversation (with me) and time outside. I point out the trees and grass, the airplane, the truck like Daddy’s, the big rocks. I ask Mara about colors. She counts the big rocks. Sometimes I slow down enough to grab a couple of rocks or a little tree branch with leaves still attached, and she gets to entertain herself with those for a few laps. She shares with Robbie, too, but once she or he drops them, they’re gone.

Be consistent.

For the most part, the kids do fine. They were more restless the first week or two. Now they’re used to the walk, they get excited about loading up in the stroller, and they are happy almost all the time. Consistency makes a big difference here. Kids tend to like what is familiar to them, right? So they might resist Mommy’s new exercise efforts at first because it’s new and different and they’re not sure they like it better than staying inside and playing with their toys. If you persist, however, they’ll get used to it. They’ll forget that there was another option, ever. They will come to expect it like the expect meals and bathtimes. It’s part of the day. Okay. Whatever, Mom.

Use that consistency to power yourself on the days when you’re tired, sore, or blah. Remind yourself that you’re working too hard at this to deal with cranky kids again. You’ll feel better afterward.

Plan ahead.

Have a plan for after the exercise is over. My walk lasts from around 9 to around 10. Robbie is ready for his morning nap when we get home, so he goes straight to bed. Mara doesn’t take a nap in the morning anymore, so she gets a snack. I sit down and eat a piece of fruit with her, then I go take a shower while she finishes her snack. She knows that when she’s through she can get down and play, but she’s usually still sitting there munching away when I get out of the shower. The key here is a snack that is non-messy and in small pieces so has no trouble eating it and I don’t have to worry about a mess.

Reap the benefits.

I feel better about myself when I am exercising regularly. I sleep better. I eat better foods, because I don’t want to waste all my effort just for a double quarter-pounder. I fit in my clothes better, and I look better. My skin looks healthier. I stay awake during the day. I wake up better in the morning. I don’t worry as much. My immune system is better. I enjoy seeing the blue skies and the green trees and the people. I don’t feel closed in; I feel like part of a community.

One final thought: my two love the little baby swings, but I hardly ever stop at the swings during exercise time. It would add another 15 to 20 minutes onto the hour I’ve spent there, and by the time I’m through walking Robbie is ready for his nap. I could cut my walk short: that would be missing the point. I love my children, and I love taking them along, but the exercise is for me. When we go to the park any other time, it’s for them. Balance is important. Guilt is bad. Remember that keeping yourself in good health automatically makes you a better Mom, so a little swing deprivation won’t hurt the kids.

Here’s a little summary:

• Get motivated.
• Find a good time.
• Find a convenient location.
• Gear yourself up: good clothes, water, safety items.
• Be safe.
• Gear the kids up (but not too much).
• Push yourself.
• Exercise with someone else.
• Expect some boredom.
• Be consistent.
• Create an after-exercise routine.

Now get out there and exercise!

Image Credit: Stroller sign from smudie.

Update (Wednesday): 40 minutes cardio (walking); random stretching throughout the day whenever I thought about it.

Wrap-Up: I would call this challenge about a 70% success. I have been successful in the cardio part of the routine, which was more important to me and required more time and effort.

However, on the stretching/toning portion of the challenge, I failed miserably. With the cardio, which mainly involved walking, I had several routes I knew well and enjoyed, I had the kids involved, and I had a specific time to get out and walk. I also had a back-up plan for rainy days.

With stretching/toning, I never put any of those things in place, or at least not firmly enough. I never really stuck with one routine long enough to know it well and feel like I was getting somewhere. I was trying different stretches, different toning exercises, but I needed to just compile a few effective ones into a 10 or 15 minutes routine that I could get comfortable with. I also couldn’t figure out how to involve the kids, which isn’t completely necessary, but a nice bonus when it is something I can do with them rather than something I need to fit into those naptimes.

The kicker, though, was not having any specific time to do stretching and toning, whether with kids or not. I’m going to continue this exercise challenge, unofficially, for another month because I like the results I have so far. I’d like to get some more of the same!

Here are my recommendations, simplified:

-Have a specific time and place.

-Get yourself some good work out clothes.

-Get any necessary gear (yoga mat, light weights, water bottle).

-Have a plan for cardio work and for toning work. Have a back-up plan if the outdoors isn’t cooperative.

-Have some variety but also stick to one thing long enough to feel like you can master it and get the most out of it before moving on.

Happy Exercising!

Image courtesy of mikebaird on Flickr.

Update (Saturday): 20 minutes cardio (running around, pushing Mara and my niece up and down a hill in a little car).

Just as I get to the “end in sight” on my somewhat sporadic exercise challenge month, I am thinking I will start it over again. (You may think some cliched phrase like “glutton for punishment” here, but I don’t want to actually put that in my writing. Cliches are so evil, after all. In fact, it’s really a cliche that they are evil…)

I picked up a book at the library sale the other day. It’s one of an apparent series: The 28 Day Plan by Christine Green. This one is called Get Fit for the Beach. I’m hoping that if I follow the 28-Day GET FIT FOR THE BEACH! plan, at the end of it I will be magically transported to said sparkling, pristine beach. (Did you catch the clichs in that paragraph? There were two.)

I’m a sucker for 28 day plans, or 30 day plans, or 21 day plans, or monthly challenges. The beach premise is also pretty thrilling. We’ll see. I shall review and report. Maybe I would do better with a book titled “Get Fit for the Midwest!” but I see why that wouldn’t be a great seller.

Resources: I couldn’t find anything online for the book except for the publisher’s website, which doesn’t itself have much information but you can watch a little scrolling slide show of all their adult reference titles.

Tip: I don’t think I can say it any better than Samuel Johnson:

Don’t think of retiring from the world until the world will be sorry that you retire. I hate a fellow whom pride or cowardice or laziness drives into a corner, and who does nothing when he is there but sit and growl. Let him come out as I do, and bark.

When a country is rebellious, it has many rulers, but a man of understanding and knowledge maintains order. Proverbs 28:2

(An aside: a great quotation above other than using the word “actualize.” I’m not a fan of it.)

After a week away from posting, I have returned with slightly sunburned arms and slightly stretched muscles. I got in some good walking – it’s the exercise that takes you anywhere! – but my abs are suffering from a failure to incorporate sexy-abs-situps into my vacation routine. Alas. I’ll get right on that.

A week away is good for one’s perspective on things, usually. This trip, however, I returned feeling a little muddled. I think it was just… well. I really don’t know what it was just. It just was, but I’m muddling through the muddle. This day, home is a clarifying place. (Ironic that I’m at the library as I write this, not at home.)

Challenge Update (review of the week 17 – 25):

Day 17 (Thursday): Ran around the house packing, cleaning, laundering, stressing, calling random people, checking the mail too often, paying bills, sitting down, standing up, playing with Mara, repacking, forgetting things, worrying about forgetting things, making a list, losing a list, finding a list, ad infinitum. Wearily she falls into bed…

Day 18 (Friday): Mile after mile of airport with a 18-pounder strapped to my chest. Robbie smiled and drooled and charmed everyone we met, several of whom offered their services as spit-up spotters. Them: “Um, cute, heh heh, he’s got a little something right there,” motioning to chin. Me: “Oh, thanks, yes, right, of course,” grabbing burp cloth, swiping at said chin, finding a 1/2 gallon of spit-up dribbling down his neck, onto shirt, onto formerly black Baby Bjorn carrier.

Day 19 (Saturday): I walked for approximately 3 minutes around the little green garden path of the Bed & Breakfast in Shreveport, LA, where we stayed for the night. We (me, Robbie, sister, Dad, and friends B & L) were in the smaller house with the kitchen and dining area. (And the coffee maker!)

Next to our house is the courtyard where the wedding ceremony took place at 12:00 noon. The weather was perfect: blue skies, sunny, and perfect temperature.

“The wedding?” you ask. Yes, ma’am, I am now a middle daughter (not a youngest, finally!) of a blended family of seven. Plus spouses. Dad got married to a lovely lady and they glowed their way through the lunch after and into the car, away, away! (We think they will return home sometime next week.)

Enough about weddings. Well, not quite enough. More to come.

Day 20 (Sunday): Back in Starkville, Robbie and I accompanied my sister and her fiance to their church. I loved it: great teaching, and it’s always nice to participate in worship corporately without being responsible for any of it. That afternoon, we went to Mom’s grave and planted a gorgeous hydrangea bush, a sweet olive, an azalea, some bulbs, and another bush with beautiful coral flowers. I don’t know what it is, but it looked like Mom.

Day 21 (Monday): My sister and her friend M and I took a long walk around campus with our young’uns. Most of them, anyway. My nephew is in school. He turns six this year! And I missed Mara excrutiatingly. Previous to this trip, I had been away from her overnight once during her entire 21-month-long life. And that was only for one night. A week? Aaaaaaarrrrgh. It’s amazing how attached you get to these little people.

After our walk, lots of running of errands, shopping, hauling Robbie around in his 2-ton carrier. Will someone please invent a car seat/carrier that does not involve 5-step buckles and that weighs less than I do? Another aaaaaaarrrgh.

Day 22 (Tuesday): We did more running around. We needed shoes. Shoes. Yes. Particular shoes to match a dress. Dress. Yes. Particular shoes to match a particular white dress to be worn by a particular person (my sister) to a particular place (courthouse) for a particular event (wedding). Two immediate family weddings in one week. I feel like that’s a record of some kind.

We found shoes, we ate, we talked, we had fun, we can’t believe she’s getting married, OMG, we can’t believe it, will tomorrow ever come, let’s paint our toenails, how should I do my hair?, hey it’s Dad calling from Hawaii, and before bed my niece (who is 2 1/2) says: “And tomorrow, tomowo, when we, when me and Addy and Mommy and me and Addy and Alex and me and Mommy and Byring and Keesha and me and all my toys get married, then we can clean up.”

She’s got it figured out, that kid.

Day 23 (Wednesday): I took all the kiddos that morning so Mil could have an hour’s quiet to get ready for her wedding. They got to play with friends while I got to talk with two of my wonderful friends. The time went by so fast, and then it was off to lunch with Mil and Addy and family, then quickly back to the house to get on our pretty clothes, then to the courthouse.

The Judge was great. He did an awesome ceremony, and it was special and sacred and then there they were!

I love adding to the family.

Day 24 (Thursday): Missing Joe and Mara intensely at this point. It’s not that I haven’t had a good time, it’s just that home is, well, where the heart is and the bacon’s brought, no place like it, where I hang my hat and keep my fires burning, be it ever so humble. And I was ready to get back to it.

Another hike through the airport, chat with the seatmate, wait on the runway, then tra-la-la! I skipped and hopped my way to the baggage claim and saw my loverly daughter and even loverlier husband and suddenly I was home.

Upcoming Topics: (Airports are good places for brainstorming).

-The New (and improved) 28-Day Fitness Plan

-How to Be Green Without Being a Liberal (or something along those lines)

-Projects on My Plate (And it’s a full plate, let me tell you.)

-Letters from my 102-year-old Mamaw

Tune in next time!

Update (Thursday): 25 minutes cardio (walking in town); 12 minutes stretching.

I found a piece of paper from some old files of my Mom’s. It is called “Everday Stretching” and has a series of 20 stretches. Probably one of her physicians gave it to her to help with the lower back pain. I’m not dealing with any lower back pain, but I hear stretching is a good idea. I’ll give it a try.

In any of my exercise endeavors, I’ve never really given much thought to stretching, warming up, cooling down, or any of those commonly recommended procedures. I figure, hey, I have the energy now to do something that burns lots of calories, why waste it on something that doesn’t burn lots of calories? Something like a calf stretch? So I would just take off jogging until I felt like I was about to die, then stop and breathe heavily, then go again as long as I could. (All of you real runners who are reading this are groaning right now, aren’t you?)

Change is difficult even when it is good. Change requires a different mindset, a different response than what we’re used to. Change is stretching all the tight places of our mind and emotions and even though they need to be stretched, they resist. We resist. I resist.

My husband’s day off is usually a “lazy day.” We sleep in, eat breakfast around noon, hang out in our pajamas, play with the kids, eventually get dressed and go do something fun together. Occasionally something productive, too.

For the last couple of weeks, Joe has been organized with a list of things to accomplish and intent on getting stuff done. This is great, I think; it’s his only day off, besides Sunday, which is for church and rest and family. He has a lot of projects, and a lot of ideas, and as much as I want to help there are many things that only Joe can take care of. So his decision to be organized and productive on his day off is good. I applaud it.

I resist it. It took me a while to figure out why. (The coffee hadn’t kicked in yet.) I mentally agree that the change is good and needed; emotionally I am not ready for the way it cuts into our lazy fun time and requires a change in my attitude, my expectations, my response, my plans.

I am slow to adjust. Once I began to see the reason for conflict (my own resistance to changing my expectations), it became easier to let go. When I finally accepted change, we ended up having a productive day as well as a fun time together. Often it isn’t what we have to let go of that creates the resistance; it is simply the fact that we have to let go at all.

Resources: Stew Smith from Military.com offers a Stretching Plan with brief descriptions of 11 stretches which Mr. Smith recommends doing before each workout.

The stretches I did (which were simple, low intensity, but felt good) came from Stretching.com, where you can order wall charts, laminated charts, or any of several different books on stretching.

Better Homes and Gardens has an article with more detailed descriptions of Seven Great Stretches.

LifeTips has a great line of tips on stretching: descriptions of particular stretches as well as “in general” stretching advice.

Tip: If you’re a previous non-stretcher (like me), start with 5 – 10 minutes of stretching and work your way up to 15 – 20. The more I stretch, the more convinced I am that it’s helpful and healthy, plus I am getting better at targeting the muscles and really feeling the release and relaxation from the stretch. So go for a few minutes of really focusing, and as you get better and feel each stretch more, you can add more stretches in without getting bored.

People with integrity have firm footing, but those who follow crooked paths will slip and fall. Proverbs 10:9

Update (Wednesday): 20 minutes cardio (walking in park); 5 minutes stretch/abs.

Using the opportunities you have helps you to do something that otherwise you would find excuses not to do. That is most possibly the wordiest sentence possible and says the least but I am using a really loud keyboard right now and just typing more words than necessary because I like the sound it makes. Clack clack clatter.

Okay. Let’s try it again. I think what I want to say is this: You can either find a way to make do with what you have and reach your goal regardless of your circumstances, or you can make excuses and stay where you are, which is not where you want to be.

As Steven Pressfield says in his book The War of Art , “Casting yourself as a victim is the antithesis of doing your work. Don’t do it. If you’re doing it, stop.” (By the by, there are 118 customer reviews at Amazon on this book. Is that normal? 118? Wow.)

Resources: Go to your local library or bookstore and check out a copy of Pressfield’s book. It’s a great, creative kick-in-the-pants, and though it addresses the “creative life” most directly, the principles apply to any endeavor.

If you are a graphic designer or photographer, check out TheCreativeForum.com, which is “a Web-based community for the creative professional that will allow graphic designers, art directors, commercial photographers and other commercial artists to exchange creative ideas via posting of images and work samples for discussion and critique.” There you have it.

If you’re a writer, read this excellent article from Write to Done – which I don’t know much about, but I’m impressed with what I’ve seen; I think it’s a good find – on establishing the daily habit of writing. (It comes from the Zen Habits blogger, Leo Babauta, so it’s got to be good.)

Tip: It’s more important to be diligent in the small things, everyday, than to kill yourself trying to accomplish that one big thing. The small things add up to big things. Pick something you’ve been slacking on (time with your spouse, exercise, calling a friend, reading, cooking a good meal) and be diligent and excellent at that small thing. There will be big results. It’s just a matter of time + diligence.

Teach the wise, and they will be wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn more. Proverbs 9:9

Update (Monday): 30 minutes cardio (walking); 5 minutes toning (abs).

I went through Kim Lyons’ book yesterday and picked out some toning, strength, and stretching moves to try. I am needing a routine for that half of this extreme exercise regime… My “sexy abs sit-ups” just aren’t quite enough.

Speaking of the Kim Lyon’s book ( optimum everything in 12 weeks!), it’s a useful tool for at-home exercise, plus a good overall fitness primer. She begins with an introduction to your body, then moves on to your mindset. Her discussion of habits is valuable for anyone wanting to make exercise and good nutrition a real part of life.

Because it’s really all about the habits. We can force ourselves to stick to a diet for a certain amount of time, to really push through on working out for a while, but it is only in forming habits that we get long-lasting benefits. That’s what these monthly challenges are all about: 30 days to form a habit.(Some people say 21, I know, but I’m going for 30 just to be safe.)

These life-improvement binges we go on don’t help us; in fact, they turn us off to making real, positive changes. I went on a diet once, when I was 17. My whole family did; Mom read about it in a magazine. It was called “ The Cabbage Soup Diet.” To this day, I don’t understand what dark, mysterious force compelled all 4 of us to agree to a week of eating cabbage soup. (That’s wrong right there, I don’t care who you are…)

I ate cabbage soup for a week and gained two pounds. I have never dieted since. One bad experience can turn you off from something that could be good. (Though I don’t think cabbage soup is ever that good.)

It’s better, far, far better to establish habits that you can maintain for a long time. You make small changes that produce small effects, but over months and years those small things become big. Diligence and consistency can accomplish lots more, and in a much more painless way, than fads and binges.

————————————————

Resources: From Fox News Health Blog, a 7-day log of the Cabbage Soup Diet experience. Read it and weep. (At least I did.)

From BPhoenix website, an article and list of fad diets. Yep, Cabbage Soup is on there.

From KidsHealth, an article on establishing habits that will help your kids be healthy eaters from ‘kidhood’ on. I don’t at all agree with their “avoid battles” concept of training toddlers how to eat… But then, I seldom agree with popular culture’s child-rearing philosophies. More on that some other time.

Tip: Think of one unhealthy habit you have now that you could change. It could be small, but small changes add up! Drink a glass of water every morning; eat a salad every night; snack on fruit instead of a Swiss Cake Roll. Pick one, and start making it a habit.

Say unto Wisdom, You are my sister; and call Understanding your intimate friend. Proverbs 7:4