Did you just hear Salma Hayek in Fools Rush In? Me too!
When anyone is doing anything that they don't necessarily always want to do, excuses are going to make an appearance. Sometimes the excuses win, sometimes they lose, but they always seem to come back again and again. Those excuses are seriously persistent little buggers.
Today I am going to share my top five excuses that sometimes win. I think many of these are common, some are not, but they can all be beaten, or at least worked around.
1. I don't have time
No shit! Who has any time these days? I probably DON'T have time there is ALWAYS something else I could/should be doing, but somehow I must make time. There HAS to be a way.
A way: Bring all three boys to a location with a treadmill (my mother's), give the older two snacks, put the 2 year old in front of Curious George, make the 6 year old do his homework, and pray to God that the baby stays asleep for 30 minutes. Then run! Even if the baby does wake up, sometimes he cries for the last ten minutes or so when he is in the stroller so it is the same. Right? Right??
Of course you could go the traditional route of getting up earlier (I am NOT a morning person), running during your lunch hour (Ha! I am a teacher. I get 20 minutes IF the kids all move their butts when they are dismissed...which they don't), get a membership to a gym with child care (In my dreams), or running in the evening when your significant other gets home (it is pitch black when that happens for me and I live in the woods. So...no).
2. It is too cold out (for the baby)
Who are you kidding? If you think it is too cold for you, running will make you warmer. Layer up and stop whining.
If you are concerned about the baby and the thirty layers of onesies, and sweaters, and snowsuits, and blankets, and snugglies that they are undoubtedly bundled in, then see one of my indoor solutions above. No gym membership or access to a family member's treadmill? Find a mall that opens early and run there with all the old people walking. Or maybe a school will let you use their hallways after school.
3. I am too tired
Exercise is scientifically proven to give you more energy. Seriously. Look it up.
When I am faced with this one I usually tell myself that I will sleep more soundly and fall asleep more quickly if I am absolutely exhausted. Maybe I will even be so fast asleep that when one of the kids wakes up the Hubs will hear them first for once.
4. I'm just not "feeling" it
Seriously? This one has to be a non-excuse. And yet it wins sometimes. I have actually walked into my house less than five minutes after "going out for a run" uttering these words.
My solution to this one is telling myself I only have to run for ten minutes and then if I am still "not feeling it" I can stop. This usually works. If not, I have at least gotten a ten minute run in, which is a run. Winning!
5. I ate too much to run right now. I don't want to get a stomach ache
I know. This one is ridiculous. If I would just stop stuffing my face with whatever I can get my hands on because I forgot to eat at a normal time this one wouldn't happen. To this one I say, "Get outside and deal with it. Maybe if your stomach really hurts you won't let it happen again."
**And a bonus for all those breastfeeding mothers out there:
The breastfeeding excuse (Fare warning: this one can take multiple forms)
If I run my breast milk will decrease/there won't be enough for the baby/lactic acid and all that stuff
I actually fell prey to this one with my first two boys. I was seriously scared that running would hurt breastfeeding; something that I worked very hard to get going and plan to do for the first year.
Honestly, this one kept me from running for almost a year with my first son. By my second I ran a little after I knew that everything was okay (about 6 months) and still worried about it every time I ran.
I am not sure what the research or experts say about this one. The baby has not gotten upset at me yet. I try my best to plan accordingly as far as his feeding schedule goes. I make sure he has just eaten. Sometimes I pump right before, sometimes I don't. He has taken it all in stride. I don't think I run enough for the whole lactic acid build up in my body to effect my breast milk (I read something about this once). I don't know. It hasn't been a problem yet and every time I run and it is not a problem I worry about it less and less.
I guess the moral of this little excuse is to take it slowly and see how it goes. You can always stop if something seems to be negatively effecting your breastfeeding. I'll let you know how it goes.
So, what are your top five excuses that allow you to not run? How often are they winning? Are there any solutions that you could pull out of your back pocket on those days where it would be easier to curl up on the couch and binge on old episodes of Gilmore Girls, Dexter, or Downton Abbey (There is a tv watching combo that tells you a lot about me!)?
No comments:
Post a Comment