Workin' it out

I've had a touch of the baby blues lately. I've come to realize that I am not going to be at my job, which I really like(d), for YEARS and that I've become a full time mom. I love being a mom, but I was a working mom for a long time. Now I'm a mom. And a mom. Oh - and a mom. That's it. That's how it felt/feels right now. So, I decided to use my time wisely and get back to the gym!

When I was home with Katie before I went back to work, I really enjoyed going to the gym. They have a great daycare/babysitting room that is included in our membership. The people that watch the kids are friendly and follow a pretty regular schedule so the same people are usually there around the same time. They'll give the babies bottles and keep the older kids occupied with activities, crafts and a cool playground. And if things get too crazy and staff member will come and find you to help alleviate any temper tantrums or the like. But, they don't come and get you unless they REALLY need you. The staff are very good at trying just about everything to settle a kiddo before they hunt you down. They know that this may be your only hour alone. They had to get me one time for Katie and it was because she had pinched her finger in a door and wouldn't calm down.

So, I signed Courtney up last week and headed to the gym today! I timed it out so she had just eaten and needed a nap. I packed her in the car where she promptly fell asleep. She stayed asleep the whole hour-and-fifteen-minutes I was there. Pretty nice.

I'm also happy about working toward my goal of a 5K race. I was doing a program called Couch to 5K before I was pregnant with Courtney. I had made it to week 5 when I saw the double pink line. I tried to keep up the program, but pregnancy kicks my butt physically and I opted for naps on the couch rather than the treadmill. Well. I'M BACK!! I'm using our old, 1st generation iPod and have downloaded all the podcasts that help me along. The program is a series of walking/running intervals that slowly condition your body. In about 9 weeks you'll have enough stamina to run a 5K in about 30 minutes. Not bad! So, today I completed the first day of week 1. I about died, but feel good and will do it again on Wednesday. I'm really hoping to keep going and run in a real, honest to goodness 5K sometime in the late summer or early fall. I want to pin a number on me and everything.

If your even remotely interested in running, you should try this program. I AM NOT a runner. and *I* can do this program. The workouts are short - between 25-45 minutes each - and the program is flexible. They recommend doing each workout 3 times a week with at least 1 day of rest in between. As the workouts get more challenging, I do them more than three times. The week 4 workout took me 6 times before I felt like I could go to week 5. No stress. Nobody's yelling at me because I need one more shot before I feel comfortable. It's on my iPod so nobody snickers "Ha ha! Look at her. She's doing the SAME workout 7 times." I like it!

So wish me luck. I'll try to post my progress as I move along and when I do my 5K I'll definitely post pictures and everything! Happy running!