Lost: Me Time-If Found Please Call...

Please excuse me while I get my thoughts out for a minute...

I'm not completely lazy. Odd way to start out my blog entry today, I know, but it seems appropriate to clarify that. What am I talking about you ask? Working out. Yuck.

I used to be very active and therefore, physically fit, so I never really had to dedicate a specific time to "working out", because I was always practicing something, or going to some two-a-day or dance class or something. I was involved in about every sport you could imagine at some point in my early life, from softball and soccer to competitive dance and snow skiing. I love to be outdoors and I really get enjoyment out of going to sporting events. So what happened to me? Life happened. Don't get me wrong, I am not making excuses. I do need to get myself back into shape and be more healthy...I know that. It's just sometimes it's hard to fit that into the rest of my adult life duties and especially with the addition of motherhood and all of it's added responsibilities...where do people find the time?

It has been an ongoing "issue" (let's just keep it nice and neat) in our home about when I am going to be able to find time for myself, to take care of myself. David has a very demanding job (especially with today's market), one that requires him to often work long evening and weekend hours, and this usually leaves me to manage the other aspects of our life and work my "9-5" job at the same time. I really am not trying to get your sympathy, but I don't think some people really understand how much that really means and it is an on-going source of frustration for me. We know that all of David's time spent with his career is going to pay off and help our family in the long-run, so I am happy to assist him as much as possible and it is so exciting to be a part of the early stages of what I know will be a long a successful career for David, but it can be very tiring and demanding for me too.

When I went back to work after having Ally, I switched my hours to a 7:30-4:30 schedule, so I could get Ally picked up from the babysitter by 5:00 and avoid a lot of the traffic issues I had faced before. In order to make it to work by 7:30am, I have to leave my house NO LATER than 6:45am. That is pretty darn early folks (at least for me who has NEVER claimed, even for a minute, to be a morning person)! In order to leave my house by 6:45, I have to be up and out of the shower by 5:30 (and I probably should get up even earlier than this). I spend 45 minutes on myself (which is probably why I look the way I do some days, but another topic for another day) and then spend 1/2 hour to 45 minutes getting Ally ready, before waking David up to take over baby duty so I can head off to work. It's a pretty rushed hour to hour and a half most mornings and I feel bad for having to rush Ally, especially.

Why don't I take "me time" at night and work out then? Well, anyone who has ever had a child that never stops moving and takes very few naps, can answer that question. Between dinner and baths and bedtime routines and I don't know, maybe spending a few minutes of quality time with my child or trying to keep up with the house duties, the few hours I have at night before I need to get to bed, go by before I even know it and then it is time to start the same routine again. And, who wants to work out at 10:00 at night when they get up at 5:30?

I love my life, I have it VERY good...this I know, but if I could wish for something, I often think I would wish for more hours in the day. :-) I'm sure there are a ton of moms out there that often wish for the very same thing.

Well, to bring all of this back home...yesterday, David and I were once again having the "I don't have enough time to work out!" "discussion" and I mentioned that if David were to get up with Ally in the morning and get her started, I would workout when I got up at 5:30 and then finish getting ready during the time that I would have normally been getting Ally ready. Now, I should probably state that David is also not known for being "of the chipper morning variety" and it normally takes at least three rounds of me harassing him before he is actually out of the bed (not blaming him one bit, just saying). I didn't really think this whole "why don't you get up a half hour earlier so I can work out" thing would really go over very well with him, but to my surprise he agreed with pretty much no hesitation! We have two vacations planned this summer and we are both in a beach wedding for good friends of ours in October, so David knows how important it is to me to get in better shape before any of those events. It's important to him too, so he has been working out every morning with his dad, after he drops Ally off at the babysitter's, for the past couple months. I am so proud of him for his commitment to getting healthier, but I think David realizes I don't have the luxury of that kind of schedule or time, so maybe that's why he is so willing to get up extra early to help me out.
I don't know, but I hope he knows how much I really do appreciate it!
I started my new workout routine this morning and it was a little rough to go from nice cozy bed straight into lunges and crunches, but I feel really good about doing it. I have realized, once again, that I am no where near as young as I used to be and am not able to do what I used to be able to do, but I am hopeful that I will get there soon or at least closer. I am hopeful that this will help me to have more energy and feel better about myself and to set a good example for Allyson. OK, let's be honest, I am most hopeful that I will be able to continue to get my rear-tail moving that early in the morning and that my husband won't decide he was crazy for agreeing to this new routine...it has been only one day after all. :-)

To Bud, my wonderful hubby,
Thank you for helping me carve out some "me time"! It really does mean a lot to me and it has rejuvenated me more than you know!
I love you and your willingness to be so supportive!
Can't wait for our summer on the beach together!
-E

Wish me good luck and good use of my new 1/2 hour of "me time"!! I will keep you all posted on our quest to get in shape!