Exercise, what's that???

This past Spring I began a dedicated exercise routine. I was very proud of myself, monitored my measurments and weight, I even took notes for each day I excerised (which was at least 5 days a week). I lost 13 lbs and many inches over the course of 3 months. Plus I was up to running for 25 minutes plus an hour (give or take) of walking. The running part is the big deal if you know me. But basically I was shaking my booty for 5-6 miles a day!

Then Ken went to CA for a work trip at the end of May, swept me off my feet to Europe for a week, school got out, then we had the summer of endless of vacations. Okay, I really shouldn't complain about that since we still talk about our 10 days in Cancun like 3 times a day. Seriously, we have talked about our "48 hours away" probably 5 times as long as the actual time spent away. Anyway, all summer long I have thought of a million reasons why it's okay I'm not exercising. Here's my top 10 excuses:

1. Because pacing back and forth across a room 1000 times each night/or day as you rock a baby to sleep has got to count for something. Even if it only takes 6 strides to cross the room.

2. I totally worked up a sweat walking the 15 feet from my back door to my Suburban. Heck, sometimes I was dripping within the first 5 feet that's how good I am at exercising!

3. Swimming is really great at making lean toned muscles, and since I go to the pool all the time I am getting really fit. Regardless of the fact that I am holding two babies and sitting on the steps and barely moving.

4. I saw the insides of 7 different gyms at the 7 different hotels we stayed in. Does it really matter if I didn't use the equipment??? I still went to 7 different gyms and saw all the neatly lined treadmills, and my thighs totally burned when I saw the eliptical machines. Wouldn't that count as exercise by immersion? I mean my whole body made it completely within two steps of the gym and came right out just as quickly.

5. I made it through 7 different airport security checkpoints with kids in tow, not to mention 6 Custom Lines and 8 different stopovers. Granted they saw all of us coming and barely raised a brow at our stuff. Unlike my mom who got detained because of her underwire bra on our way to Cancun--that was funny! But still that has to be a workout with all the bending and lifting, folding up the stroller, shoving it through the little machine terrified the government will make you pay $100,000 because you did something wrong and/ or damaged the x-ray machine. That makes your heart rate go right on up. "Honestly Security man just because I'm sweating bullets doesn't mean I'm a terrorist!"

6. Or, I actually did get a great 5 minute run accomplished right after my 2 1/2 hour pre-workout. Pre- Workout: Feed baby, look for shoes, can't find them so I look under the bed, couch, whatever only to find them in a playhouse with 20 other pairs of shoes---Hmmm, wonder how they got there. Need socks, oh wait didn't do the laundry. Start Laundry, find reasonably clean socks, put them on, phone rings and I can't get the person off. Baby gets tired, put baby to sleep, Toddler screams because she is afraid you are going to put her to sleep, console the toddler, check on the boys it is way too quiet. Phone rings again, still haven't put shoes on and now I need to find them again. Someone stops by unannounced, give them what they want and send them on their way. Find iPod, it's even harder to find the ear plugs since a boy has borrowed them and mysteriously doesn't realize they are mine, even though his MP3 player and accessories are all black and mine is all white, Hmmmm. Then toddler is hungry, get her all set-up to watch the wiggles with a snack and a water bottle just to be sure, finally have one shoe on. Phone rings again, trip over second shoe and stub my toe-- it makes the toddler laugh. Finally I have my shoes on, I have my music, the toddler is appeased and I'm good to go. What a great warm-up I've missed this... and then the baby wakes up!

7. I keep losing weight so I have nothing to worry about (for only 3 weeks). Why would it matter if it is only in my chest because I stopped nursing, I'm still shedding lbs. Unfortunately the weight loss makes me feel like my tummy is bigger. I need the bigger chest to hold my shirts further away from my tummy.

8. Playing in the ocean makes you have a killer bod...that is until you eat a 24oz. Porterhouse Steak. YUMMY! I ordered one on our anniversary and Ken ordered some fresh fish with pineapple. They put the Fish in front of me and the Steak in front of him. Hmmmm, what does that say about me.

9. I've listened to my exercise music on my iPod 1000 times because it is my favorite playlist. And it makes me want to shake and groove in the car. Seriously, do you know what kind of mental workout it requires to pick the absolutely perfect playlist? There are so many calculations:how many minutes at what kind of heart rate, finding the perfect song for that point in my exercise routine, plus downloading the same song 4 different times because apparantly the radio version is different and/or clean or edited means different things to each different artist. For one song I couldn't even get the song by the artist because the clean versions still had swear words, I had to go with a workout mix.

10. Okay, I'm out of reasons. I guess I better get my behind into gear. Especially since there is now more of it then when the summer began!

I put my playlist on my profile, keep in mind for some of the songs I have a slightly different mix then those. But they will still keep you moving.