why you should join a gym if you have kids

my primary motivation for joining LA Fitness had nothing to do with getting my pre-baby (babies) body back.


because, obviously, i'm super smokin hot already.  i mean just look at me.

a face only a mother could love.


it had everything to do with the fact that, for $40 a month (+ $10/each kid), they will watch my children for two hours a day.

that's about 60 hours per month of childcare for $60 dollars.

are you guys hearing what i'm saying?

at first, i went to the classes.  i cycled and stepped my way into sweaty bliss, enjoying the adult socialization i got every day.  (and by "socialization", i mean that i began to recognize the faces of the people in my classes.  not that i actually worked up the nerve to talk to anyone.)

but now, i have found my true fitness love: walking on the treadmill listening to podcasts.

(i'll do another post on how podcasts are the love of my life.  you can listen while walking, cooking, in the car...it's a beautiful thing.)

am i burning a thousand calories an hour?  no.  am i increasing my endurance and building muscle and developing that super-firm and perky tush i've always wanted?  no.  am i sweating up a hurricane and feeling the burn?  no.

well, yes about the sweating.  there's something wrong with the a/c.

but, am i getting almost 2 hours to myself while i chillax and listen to stuff i like?  oh yes.

yes, i am.

and to make the most of my 2 hours of babysitting, i shower and get ready at the gym [almost] every morning, as well.

some people think gym showers are gross, and i'm not here to dissuade you of that notion.  they are.

but here's the thing.  if you've got someone watching your kids, and they're happy*, you make the most of that time!  for me, that means showering and dressing and doing my makeup and hair--at the gym.

if i shower at home, i'm on borrowed time.  i have to do it when the boys are asleep or in roomtime, when i have other things i need to be doing, like cleaning or making dinner or starting my 27th book for this year (i finished #26 today!  i am on a roll, people.)

but if i shower at the gym, i can take my time.  the kids are being supervised!  i'm free to relax and do my hair and makeup at a leisurely pace while finishing my podcast and trying not to get my straightener tangled in my ipod cord.

they're wonderful things, gyms.  and i know they can get expensive pretty quickly, but if you can find it in your budget to do so, i urge you to try it out.  especially if you're a stay-at-home-mom whose only adult interaction is with the cashiers at the grocery store.

go get your sweat on.  make some friends.  try a class or two.  walk on the treadmill.  go sit in the hot tub.  (i've been debating whether or not i would be looked down upon for bringing a book to the gym and hiding in the locker room to read for my allotted gym time.  i'm thinking maybe i could just go sit on a bike and pedal reaaaaally slowly while i read.)

you guys.

2 HOURS OF BABYSITTING.  EVERY DAY.

are you picking up what i'm laying down?

on a completely unrelated note (if you've been reading this blog for any length of time you will know i'm fond of those), silas and i made these last night.



*the happiness took about 2 weeks.  for a while, the boys would scream and cry and cling every time we walked into the gym.  i was guilt-ridden and almost about to give up when one day, magically, everything was okay.  now they LOVE it and even ask to go sometimes.