Working and Working Out

Short Story:

I learned the best time for me to exercise on the days I work (I'm a part-time substitute teacher) is in the early mornings. It won't be an intense hour at the gym, but it will be better than nothing and I won't have to feel like I sacrificed my evening with the family for it. And...I'm not minding the getting up earlier, because it leaves me feeling great all day. :)

Long Story: (This is kind of rambling, but I don't have time to "clean up" my writing tonight.)

I worked yesterday and today. Last week I got up early to exercise on the days I worked, but yesterday I wasn't feeling like it. As I laid in bed I told myself I would workout in the evening. I knew Freddy wouldn't mind if I went to the gym, and I could even do a quick 30-minute DVD at home if that was all I had time for.

Well, I felt guilty and horribly all morning for "skipping" my workout. Why? Because I know that when I'm working (and one daughter has ballet after school) we don't eat dinner until around 7:00 pm. In order to care for my house after dinner, spend some time with the kids, get things ready for another day's work and get to bed at at decent time I don't have extra minutes for exercise. I could skip my household duties and ignore my children to get a workout done and get to bed on time, but that's not my thing.

Around lunchtime I texted my husband to tell him I didn't think I'd go to the gym in the evening after all. I explained that I didn't want to ignore the family for the evening just to fit in exercise and he agreed that was fine.

After him basically telling me he thought it was okay I was fine. No more guilty feelings. Though this may not be a popular thing in the health world, my family comes before my exercise. If I'm so busy that I have to choose between spending some time around the family or getting exercise in, I will almost always choose my family. There is balance there, but that's how my priorities go. My kids won't always be around forever, but the opportunities to exercise will.

So... while I felt better emotionally for the rest of yesterday for just deciding to skip the workout for the day I also learned something. If I am going to get exercise in while working I must get up and do it in the morning. I did it last week and after not doing it yesterday I realized that really is the best thing.

So, today I did. I was up and starting my 2-mile Walk At Home Leslie Sansone DVD by 6:00 am. I got a good brisk 30 minutes of exercise in, showered, got twins off to school, did devotions, got myself and son off to school and felt better all day for it. :)

And now...I've paused to think...lost my train of thought (hubby is watching over my shoulder because he wants to use the computer), so....I should probably get to bed now.

Hopefully I've have more clarified thoughts later in the week. :)

Oh, yea...now I remember. The neatest thing I've learned from this observation is that I haven't minded getting up early to exercise before work. It's not the most intense workout like running, but it gets the blood pumping and me going. I step up the walking workouts to make myself sweat, so I know I'm getting a decent workout in. I also have notice that I feel so much better throughout the day for doing it, which makes it easier to get up the next time. (except for Mondays when you stayed up too late the night before... LOL )

I guess that's it for now. G'nite!