The (Sweat) Trickle Down Effect

In case you haven't realized yet, fitness is something of a priority in my life.  I love it the way I used to love chocolate cake...well...like I still love chocolate cake (but only on occasion, I swear!).  I feel so passionately about living a Fit Life that I have chosen to share my overzealousness with all of you, Dear Readers, on a daily basis.  Well...if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, I suppose I share on more of an hourly and sometimes minute-ly basis...but I warned you fair and square.  So imagine, if I'm so dedicated to bombarding you with my obsession, how much my darling little monkeys get to share with me.  How lucky are they?!?

Tony Horton is a household name.  My 6-year-old requested Shaun T's autograph when I went to his Insanity class last weekend.  I'm pretty sure my toddler's first phrase is going to be "You're not tired!" from watching so much TurboFire.  They inquire about Shakeology flavors.  My nearly 8-year-old has sworn off McDonald's because it makes her feel "yucky."  This pleases Mama immensely.

I can wish and wish I had started living a Fit Life so many years ago, but the fact is, I am living it now.  I am leading by example.  I share run times and training efforts with them on a regular basis (they pretend to find the nuances of minutes and miles enticing info) and they even join me from time to time.  Seriously - what's more adorable than itty bitty biceps being flexed or hearing that little determined voice tell me "I am gonna finish this thing"?  When my son sees me struggling, he cheers me on, telling me that my "pumps are getting bigger!" And in this case, pumps are good! They are my bi's and tri's, having been carved out from the layers of pregnancy flab I had previously carried in their place.

To my extreme joy, we ran/walked our first family 5k this past Thanksgiving, some of us glued and feathered (turkeys and Native Americans) and some of us buckled and in black (Pilgrims). My Mother's Day gift for the past two years has been a family entry in the Susan G. Komen 5k in Philadelphia followed by a trip to the zoo (as if we don't live in one already).  This year, it has been suggested that we may even run it together.  Be still my healthy heart!  Runners too! Brings a tear to a mother's eye... And this summer - oh! this summer!!!!  After Hubby and I finish our first Spartan, we'll be cheering till we're hoarse for our Junior Spartans as they navigate their first mud race.  The girl especially cannot wait to get dirty! 

Aside from random bouts of interest in my at-home workouts and scattered events, these monkeys are active all year long.  We have a cross country runner (<3), football player, gymnasts, wrestler, baseball player, wrestler, cheerleader...and in the past, we've had a dancer and bowlers.  The toddler just began his first foray into the sporting world with a gymnastics class.  The girl plans to try her hand at basketball next year and both boys have discussed martial arts.  Alas, there are only one mommy and one daddy to handle such voracious schedules, so we must limit them to one activity per season each.  And even that can squeeze the life out of some of Mama's workouts - but I am happy to sacrifice a little of my sweatin' time to encourage their Fitness Passions!  When I see my daughter execute a perfect reverse flip on the bar or watch our wrestler pin an opponent, I feel a pride even greater than the one I feel at a finish line.  Hard to believe, but some things eclipse even my ego. 



And during those rare days in between practices? Bowling.  Roller skating.  Biking.  Hiking.  Or even just the park.  Some of our best nights are spent playing Wii.  Dance Dance Revolution is a family favorite (though only our gal has any rhythm), but we can bowl a mean virtual game, too.  We are a family on the move and I plan on keeping it that way.  Fit kids are happy kids.  Just take a look at those cheesey grins...