I am a busy mom of two (7 and 8 year old girls).  I work full time (pulling 10 hr days of work and then full time mom duty after) and I take the girls to their activities after school.   I like to exercise in the morning because this is when motivation is at its highest for me.  I find it very difficult to work out at night because by the time I get home I am tired.  There isn't much time between getting home, dinner, bath and bed.

MY INSPIRATION

I am on a fitness journey which I am at a plateau.  I try to get my workouts in on the days I work but I am not religious about it.  I am inspired by my 7 year old who has taken gymnastics since she was 2.5 or 3 yo.  She does gymnastics 5 days/ 14 hrs a week.  She can't get enough of it.  This girl completed her first year of competition as a level 3 gymnast in 2013 at the age of 6.  She's also part of the TOP's team; Talent Opportunity Program;  where she does more intense conditioning and gets tested 3 times a year.  This will be her first time testing for TOP's and since she's 7 yo she will only be able to participate in half of the test (conditioning).  If she is one of the top 50 girls in the country with the highest score, she will be put on the Diamond List which is seen by Marta Károlyi Head of the USA Gymnastics Training Center in Texas.  Next year when she turns 8 yo she will be able to do the entire test.  If she ranks one of the top 50 in the country, she will have the chance to attend a 1 week training session at the USA Gymnastics Training Center in Texas.  She's so athletic and I don't really know who she gets it from because I did not have the privilege to do sports or after school activities when I was growing up.  My husband wasn't really a sports person either.  I find my daughter to be very inspirational in that she loves physical activity.

Abs to die for!

My 8 yo old is not a gymnast but she is figuring out what types of sports interest her and is hoping to do team sports some time in the near future.  She is actually wanting to join swim team but she has to complete her last swim class.  She also has a liking for volleyball which I'm trying to find places to help foster this that meet more than one time a week or can lead her into the team aspect of it.

I take a fitness class a few times a week called Kido.  I love this class because I get everything done at one time.  Kido is:

KiDo, is a group cardio fitness class based upon movements meant to invigorate your life energy. KiDo incorporates elements of Taekwondo, boxing and boot camp set to high energy music for a calorie blasting workout. This total body workout is a progressive aerobic workout guaranteed to tone and define your body. Burn up to 800 calories an hour! Not only will it increase your cardiovascular fitness levels, it is a great stress reliever and confidence booster.

Did I mention I have exercise induced asthma?  Yes, any type of physical activity makes me winded.  Even if I take all of my meds before a work out I always have to slow my heart rate down when I am out of breath before I can jump back into it.  It's something that I deal with and I try to work through it and not let it hold me back.  I also have plantar fasciitis in my left inner heel which I 've been working through for about 1.5 years.  I've done the physical therapy, the cortisone shots and stretching.  I love my Prostretch Plus because it gives me a real good stretch in my calves which I have a hard time getting from dropping my heels off a step.  I'm more into pain management to get me through.  If it's not that my arches cramp when I work out w/ shoes on.  I  wear orthotics because I have little to no arch so if it's not one thing it's another.  This is my body.

I've been doing Kido for about 2 years with some time off to rest the plantar fascia.  I just love that I get a full body workout because I don't have time to spend a few hours in the gym.  I need a well rounded workout so I can get in and get out.  My kid's recently were begging me to take them to Kido class and they swore they would participate.  I think Kido is really good with core work and my gymnast loves to take on new challenges.  The girls really blew me away with trying to follow.  The teacher Kimmie was no nice to let them share a bag so they could also do punches and kicks with us moms.  The girls also did core work and circuit training.  The next morning the girls told me they were sore.

I explained to them just because you workout at gymnastics doesn't mean you use the same muscle groups in the same way.  The soreness of your muscles is showing you that it's been used in a new way and you are creating new muscle.  Your body needs to be challenged and not do the same routine over and over.  Your body knows what to expect when you do the same workout again and again for long periods of time.  Your body needs to keep guessing on what type of workout it's going to get it can build new muscle.

I find it so inspiring to see my kids working out and having an active lifestyle.  I feel like I have more energy when I workout.  Don't get me wrong I do have those feelings of I don't want to workout today.  I just feel so amazing after I workout and I sleep so much better.  The type of rest I get when I've  workout that day is more sound, better quality and I don't have a hard time getting up.


I am trying to instill fitness as a normal everyday event for my girls so they don't have to think twice about it nor will they think of it as a chore.  I wish I had that when I was younger.