No excuses, ladies, no excuses!

I am not athletic, nor do I like exercise, although I have come to appreciate it. When my boys were little my husband encouraged me to join a health club. God really used the health club to help me through the difficult years of having 2 young children, 16 months apart. Looking back I realize that my boys were normal but in my insecurity and lack of experience I convinced myself that my struggles were mine alone. Surely, I must be doing something wrong. Unfortunately, well meaning people would, at times, criticize both my children and my parenting skills. It really hurt! The one place I could bring my children and hear nothing but encouragement was the health club. My boys were so well behaved (God's intervention), so cute and appreciated by the childcare staff. It was definitely God giving me a place of emotional rest, a mommy break, a workout, and a shower!

My 2 little bundles of energy in July 2003

I love the health club environment with lots of different equipment and motivation from others. Also, it comes in handy when you cannot get outside at least four months out of the year, I live in Minnesota. However, as my boys reached school age and we added a third child, my time and ability to get to the health club drastically decreased. We gave up the membership. I was sad and spent the next few years struggling to get consistent exercise. Last summer I got back on track with biking. It felt great! In October, I decided to buy a stationary bike. After 2 months, it broke! So one snowy day, this past January, I was so stressed out and really wanted exercise. In my frustration I decided to run my stairs! I put on my headphones and proceeded to go up and down all 15 steps for 30 minutes. Oh my, what a workout! I had never used stairs as a workout and was amazed at how drenched in sweat I became not to mention the 140+ heartrate and the burning in my butt and legs. It felt great!

My broken bike helped me realized that there is no excuse for not exercising! If you have stairs in your home, you can exercise. My stairs have become my new favorite place. My goal is to use them at least three times a week for 30 minutes! In my recents efforts to Reshape It All I did the stairs four times this week! My workout always includes...

Upbeat, God themed music, Mandisa has been my recent pick

A bottle of nice, cold water

My bathroom clock sitting at the top of the stairs

I generally run down the stairs but going up can be anything from walking slowly, to running, to matching the beat of the song. Sometimes I skip a step, I keep it interesting! Along with the stairs I do push-ups and some core training exercises. My children are sometimes around when I exercise. They like to join in!

My husband took this video one snowy day this past winter. Thankfully, my boys only follow me on the stairs for a couple minutes. I love my kids but I need my space when I workout!

"It's my goal to encourage parents to leave a legacy for their children that includes more than our worldly possessions. In addition to the morals and faith we instill, we can train them to understand and care for their bodies."

Candace Cameron Bure, Reshaping It All, Chapter 18

I like that my boys see me exercising. In 2-1/2 years, when my two oldest will be able to join me on the health club floor, I hope to get a membership again. Since we cannot get outside all year long the health club will be a good option for our family. It is an environment that motivates me! In the meantime, I will be using my stairs and getting exercise outside in the warmer months! There is no excuse not to exercise!