Welcome Back

Today I went to the gym, and it felt like there was a big "Welcome Back!" sign hanging over the eliptical machines. This might sound weird, but I REALLY enjoy working out. You might say I love it. The trick is, I love working out at the gym, not really anywhere else. I love the cardio machines, the calorie counters, the magasines, the weight machines, the warm-up-cool-down stretching area, I like how the rubber floor mats are kinda bouncy. I like it all!

I got into working out in high school where I took a weight class for an easy A (NOT easy, the school started doing the "Bigger, Faster, Stronger" program that semester and it kicked my butt) and also lifted weights for the swim team, a prerequisit to being on Varsity. In college I worked out a lot, taking advantage of random hours between classes that would otherwise be filled wandering aimlessly around campus. When we had Patrick I joined a gym with childcare just so I could get some alone time and I worked out until I got pregnant with Eli... and I haven't been to the gym since. It's been over 2 years! Oh, sweet gym, how I've missed you!

Caroline turned 3 months old yesterday (the minimum age for kids to go to daycare at this gym), so I hit the ground running this morning and sent all the kids to daycare at the gym. It was so great! The eliptical welcomed me back with wide-open oversized foot pedals. The bike didn't mind me getting its seat all sweaty. The stair climber, though, tried to kill me (as usual). I was SO HAPPY to be back to working out, though! To add to my sense of pride there is a write-up on the wall about what a workout is, and it was EXACTLY how I feel! I wanted to get a copy, but forgot to ask... but the jist is that a workout is 25% perspiration, 75% dedication. Just showing up is the greatest part of the battle! By showing up you have conquered laziness and procrastination. A workout helps you look better, feel better, and BE better. Working out gives you confidence to do things you wouldn't have done before. Working out is a statement that you care and that you want to be better today than you were yesterday. THAT'S a workout! And maybe that's why I like it so much - for all of those reasons and more (like bouncy rubber floors).

The added bonus: I may finally fit into the greater portion of the clothes in my closet. People weren't lying when they said it was tougher to bounce back after their third baby... tough, but not impossible! I'm taking it one workout at a time.