I Have Muscles..... Where?

Although our recent vacation was a little less desirable than I thought it would be, it did give me some extra time to do a little thinking. Down time is always scary. Since I rarely get it unless I'm sleeping. I begin to think of a million things at once. Usually they have no connection to one another, but for some reason my brain sent a signal that it was time to ponder the world's/my own problems, concerns, questions and quirkiness.

My most recent thought has been that of my health. I am 34 years old. I'm not in bad shape, but I have gained 10 pounds since my last child. It's amazing how an extra 10lbs can affect you. It lurks in the shadows until you require that thing they refer to as stamina. While I play with the kids everyday, it's far from a cardio workout, but sometimes my body disagrees. I noticed that feeling tired is a daily occurrence and I'm sick of blaming it on the millions of things that need to be accomplished by a stay-at-home-mom. I want my energy back.

Before the children, I actually enjoyed weight lifting. It wasn't competitive, but I had that nice tone look in addition to six pack abs. I'm currently carrying a 24 pack, or what some people may refer to as a case of abs right now. They turned to marshmallow after children, and I had too many other important things on my plate to worry about what I looked like, let alone what I felt like.

Which brings me back to vacation when I received a call that my Dad had a possible heart attack. It wasn't, and he's fine now. But it brought me to the realization that it was time to start taking care of myself again. Both my mom and dad will be 60 this year. And although there were many lessons passed down through the years, health may not have been on the top of either's list. We were taught to go to the doctor when we felt ill, but what do you do when you feel well. The truth is, taking care of oneself is a daily project, and depending on genetics and family history, you may have a tougher job than you know.

And so I joined a gym. Not just any gym. I joined a wellness center. It is run by our local hospital, and it is unlike any gym I've ever belonged to. When I check in, I bring the boys to the Child Minding Room. Filled with toys, the boys are in their own element. I then go down to the locker room where some zen-like music is playing over the speakers (scary at first, but more calming now). I head out to floor where I am in the company of people mostly 65 and above. That's right, no tight spandex, inflated boobies or G-strings to stare or wonder "How do they do that?"

Many of the people that belong have either had health problems or are trying to avoid them like the dickens. What they all have in common though is their wiliness to live. I love that, and that's why I joined.

So I'm 2 weeks into my program. I've dropped 2lbs. until that chocolate milkshake I gulped down last night. Anyway, I'm working hard, and I've have learned that there are muscles in places I had no idea existed. I plan to stay on course this time. As a matter of fact, we'll be heading out as soon as I finish this post. Off in search of more muscles! I'll keep you posted!