The Next Step

As life gets busier and fuller, I've come to realize that I need to prioritize the things that I do. Of course family is always going to come first but under that file, comes a ton of subfiles in our lives. I try to be home as much as possible with my kids. I am always there in the mornings as they get up and get ready for school. I am able to cook them breakfast, tell them to change if they look strange and say goodbye when it's time to catch the bus. It is something that I wasn't able to do for almost three years with my previous job. I can't tell you how much this time in the mornings means to me. It is something that I cherish so much. I am not there when they get home from school except on days that I am off from work. However, I am home every night to make or eat dinner with them. I am there to take them to sporting events or activities. I do a lot for/with my kids and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Part of my reasoning for training and achieving my goal of my half marathon was to show my kids that just as I expect them to practice, try their best and follow through with things, I can and will do it too. Another reason for my training and working toward this was to become healthy and stay healthy. I cannot be the type of mom I want to be if I am not healthy. I want to be able to run, play and spend time with my kids doing fun, active stuff. We are not the type of family that just sits around watching tv. We like to go hiking, running, play kickball or Frisbee or just go walking. So, I am in pretty good health but I want to continue to be fit and maybe even improve a bit. I am starting to do more in the way of health and fitness. I am going to start with some weight training and spinning classes. I did my first Body Pump class today and it worked. I can already feel the muscles I worked and they are tired!! I am planning on doing the Pittsburgh Marathon Relay with a team of either just girls or a mix of girls and guys. I put out a Facebook status asking if anyone would be interested and the maximum number of team members is 5 but I had more than that respond so I would love to get a guys team and a girls team so everyone will have someone else to run with! It would make it more fun for all of us! After the half marathon that Chuck and I ran, he realized that he needs to get in shape too so he is going to start back at the gym and lifting weights and getting on the treadmill. We have a friend that is going to give us their treadmill that is in better condition than the one we have at home for free!!! I am so excited! Big things are happening and I couldn't be more excited. Health and fitness has become a priority for me. A longer, stronger life is very important to me so I can see my kids grow up and I can keep up with them along the way.