Entering the Next Phase of My Life

This morning, at 5:30 a.m., I began a new phase in my life which I firmly believe will either make me stronger ... or kill me.

I went to the gym.

It was pitch black outside, my bed was very warm, and the YMCA we joined last week was a whole half-mile away. But when the alarm went off at 5:15 I dragged my weary ass out of bad, put on my gym clothes, made as little noise as possible and left.

This whole "going to the gym thing" was all Dave's idea, and while I groused about it at first, I am now behind it 100 percent. The fact is that neither of us has done any actual "working out" since Owen was born. Why? We didn't have the time, the money, or quite honestly, the energy or motivation.

But then all of a sudden, Dave changed his mind, and began to change mine. It would be good for Owen, he said. And even more importantly, it would be good for us.

It's not like we never exercise. We run (translation: chase our kids), lift weights (translation: lift a 20-pounder and a 45-pounder) and do sprints (translation: run quickly a short distance to stop a child from swallowing something, stop, then run quickly in another direction to stop a different child from breaking something), but none of it is the same as a true nautilus workout.

So last week we took the plunge and joined the Salem YMCA. We even created a theoretical schedule:

Saturday: 9 a.m. Daddy and Me soccer class for Dave and Owen, yoga for me, babysitting for Jake.
Sunday: rest
Monday: 7 p.m. yoga for me.
Tuesday: 5:30 a.m. workout for Dave
Wednesday: 5:30 a.m. workout for me
Thursday: 7 p.m. workout for Dave
Friday: rest

I know what you're all thinking: slow it down. Don't overdo it. And for God's sake, don't burn out in the first week. And for all I know, this schedule is going to be out the window within a couple of weeks.

But for now we're committed. Dave went yesterday morning and inspired me to actually do it today. And even though that 2 minute drive was a little bit painful, the workout felt fantastic. I spent 20 minutes on the treadmill, about 10 minutes playing around with the nautilus machines, 5 minutes doing sit ups, another 5 on the treadmill, and then I hit the showers. I was showered, dressed and out the door by 6:45 a.m., a full 20 minutes before I usually even get in my car. I was at work about 40 minutes early, full of energy, a no-fat Chai from Starbucks in my hand.

Right now, about 13 hours later, the impact of my energetic workout is starting to set in. My shoulders hurt and my legs are a little sore, but overall I still feel pretty good.

It's very unlikely that 6 months from now I"ll be sporting a six-pack and winning strength training awards. But I do want to keep this going. Even if we pare this schedule down to a couple of workouts a week, we'll feel better, we'll look better, and when we sit on the couch to watch the pretty colors (translation: Tivo) at night, we'll know that we really, truly deserve it.