Just 20 Minutes to the New Me!

Lately I have been wanting to lose this dreaded baby weight.  I thought by now I'd be well on my way to my best body ever, but unfortunately, that is not the case.  As the holidays approach, I look down at my tummy and it seems to resemble the contour of Frosty the Snowman or Santa's "bowl full of jelly" more than I'd like to admit. 

Ideally, I would like to have an hour or so at the gym each night, but somehow that never ends up happening.  Life gets in the way.  By the time my husband is home to watch my son, I've already started dinner and prepared Carson for bed.  After dinner I am all too comfortable sitting on the couch watching "Bing Bang Theory" enjoying the peace that comes with a sleeping baby.  So, another day seems to fly by without exercising. 

I know what you're thinking. "Why not just jog with your baby in the stroller during the day?" And, sometimes I do.  But... it's just different.  I don't seem to get the same workout. 

Recently I have been going on a run around the neighborhood for around 20 minutes each evening.  What's 20 minutes to take time for myself?  How could anyone deny me 20 minutes?  I notice it's a lot easier to ask for 20 minutes to take a quick jog than it is to get in the car, go to the gym, and come home. 

20 minutes seems like nothing.  My husband is quickly willing to take Carson or pick up with the dinner routine when I say it's only 20 minutes that I need.  In his mind, it is not even enough time to watch a full episode of "Seinfeld" or enough time to waste all his lives on Candy Crush.  So,  I usually get my 20 minutes without any complaints.

(I should mention my hubby does help more than just 20 minutes a day.  I do get time away while he watches Carson.  But, on a normal night, even when he has Carson, I am still in mommy world watching them play and enjoying our family.)

The initial reason I started this 20 minute jog around the neighborhood  was to stop giving excuses--even if it was just a measly 20 minutes.  But, it has actually turned into so much more:

My 20 minutes begin.  Shutting the door behind me, I leave.  I leave the diaper changes, the feedings, the crying, the laundry, the dirty kitchen floors, the exhaustion, the chaos--I leave it all behind as I lift my head up and let the Florida sun shine on my face.  I walk through my front yard toward the neighborhood sidewalk putting my earbuds in my ears.  I click on the Pandora app on my iphone and choose Rhianna Radio, which, by the way, happens to be the best station for all the kick-butt women songs!  There is an immediate release of endorphins as my blood starts pumping and my feet move faster one in front of the other. All my "mom worries" seem to be lifting off my back.  I feel lighter.  My outlook on the world is no longer a small scope but a panoramic view. 

I love working out to a really good song.  It's amazing what music can do to one's mood.  I start to imagine myself breaking it down on the dance floor of an imaginary club or belting out a song on stage in front of Randy Jackson.  The song recently that has quite possibly even made me fist pump the air mid-stride is Katy Perry's song, "Roar":

"...I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Louder, louder than a lion
Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me ROAR
Oh oh oh oh oh oh
You’re gonna hear me roar..."

I am transformed in an instant.  For just a little bit I am not just "mommy", but so much more.  I am hip and cool (I realize just by saying those words I am quite the opposite, but this is my own dream world!) I am sexy.  I am woman.  I am super-woman. 

Although tired, I seem to pick up the pace a bit as I near the end of my jog.  I imagine I am on "The Biggest Loser" while Jillian Michaels yells in my ear,  "Don't give up.  You can do it!"

I'm back on my door step.  I feel good... really good.  And not just because I worked out, but because I got a moment for myself.  A moment (or more like 20 minutes) to realize that there is so much more to me as a woman than just the role of mother and wife.  I start to aspire more for myself.  Things like working hard to obtain the body I deserve to have, get out in the community and serve, or spend more quality time with my friends.   

I open the door to my house.  It is exactly as I have left it, but the point in which I see it has changed.

I kiss my baby's face all over and then look to my husband and say, "Thank you, I needed that."