This weekend, my husband and I were cuddling a little and he said:

“Remember when we used to go to the gym every night and you had a line all the way down your stomach?”

Of course, that was about 7 years ago, pre-pregnancy, pre-children. That was when we both used to leave our high-paying jobs and spend the evening working out for two hours four nights a week.

These days, I seldom get 30 minutes to do a yoga DVD and I know that I just can’t spend another 2 hours a day away from my children. That line down my middle may never be coming back.

Sure, we take walks together, we play together, we try to be an active family. Still, those aren’t the kind of exercises that define your abdominal muscles or return your pre-baby shape. My husband doesn’t get to go to the gym anymore either. And, to tell you the truth, I am not sure I miss the man who used to get out of bed, look at himself in the mirror and flex as he admired himself every morning. I much prefer the guy whose slightly less defined and comes home to play with his kids at the end of the day. Sure, he’s not as good-looking, but he’s much more attractive if you can understand the distinction I am trying to make. It would help a lot if I knew he felt the same way about maternal me.
That said, I do want to be fitter and healthier. I want enough energy to meet all of the challenges life throws my way. I want to be there for my children.

I guess you could say I am looking to make a healthy compromise. I want something between being fitness obsessed and giving up completely. I have no idea what that compromise might look like. It’s certainly not a lifestyle I see when I look around me. I see people who spend all of their extra energy exercising or monitoring every gram of fat, or I see people who do neither to either degree.

Have you found a balanced path or achieved a compromise? How did you do it and what does your day look like?

Post from: Babylune