Beat Feet

Apparently, my sister, my friend, and I are all finding ourselves too hectic to visit blogland this week. Monday was the last post for any of us.

On Monday, while SweetPea and I went to our 6 week appointments, MDH took Zman for a nice long hike. It was such a relief to not have to juggle a hyperactive toddler and a fussy infant while having a physical exam. It's days like that where I really appreciate the partnership he and I have.

They visited Goodwin State Forest and hiked 5 miles, 2.8 of which Zman actually did on his own. I cannot express how proud I am of how active Zman is. I feel as though we are establishing lifelong habits for him that he will never have to struggle with. By the time he is old enough to have to make decisions about what he eats and how he spends his freetime, good choices will be second nature to him.

As part of my quest to be a good role model for him and SweetPea I myself took to the streets on Tuesday (well, the sidewalks really). When MDH got home from work in the midafternoon I took advantage of complimentary naptimes and ran for 1.3 miles in the blistering sun and heat. I ran in visual intervals, alternating running one block, power walking the next. I don't know my time as I left in a hurry so as to make it back before SweetPea began stirring, but I think it took somewhere around 15 minutes. I'm not a fast runner, and as of now, I do not enjoy it. I had to run without my music as I could not find my headphones in the limited time I took to get ready, which made the mile quite grueling.

I run because it seems to be the best cardio for weightloss for me, I can do it anytime I can fit it in, and it takes less time than driving to the gym and back to workout. But I certainly view it as work, a necessary evil. By taking Zef for walks and hikes and to the playground I hope that he will think of activity as just a part of his daily life. I know that it is easy to find activity for him now, and that keeping him active as he gets older will be more work, but that is why I love that he hikes; it is something that we can make harder and harder as he grows.

So here's to hoping the urge to beat feet will be strong in Zman and he won't have to struggle with his weight and activity as I have.