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Moms exterciseI confess – I am a fitness junky.  The gym is one of my most favorite places to be.  I can’t say I love to workout so much as I love to be active and have my body in motion.

Most of us in our twenties (or before we had kids) typically exercised for vanity reasons.  I was no different! I was never really pleased with my body image, so I worked out and ate low fat food so that I could stay the size that my brain told me I needed to stay.

Now my focus has changed. And I bet motherhood has changed your focus too.

Now I am much more concerned about my body being USEFUL than I am about it being flattering to the eyes.

Here are 4 Reasons NOT To Exercise Just To Stay Skinny

1. Exercise to stay healthy so that you can serve your family

There is no better workout than hauling around a 26 pound weight (better known as a one and a half year old toddler).  Let me just say that my biceps get a good workout everyday.

Let’s not forget about the strength and agility it takes to scrub pee from around the toilet floors, or scrub stubborn blue toothpaste off the vanity!

These activities make up part of our job as moms.  We do these things in service to our families. And we can’t do our job well if our body is weak and poorly maintained.

2. Exercise to keep the bugs at bay

Working out (in moderation of course) keeps your immune system functioning properly.  A strong immune system means less susceptibility to infection OR shorter symptoms of infection when you do get sick.

Sure you’ll still get the kid germs on occasion.  But I can bet you’ll get over them pretty fast.

3. Exercise to set an example for your little people

In my mind, raising children is NOT just about feeding them, clothing them and sending them to school.  Sure those things are must dos.  But we also need to model behaviors for them that we hope they will continue in their adult lives.

Part of being a healthy adult is learning how to honor your body by taking good care of it.  This is a lesson we get to teach our children.

4. Work out regularly to get some ME time

I met a woman several years ago at the gym whose running joke was that she didn’t like to exercise, she just came to the gym for the free child care.

Of course she was exaggerating (even if only a tiny bit), but sometimes we do need to take the kids to the gym JUST for the child care.

It is so important for us as women and mothers to take time out on a regular basis to nurture our own beings.  Lisa over at WellGroundedLife.com teaches moms how to do this all the time.

Funny thing, taking time out for ourselves also sets a good example for our kids especially our daughters.

It shows them that in order to take care of others we must first find time to take care of our own bodies and renew our own spirits.

With all of that said, while your PRIMARY reasons for exercising doesn’t need to be purely physical beauty, there are some very happy “side effects” to working out.

  1. You get to stay pretty trim and lean.
  2. It gives the husband something nice to look at.
  3. It can also keep a very competitive husband fit.  My husband would never live in a world were a woman who has birthed three babies has “out-thinned” him. Just saying!

Looking for a way to exercise your body, mind and spirit?

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