In Defense of Exercise

I love to exercise.  I know some of you think that means I'm certifiably insane, or a masochist, but I truly do LOVE to work out.  I like it for so many different reasons, and sometimes I feel like I need to defend myself because of the haters who make me feel bad for going to the gym.  So may I present,

In Defense of Exercise:

1) The top reason that I exercise is for my mental health.  Going to the gym or out for a run gives me some much needed alone time to think, pray, read magazines, listen to music, or catch up on the news.  No matter how much my head tries to convince me not to work out, once I am done, I feel so accomplished and am a much better person for the rest of the day.  When I don't exercise, I am cranky and sluggish and overwhelmed.  Exercising releases endorphins, which are those hormones that make you feel good, and studies have shown that exercise is a great anti-depressant.

2) Taking time to exercise does not make you a selfish mom/wife/friend/daughter.  I feel that some women may rationalize that they don't work-out because they shouldn't take an hour away from their children or husbands.  They feel guilty for putting their work-out ahead of x,y, and z on their to-do list.  But you want to know a secret?  Being a healthy woman only makes your roles as mom or wife easier and more pleasurable.  I am not in agreement with the new-age  opinion that we moms should put ourselves first at all times (thanks for that misleading advice, Oprah), and things like pedicures or shopping trips do not rank high on my priority list.  But exercise?  Yes, that is a priority if you want to live a long healthy life.

3) In conjunction with the reason above, and contrary to popular belief...you DO have time to exercise.  Listen, we have 5 children and full-time jobs, and my husband and I each manage to fit in about 7 hours a week of exercise.  We take turns going in the morning on weekends, and in the afternoons/evenings during the week.  I have a co-worker who wakes up at 4:30 every morning to be able to squeeze in her runs, and a friend who does workout DVD's at night once the kids are in bed.  Is it always possible every day to find the time?  Probably not, but if you prioritize and plan well, you can find a time to exercise on most days.  And unless you work a very active job (farming, construction, personal trainer, to name a few) we need to find that time or else we would be living an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle.

4) Exercising sets a great example for our children.  Did you know that obesity in children is on the rise, and it is now recommended that children get one hour of activity each day?  When we were kids, we were normally active because we would ride bikes all over the place, play outside with the neighborhood kids, go swimming at the beach/pool, and basically be gone from home all day if we could.  Most of us can't allow our children to live that same lifestyle today because we have to supervise them while they play outside.  It's the same problem that adults have had to face.  People used to walk everywhere and do daily chores by hand, and now the majority of us drive everywhere and sit at desks all day.  So now we need to fit exercise into our life, and showing our kids that it is a normal part of our day will become the norm for their life as well.

5) I can't defend exercise without mentioning the physical benefits of it as well.  Weight training builds muscles which increases our metabolism and helps our bodies burn calories.  It also increases our bone density, which helps prevent osteoporosis and arthritis.  Cardiovascular training strengthens our heart and lungs and also burns plenty of calories.  Core exercises help our posture and balance.  Yoga and Pilates keep us limber and prevent us from pulling a muscle.  You get the idea...it's good for your body.  I realize that some people may exercise just to lose weight, which is great if you have weight to lose, but vanity shouldn't be the reason we work out.  Being healthy is much more beautiful than being skinny, and hopefully we can keep health as our goal in all of this.

Ok, so that's all I can think of for now.  I don't want to come across as preachy about the importance and general awesomeness of exercise, but I do hope to inspire some of you that need a good old fashioned kick in the pants ;)

Wordless Wednesday: What Does John-Paul Want to Be When He Grows Up? (Here's a Clue...)

Meatless Recipe #2

Roasted Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

The Ingredients:

 Half of a Butternut Squash

1 Sweet potato

2 (ish) Celery Stalks

2 Carrots

2 Onions

2 TBS butter

2 TBS olive oil

1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ginger

1/2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes

"Better Than Bouillon" Vegetable Stock Base (or chicken stock)

and (not pictured) 2 cloves garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Put butter on pan and let melt in oven:

Realize you need new pans.

Peel and chop sweet potato and butternut squash, and toss with melted butter on pan: 

Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

Check on kids watching Winnie the Pooh Movie:

Heat olive oil in pot on medium heat, and then throw in diced carrots, onions, and celery: 

Saute until soft, about 10 minutes.

Add in garlic:

And cinnamon:

And red pepper flakes:

Continue cooking for about a minute and then add in 2 TBS of the veggie base stock, and 5 cups water. (You could just pour prepared chicken or veggie broth in, I just prefer the base):

Now add the roasted sweet potato and squash into soup:

And simmer for ten minutes.

Then, in small batches (don't ask how I know that!) puree soup in blender:

Transfer pureed batches to a bowl, and voila!  

A creamy and hearty soup that's healthy and yummy!

And thick.  Did I mention thick?

I bet my dishwasher is better looking than yours ;)

Bon Appetit!

7 Quick Takes Friday

1) My dear friend Sarah had her first baby this week.  A gorgeous girl, named Adelaide Josephine, weighing in at 9 lbs. 14 oz. and 22.5 inches long.  Can you believe having your first baby that big?  Wowzers!

2) In more baby news...Xander woke up on Wednesday morning with the tell-tale signs of Fifths Disease.  

He had been sick from the stomach bug the week before, and now this.  But it only looks bad, he was actually pretty happy (and noncontagious) once the rash showed up.

3) Phil and I can't wait for Jack Bauer Kiefer Sutherland's new show, Touch, to start this month:

and movie to come out:

We were huge 24 fans!

4) Thank you all for your centerpiece ideas.  I have not an artistic bone in my body.  I can create an excel spreadsheet or file your taxes, but I can't do anything crafty.  Glad there are people in the world who can!

5) Do you guys use Groupon?  I have gotten quite a few great deals from them.  Yesterday I bought a Groupon getaway for two nights over February vacation to a hotel with an indoor waterpark in New Jersey.  It is close to Philadelphia, so we will be looking for things to do in the city with the kids.  Any suggestions?

6) Have I mentioned that he's a thumbsucker?  Oh my goodness, how stinkin' cute are thumb suckers?

7)

BIG Patriots play-off game tomorrow night!  

It's too bad that they are going to crush the Broncos, because I kinda like Tim Tebow, but I must root for the home team.  Go PATS!

Wordless Wednesday: What Should I Put in Here to Make a Centerpiece?

Before I Had Children

Ah...Before I had Children (or B.C.) I was so knowledgeable, so righteous, so proud.  I just knew, KNEW exactly what I would and would not do as a mother.  How could these other moms allow the nonsense to go on right under their noses and not discipline their children?  My future kids, I decided, would be disciplined, polite, cheerful, non-whiny, and of course geniuses.  I had come from a large family, had spent years babysitting, worked in a daycare, and loved children, so I was convinced I had all the prerequisites of being a great mom.

Oh boy, did I critique other people's parenting skills when I would see them out in public.  I remember two instances B.C. vividly.  One time was when I was in the grocery store and a mom with two toddlers was screaming at her whiny kids to just be quiet and behave.  My my, I thought to myself, how disrespectful those toddlers are being!  And that mother is not treating the situation properly by yelling at them!  Doesn't she know she just has to explain the rules of proper behavior to her kids and then calmly steer them on the correct path when they begin to veer off of it?

The second instance was when Phil and I were at a restaurant, and a little girl was calling out to her mother over.and.over.and.over again.  And the mother ignored her!  I couldn't believe it!  I would never ignore my future daughter's pleas for attention.  I vowed to Phil that we would always look our future kids in the eyes and answer them promptly.

And then I had children.

Oh yes, with the first one, I did everything perfectly.  After all, John-Paul was the perfect baby.  He cooed mamamamama at 4 months, which obviously meant he was saying Mama 8 months earlier than the average baby.  He would let me read him books, which showed he would be an excellent scholar.  And boy could he kick those legs - a future soccer star for sure!  Don't we all do that to our poor first-borns?  I was so convinced we were doing everything right and this was a piece of cake, that we decided to try to have another baby before he even turned one.

Oh, the second child started the downward trend to my parenting prowess.  For the first time, I had to ask Phil to help with childcare duties...up until that point, I had done it myself since I was a stay-at-home mom and that was my job.  But with two in diapers and so dependent, I needed another set of hands.  And Andrew gave us a run for our money between his colic and ear infections, he was pretty miserable for the first 6 months of life.  I was definitely that mom in the grocery store with the screaming baby and the toddler throwing items out of the cart while I scrambled and sweated to get everything done in record speed.  All the while apologizing to the other people in the store.

The third baby made me question my reason for wanting to be a young mother of three.  He was so difficult because of his dairy and soy allergies, and puked everywhere we went.  "I need a cleanup in aisle 4" became the running joke in our house.  Eamon needed to be held all the time, poor little guy, because he always seemed to be in pain.  So now I was the mother who had the messy house, spit-up-stained shirt, bags under her eyes, and could easily be found yelling at the 3 and 2 year olds for being toddler boys.  Not pretty or proud moments.  And far from the idealistic view of motherhood I once had.

Baby four turned me into the mother who ignored all the "Mommy" cries.  She just talked so early and non-stop that I sort of tuned her out.  I don't even do it on purpose, but other people have to tell me that she's calling out for me.  It's terrible.  Plus, when you have four kids all vying for your attention all the time you have to learn to pick and choose ;)

As for Baby five, well he is just reminding me of how wonderful babies can actually be.  I had never thought of myself as a baby-person.  I always preferred toddlers, but this boy is changing my opinion on that.  So you see, before I had children, I thought I knew it all, and after I had children, I realize I only know how much I don't know.  I don't know how to be the perfect mom, I don't know how to have the perfect children, and I don't know how I'm going to get through the teenage years! 

But I do know that each blessing from God has changed me as a person...has allowed me to grow in my faith and patience and humility...and challenged my preconceived notions on parenting.  I wish I could go back in time and tell that smug young know-it-all Colleen "just wait!"  Because B.C. she would never have believed how her life would change after having kids.  In ways she never could have imagined.  And all for the better!!