After delivering my first child, I decided that most women are just wimps. The entire process was painless. It is certainly nothing to make a scene about, anyway. I held to this belief for 26 months, until the day my second child came along. Having decided giving birth was easy, I declined the epidural the second time around. I was not like other women; this would not be a problem. Boy was I wrong. Apparently, having the epidural makes all the difference, and the other moms were not quite as wimpy as I thought.


It is amazing what a little perspective can do for you. I have been reminded of this recently, as I struggle to find the time in each day to get to the gym or fit in a run. For the past 11 years, I have been a stay-at-home mom and have made it a priority to get my workout in first thing each morning. I have preached the importance of finding the time to stay fit. Truth be told, I have been a bit of a know-it-all.

Suddenly though, there is a perfect storm in my house. My older children - and built-in babysitters - have both returned to school after their summer vacations. My 3-year-old, who is still home every day, likes to be entertained by mommy. I am spending more and more time every day in an attempt to launch a freelance writing career. I now understand all of the women who told me they couldn't find the time to exercise.

Fitness is important to me, so I need to practice what I preach. I have to carve out the time and become truer to a schedule than I had to during my non-working years. I also have to compromise. I can carve out an hour or an hour-and-a-half each day, but that will have to do. I will have to increase my intensity to burn the same number of calories, as I don't have the time to spend two to two-and-a-half hours a day at the gym.

As embarrassed as I am about not being more sympathetic to the moms who told me they didn't have time to exercise, I am also pleased to see that I was, to a certain degree, right. It is about making a choice. It is about making a sacrifice in another part of my life. Beyond that, it is about giving myself a break. Sometimes, one of the kids has to empty the dishwasher. Sometimes, my husband has to run a kid to-and-from practice. Worse still, there are days when things simply don't get done.

This lesson is one I have preached but was never forced to follow. The time has always been there for me. Now that it isn't, I am walking in the shoes of those other moms and suddenly, I can feel their pain.

Freelance writer, Ann lives in Maryland with her husband and three children. When not at the gym or running outside, she spends every free minute chasing a two-year-old or running her older children from High School Cross Country to soccer fields all over two states. She can be contacted at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or check out her blog http://ironann.wordpress.com

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