Fitness has always been an important part of my life, and when I became pregnant one of the things I feared most was a slow slide into becoming the not so proud owner of wide, flat ‘mom’ ass and accompanying dough boy belly. The fear, however, wasn’t strong enough to stop me from using the excuse of pregnancy to enjoy a several month hiatus from exercise. In the absence of regular workouts, I started claiming my daily walks to and from the subway as adequate movement. But as the months wore on and my bloatedness took on ever puffier proportions (hello, helium balloon face!), I missed working out. I missed that sweaty feeling (not to be confused with waking up in a sweat, which I did NOT enjoy). I missed the aching soreness you feel in your muscles the day after a particularly hard effort.
Post baby, like every new mom, I was eager to get my body back. And while I was lucky that much of the weight fell off fairly quickly, the gratitude for that stroke of good fortune was replaced with a desire to not just lose the pounds, but to regain muscle tone. I didn’t just want to be thin again. I wanted to be FIT again! Ok, fine, I wanted to be a MILF. What mom doesn’t? And despite what the ‘stars’ say, caring for and playing with your baby does not magically transform you into Mrs. Hot Mom. You do, in fact, have to work for it.
The problem, however, was finding a way to work out while still caring for my son. The gym doesn’t let you put babies in the babysitting center before three months (and I can’t imagine many people would want to anyway at such a young age), and I didn’t feel like I could pay someone to watch Drew while I went to work out – that felt like a monetary and vanity luxury. And while Drew is a good napper, I suspect Child Services knows if you leave your baby home alone in his crib while you sneak out for a 30 minute out and back run. Like they have secret antennaes for that sort of thing.
So after a couple weeks spent bemoaning my inability to exercise and looking longingly at the local gym’s website, I was pleased to stumble upon a website advertising ‘Baby Boot Camp.’ It’s a one hour workout that not only allows, but encourages, moms to bring their babies! A personal trainer and baby sitter in one! I signed up for a free trial class, and then spent several days working up the courage to go. What if Drew has an epic meltdown in the middle of class? I fretted. I pictured all the other moms casting piteous glances my way while their angelic children slept soundly in their baby joggers. But the sight of my still too-soft belly in the mirror each day eventually won out and forced me out the door last week. And damn, I’m glad I went.
Even though Drew spent much of the first class watching me with an expression that seemed to read, ‘just what the hell are you doing, lady?’ I really enjoyed the experience. It was nice to work out in the company of other moms with kids my son’s age. We could chat about what we were all going through, and also not feel embarrassed when certain exercise-induced, uhh, leakage, happened. (Note to self: need new sports bras!)
I left the first class in high spirits, feeling like a piece of the ‘old’ me was back. And the following day that familiar aching soreness settled into my muscles. And I know it was only psychological, but my mirror check the next morning had me feeling like I was already fitter. My stomach looks flatter! I thought. My thighs look leaner! They weren’t, but I knew that if I kept it up they would be.
Yesterday I signed up for a couple months of these classes. I’m looking forward to getting some good sweat sessions in as the weather gets nicer. With any luck, the baby pooch will be gone by summer and Drew will have a few new pals to exchange sidelong aren’t- our-moms-crazy glances with.
Tags: fitness, motherhood, spring
