The Gym

I recently joined a Gym. It is a sign I have given up all hope of ever walking consistently again. But joining was a defeat with a big advantage: The Gym I joined has an excellent child care center. Apparently, I am not very bright, because it never occured to me that an hour of workout time at a gym could mean an hour break from the kids. So, now I am a member of a gym and the girls spend time listening to stories, coloring and running around, while I read a magazine on the bike and lift some weights. We all leave the gym happy, let me tell you.

So, today, I was doing some crunches while a 50-something Mom and her 20-something daughter were lifting weights next to me. The daughter asks the Mom why the gym is so crowded at 9:30 AM.

"These women are all stay at home moms just trying to escape their kids." said the Mom of the 20-something year old. "They aren't really all that serious about working out."

I wanted to say, "Hey, I resemble that," but I am somewhat serious about working out.

Full time 'Momming' (I hate the word 'Mothering'. It gives me a vision of a woman in a floral dress with her hair in a bun, so I call it 'Momming') is the most physical job I have ever had. I need the strength of an NFL Lineman to lift things all day long. I need the speed and agility of a professional basketball player to dash across the room, leap over toys and grab Maggie from the kitchen table before she jumps. And I need the endurance of Lance Armstrong to do this job 24 X 7 for the next 18 years. Why is it so shocking so many Moms are at the gym? Of all the people in the world that need gyms, it is stay at home Moms. We are doing physical labor. And if we get a break from the kids too, isn't that just a win-win?