At the YMCA

I joined the YMCA today. This is a big deal. I have never been a part of a gym or a fitness club. I like to get my exercise outside--biking, swimming, canoeing, walking, hiking, kayaking. Many of these things are not convenient to do in Minnesota in the winter. Some just aren't possible. Others just aren't as enjoyable. I grew up on a farm, so exercise happened a lot though work. Now that's merely relegated to gardening, shoveling show, mowing the lawn, and a few other random odd tasks.

I admit that I'm not much of an exerciser, either. The things I mentioned above I would do whenever I could. Which, with kids, isn't as often as I'd like. I'm not a weight lifter. And I confess that I am self-conscious about doing a class (not that I won't at some time).

But I know I need to get more exercise--especially in the winter. And we did try to look into the Y before; for some reason the quote my wife thought she got last year was way more than we were given this year. We finally got around to checking things out again. It was more affordable (I have a feeling we just misunderstood what we were told last year). It honestly has nothing to do with the New Year--I know membership tends to go up a lot this time of year. It's more of a winter thing--needing some exercise to get through these darker, more sedentary months.

I'm not sure how it's going to work out...it's going to take some adjusting in the family schedule. Figuring out how to do family meals, errands, and all the other things to fit into that time after school before the kids have to get ready for bed.

I know I can also make my family an idol. I know that sounds weird, but I easily put my family ahead of my own needs sometimes. I don't always take care of myself in the name of having time with my family, but I can't love others as I love myself if I'm not taking care of myself. And there may be times that I use my family as an excuse.

Anyway, we checked out the local Y (which isn't as local as I'd like)  this past week. At least for the winter, I hope to do a bit of swimming. The boys--especially Anders--enjoy swimming with me, and it's good exercise. They also are enjoying the the kids' place, and I get in some time on the stationary bike.

So we'll see what happens. I plan to try out a few new things at some point (it's amazing how full some of the machines constantly are), maybe even sneak in on the back of a class. If nothing else, I'll keep swimming and doing some biking. I'm hoping to at least feel a little better through the winter months--hopefully lose a little weight along the way. At least take care of myself a little better.