Is That You?

I've gotten this question a couple times this year: "Are you the same person that I see walking/jogging to school with a huge stroller?"

The answer is, "Yes, yes that is me."

There is also this notion that I must have it all together in order to walk to school, as it must take more time to do this, most conclude. The truth is that I DO have to be more prepared in the morning with being dressed in proper fitness clothing, and I need to eat something small, however, I can't eat too much or I'll feel sick if I jog. I put my hair back in a bun after I shower though, so I don't take the time to fix my hair, and my face goes completely au natural- I moisturize with olive oil and/or coconut oil so I probably look greasy and sweaty by the time I get to school. I put a visor on and usually wear sunglasses, and look completely different than I would at a function, which might be why some people don't recognize me at all when they see me with a stroller that's about the size of a 'smart car', with my two kids riding comfortably in their chariot to school, swathed in the Mexican blanket.

Additionally, I have found it actually takes LESS time for us to walk rather than drive, and the same is most definitely true for the pick up, because we don't have to wait in the car pool line at all. It takes me less time to get both of my kids (ages 2 and 5) into the stroller rather than get them strapped in the car, and pull out of our garage. We also made the conscious decision several years ago to stay in the neighborhood of Midtown with the hopes that our children would eventually go to the Academy. We live only about a half mile from school, so really it's not like I'm marathoning every day.

I try to walk the children to school at least once per day, when the weather is nice, and after we drop my oldest at ASH, I walk over to First United Methodist Church where my little one goes to the Mothers Day Out Program three days per week. During the hours that he is there, I work from home.

Sometimes I think that the short walk there and back doesn't really make that much difference, yet after this long, LONG, winter I can notice a huge difference (definitely in my body, and most certainly in my mood) even though I still exercise in other ways during the winter.

In other words, consistency will trump sporadic high intensity any day. :)