Exercising with Small Children

I don't know about you, but I found it was easier to involve my boys in my exercise (in other words, take them off LW's hands for a bit but still get my PT done) when they were younger. Back then, they would happily ride in the jogging stroller, I could run (or bike) at my own pace and they'd just enjoy the ride.

It happened first with ES and now with YS that they grew out of it and don't want to just ride in the jogging stroller or bike trailer anymore. Back in VA, it still worked out well for a while there. ES started riding a two-wheeler (with training wheels), but YS was still riding in the stroller. So I could still take both boys with me out for a run. ES lost interest in it and started staying home, but for a long time there in VA, I was taking YS out in the stroller to jog with me on a regular basis.

But alas, it couldn't last forever. YS now knows how to pedal his "bike" (big wheel 3-wheeler) and wants to ride his bike instead of ride in the stroller. Unfortunately, he has neither the speed nor the endurance to go as far as I want to go when we go out running.

Luckily, Saturday I managed to get out for a 4 mile run and the boys stayed home. Sunday while LW took ES to a birthday party, I asked YS if he wanted to go for a run with Daddy. He said, "Yeah! I want to ride my BIKE!" Groan. I decided I was going to get a good workout out of it. So I strapped on some 1 lb ankle weights, and I did a lot of jogging in place (practicing butt-kickers and knee-high running in place for the PT Nazi on Wednesday) waiting for YS to catch up on his "bike," or looping back to get him and continue on. Overall, we only covered 1.5 miles out and back, but from all the doubling-back, I think I had to have done at least 2 miles (I should have taken my GPS - but LW had it in the car that went to the birthday party).

In any case, my legs are killing me today. My hamstrings and my... whatever you call the muscles on the front side of the femur - they're in agony. So, if you're asking yourself, "Self, what's Kevin's point?" Well, I guess my point is that it is still possible to get a good workout even if you've got a 3-year old on a big-wheel in tow.

WW Update: Well, first there was that care package of fantastic baked goods we received... then there was the wardroom Christmas party Saturday night... To make a long story short, I gained a couple of pounds this week. But hey, it averages out with my previous week's loss, right?

Week 2 Summary
Result this week: 2.6 pound gain
Cumulative Result: 1.8 pound loss
Average Per Week: 1 pound loss