Anyone who has ever taken care of young children knows how physically exhausting it is.  We also know that the mere presence of kids requires us to move.  When they are infants, we pace the floor at night to soothe fussiness, and walk them in the stroller to help them fall asleep (not a strategy that I promote, but it happens).  We are constantly running after them when they are toddlers to prevent the disasters that can so easily befall them.  Even when kids progress beyond the stage which requires non-stop vigilance and quick reflexes, as my 10 and 5 year-old boys have, there is still a fair amount of physicality required, if you want to keep up with them and share in some of their activities.

There are so many things that you can do to stay fit with your kids.  In our family, we try to walk and bike to school when the weather and schedule permits, we take hikes together with our dog, and we ski in the winter (unfortunately, I have recently come to the humbling realization that my skill and fitness level may no longer be sufficient to keep up with my fast and daring ten year old on the slopes, and I’m still trying to figure out what to do about it, but that’s another story).

I try to stay active as much as I can, especially with my kids; but sometimes, the type and amount of exercise that I get with them isn’t enough, or isn’t the right kind.  I’m talking about exercise at the level and consistency which is necessary for me, as a forty eight year-old woman who used to run a lot but whose joints are getting a bit stiff, who has a strong family history of osteoporosis, and a remote but nevertheless real family history of hypertension and type 2 diabetes.  These are diseases of old age, and I am not old, damn it, but the reality is that NOW is the time to prevent them, especially if I have any genetic predisposition.  And I am not alone.  Most of us have some sort of family history of SOMETHING that exercise can help, or prevent, or improve.

The benefits of exercise at every stage of life are well-documented.  In particular, for women in mid-life, exercise is a key factor in promoting weight loss and/or maintaining weight, reducing the risk of hypertension, heart disease and stroke, increasing bone density and reducing hot flashes.  There are also numerous well-designed studies which associate exercise with improvement in mood and overall reduction in depression and anxiety.  Personally, I think that just as my kids behave better when they’ve gotten their exercise, so do I.  I am much less likely to yell when I’ve had my run.

There are a variety of guidelines which can help women define goals in keeping themselves healthy in mid-life.  The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommend the following as a minimum:  1) Moderately intense cardio activity 30 minutes a day, five days a week, OR 2) Vigorously intense cardio 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week, AND 3) eight to ten strength-training exercises, eight to twelve repetitions of each exercise twice a week.

As mothers, most of us have gotten very good at focusing on trying to make sure that our kids get enough exercise, enough sleep and the right stuff to eat.  But many of us have slacked off in making our own health a priority.  And periodically, I count myself among the slackers.  I am much better at getting my kid to basketball practice on a regular basis than regularly getting in a good run for myself.  I’m great at figuring out how to make it happen for my kids, but my focus on my own health waxes and wanes depending on the week.

The problem is, of course, that the older we get, the less slack we should be giving ourselves in making sure that we are making self-care a priority.  The stakes are higher here.  If we don’t do this now, the consequences may be more significant than they would have been ten or twenty years ago.  We owe it to ourselves and to our kids.  So as this year begins, let’s focus on carving out the time to exercise, no matter what the weather brings.   The reason is obvious.  Unless we take care of ourselves, we won’t be able to take care of anyone else…