It’s funny how wanting to take care of myself materialized as something I’d do for them yet have avoided doing for me.  When you’re young you feel invincible.  Then something happens.  A year goes by and then another.  You learn about a shocking young tragic death.   You finally realize it’s time to take care of this thing called your body.  It begins with caring for your heart.

The first step to caring for your heart is food consumption.  I hesitate to say diet because the word diet somehow infers temporary.  This has to be a way of life and not just something to lose a little water weight.  I had a wake up call about sodium.  I had no idea that a person who consumes food high in sodium on a regular basis is at risk for sudden heart failure.  That’s enough to make me want to put the salty foods down.

High sodium consumption can also lead to high blood pressure which can lead to stroke or heart disease.  That’s reality.  Many processed foods and fast foods are loaded with sodium.  It’s crucial to keep that intake to a minimum.  For details visit  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sodium/NU00284.  Reading how the body works was quite the eye opener.

The second step in caring for your heart is elevating the heart rate.  Even if you’re on a tight schedule with no time to get to a gym you can power walk through the day in small spurts.  Everything helps.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  Park your car farther away from the stores’ entrances so you walk longer.  Walk in place while you watch TV.  Just move.  Get your heart pumping.  Jumping rope is another great way to get exercise on a budget.  You can take the rope with you anywhere you go.

No excuses.  The quality and length of  life are what’s at stake.  When you tell your kids to listen to what you have to say you take no excuses from them.  You mean business.  So it’s time you lay down the law with yourself.  No excuses.  When you elevate your heart you’re elevating your life.

Last but not least.  Nothing is more important than your health.  Stop pushing yourself to the back burner.  Your health has to be upfront and very personal to you.  You do better in other areas in your life when you tend to your wellbeing.  Running yourself down without building yourself back up is a recipe for disaster.

Remember.  Move more.  Eat better.  Live longer.

That’s the recipe for life.

While I don’t believe in a strict exercise routine for toddlers here are a few activities I have found that seem to keep my kid svelte:

Running away from me — If your little one is turning into a couch potato just try telling them you are going to change their pull up/diaper or put them in the bathtub or bed.  They will run out of the room.  The more you chase them the more they run so now you are both exercising.  This also works in supermarkets and department stores and other public places.  In these situations I like to shake things up by yelling out threats.  A few of my favorites are, “Mommy is SERIOUS,” “Get over here RIGHT now” and “You are going to go to time out when we get home.”  Not only does this keep your kid moving for hours it also reminds you who is boss.

At home fitness equipment – If you are like me you do not have the money or strength to exercise outside the home.  You may also not want to stuff your c-sectioned stomach and womanly thighs into gym clothes.  The perfect alternative is to pick up a couple of light weights and a Wii system with Wii Fit and the exercise board.  Since your child loves to touch anything in your home that costs more than $20 she will be sure to be intrigued with the balance board.  In fact, your little one won’t be able to resist hopping up on it and joining you every time you are trying to seriously exercise.  As far as strength training I have walked in more than once to find Sam moving my weights.   I believe having a toddler who is stronger than you is as bad for the self-esteem as having a dog that is smarter than you so you may want to hide the weights.

Trampoline – When many parents hear trampoline they think emergency room.  We have neither the guts nor space for large outdoor sports gear so our trampoline is a little like our girl.  We purchased it for ten dollars off Craig’s List.  It lives in the corner of our living room and we pull it out any time Sam needs to work off some energy.  She loves to jump for hours.  It’s good for her legs and her spirit.  It’s also good for mom and dad because we know where she is so we can do something mundane like cook dinner.

Yoga - I have had a love affair with yoga for years.  Yoga is the nice guy you dated with no regrets.  It is the one who never takes it personally when you lose touch for months at a time.  If you are relatively flexible and would like to stretch out all of those body parts motherhood has tightened this is your exercise.   For the first year of Sam’s life we went to baby yoga class every week and I swear it was the happiest place on earth.  If you can’t afford the classes there are tons of DVDs available for parents and children.  It’s a great way for you and your little ones to exercise together and hopefully end up with calmer minds and bodies.