My children have taken to climbing on top of me every morning, pulling up my pyjama top and playing a game they've so kindly dubbed "pizza dough" on my belly. I'm sure you can picture it: they take turns - or sometimes all three get stuck in at the same time - at rolling and kneading my pale and dimply flesh, all whilst singing "pizza dough, pizza dough, pi-zza dough" at the top of their lungs. It's done wonders for my confidence, as you can imagine. So much so that for the first time since becoming a parent, I set foot inside a gym this week. Actually, that's a lie. I did sign up to one before my last baby was born but I never got around to going. That was €75 a month well spent.
So this week, I bit the bullet. The new runners that I bought myself with great intentions during the January sales were dusted off and I found pair of old leggings and nabbed one of my other half's old t-shirts. Off I went to a free taster class. How hard could it be? Pretty bloody hard, as I found out. And even typing this right now sends twinges of pain up my arms and the thoughts of climbing the stairs to go to bed is making me wonder whether sleeping on the couch will be an option tonight. It kicked my ass.
One thing I did discover, however - and I mentioned this on my Facebook page this week and got quite a few private messages from women who could relate - is that I managed to make it through my workout without peeing my pants. I was delighted as it was one of the things that terrified me most about going. I've heard horror stories of women not being able to control their bladders properly after having kids and only discovering just how bad it was when they took up running or yoga or other exercise. So when the instructor handed me a kettle bell and told me to do some squats - something I've never done even pre-baby - I was terrified. "Please don't piss your pants, please don't piss your pants" was the mantra going through my head at the time. Discovering I'm not incontinent has been more rewarding than any six pack I may or may not develop if I do sign up to the course. If...
We hear a lot about "post baby" bodies - women are scrutinised constantly after becoming mothers...Criticised if they spring back into shape too quickly (she must not be spending any time with the baby if she's in the gym so much) or if she's "let herself go" and can't even be bothered to wear something other than a tracksuit. I've tried not to buy into it and to just enjoy motherhood and thank my body for safely carrying and sustaining my three kids. So in a week where we've had Mother's Day and International Women's Day and I've had my first successful gym session, I've just decided to *be*. I'm looking at the exercise as a way of letting off some steam and having a bit of time to myself in the evenings. If it puts and end to the pizza dough mornings, I'll just have to think of another game for the kids and I to play after our morning snuggles. And I might even start fitting into my old clothes again, which would be nice.
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