The other night I took Lilly to her soccer practice with Hilary in tow. It’s always entertaining when I take both girls somewhere as Hilary doesn’t like to sit still. Okay, it’s more entertaining for other people not me. I’m not sure which one ran around more during that one hour  soccer practice but I do know they both had a blast.

Lilly was with her friends and listening to her coach while Hilary and I walked the track with her friend and parent and another mom. All of our children go to day care together and will be in the same school in September!

We walked the track together and got to know each other a little more. What we did for work, what our husbands did, sleep challenges with our kids etc. Eventually we got talking a little more and I learned that one was a “gym rat” (her words not mine) and the other is starting her first Learn to run 5k in August! They learned that I like to run, a lot 😉

After walking a few laps the little ones wanted to get out of their strollers to play in the sand pit/kick the soccer ball around too. I got thinking about gyms and they are not a place I frequent very often. When I’m visiting my family, I do like to hit up GoodLife Fitness, especially the female only gyms.

We have three local gyms within 10-30 minutes of where I live but I just haven’t brought myself to look into them. I love to run and be outdoors. I love to be active with our girls all year round. I do value what a gym can offer people and I do value the opportunities that it can lead to.

This next statement has always been something that I believed in and use in the work I do daily. The key piece is that “being active” is important no matter what activity you are doing. Being “active” at the gym, outside, inside, with people, without, on a plan, fly by the seat of your pants – it’s all good. It’s all good because you are making yourself healthier and happier.

My run on Thursday sucked (sorry, Mom) but it did. I honestly hated it. I looked at my watch WAY too much. I stopped a few times to catch my breath after a long hill. I even stopped once because I just didn’t want to run – even though I was ½ a km away from being done my run. Once I finished and had a chance to cool down, I was relieved it was over.  Though I wasn’t happy at the time, I sure was happy after I got my activity in.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m super thankful I can run and that I could do so on my lunch break, rather than 8:30 at night. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t good and it was far from awesome. BUT – I was active. And that’s all that matters!

Does it matter to you what people do to be active?

Do you like going to gyms?

Do you like to workout with others or on your own?