Three Birds. One Stone.

Jackson would live outside . . . on his bike, if we let him.  I LOVE that he wants to be out there all the time, but it's also tough to make it happen ALL the time!  Two nights ago, he was once again pleading to go outside and ride his bike "one more time" before he had to go to bed.  He made a very convincing argument when he told me,"it will wear me out so I will go to bed good."  Let's face it, the kid knows how to negotiate.

One thing led to another and we found ourselves "racing."  Mommy was "sprinting" and Jackson was riding his bike.  (I use the term "sprint" very loosely here, as it is probably an insult to sprinters everywhere for me to call what I was doing sprinting.  Ha!) It probably does not need to be said, but Jackson won every race!  There are no pictures of the racing, which is probably for the best . . .  While I like to imagine that when I run, I am the picture of graceful athleticism, I know it is much more likely that I look like the red-faced, uncoordinated klutz that I am . . .

All of that aside, this turned out to be a really great activity with benefits that were three-fold:

1) I spent time with my son doing something active and encouraging a healthy lifestyle that I hope for him to maintain throughout his life

2) I got my first round of exercise post pneumonia and really needed to get back on that horse!

3) It really did wear Jackson out.  He went to bed like a champ and slept soundly all night (though we had also been on two walks that day, he had played with his older cousin and spent a LARGE part of the day outside, so he was probably pretty tired anyway.)

You can't beat those kind of results from 30 minutes of activity!  Daddy even joined in for the last couple of races when he returned from walking the dog.  I'm hoping to end more evenings this way, though the last couple have been really hot!  I think it would be a good way to end our day several days a week.  I want my kids to grow up seeing mommy and daddy as examples of an active lifestyle.  Not only will it help with their overall health as they grow into adulthood, but I think physical activity will provide many opportunities to build strong relationships with our kids! 

*NOTE: In the vein of wanting our kids to see us be active, Clint and I have joined an adult kickball league!  We've only had one game and it was the week I had pneumonia, so I just watched, but I think it's going to be fun (if I don't make a complete and total fool of myself, because while I enjoy being active, I am NOT athletic!)  If you're lucky, I'll post pictures of the hilarity fun sometime in the near future.  The first game I will be participating in is tomorrow night and we have a double header!  YIKES!  Wish me luck!