I need to get a little bragging in today.

Back in January, The Hubby decided to start working out. He had the whole month off and wanted to start living a healthier lifestyle for himself and as an example to his future patients. He joined a gym and began working out every single day for 126 days straight. Only a bad bout of the flu stopped that streak.

He ran a 10 mile race, then a half marathon, then 16 miles on his own just to prove to himself that he could.

And he lost a lot of weight. Honestly, I did not even think for a second that he needed to lose weight, but I can see now what a difference that 34-pound weight loss has made. He is very fit and healthy and even hotter now 🙂

His commitment to exercising was {and is} inspiring to me. As soon as I got the all-clear to exercise six weeks after Double J was born, I put on my tennis shoes and got to work. It took me a few weeks to get my motivation back and fall into a groove, but my life is changing now because of this new healthier lifestyle.

And I owe it all to The Hubby. You see, when I mentioned that I wanted to start working out again, he not only encouraged me, but also helped me find time to go for a run while he watched the kiddos. I know there have been days I would have missed a workout completely if he had not offered to take over so I could go.

Now, this is not a post about how fun it is to exercise or how everyone can find time every day to get in a long workout.

Being parents and getting enough time to work out is not easy. Having a job and finding enough time to work out is not easy either. Working out in general is not easy.

There are so many days I would much rather sleep in, spend a little more time reading, or doing just about anything else, but once I do get my workout in I feel so much better. These are mental hurdles I need to jump over on a regular basis.

Here are a few things {all originally suggested by The Hubby, I believe} that help me get over these hurdles:

1. Accountability. Besides The Hubby, one of my best friends and I check in with each other every day with our workouts. We’re both trying to lose some weight as well, so once a week we weigh-in as well. Getting a text from her is a push to go get mine in as well! No guilt, just encouragement! There is also great accountability to be had through Twitter and Facebook!

2. Variety. It’s easy to get bored doing the same thing day after day, so I have several different workouts to choose from. More on some of my favorites tomorrow!

3. Entertainment. I have to be listening to or watching something while I run. I have to keep my mind off what I am doing or I can’t make it very long without thinking about how my legs hurt or I can’t breathe or I just want to quit! Netflix on my iPad has been a lifesaver, and there is nothing quite like listening to worship music while running in the early morning!

4. Schedule. I do much better at getting a workout in every day if I plan out my exercise for the week. I’ll talk more about this tomorrow as well! This was one of the greatest things I learned from watching The Hubby during his long workout streak.

When I combine all of these tools, working out becomes less of a chore and more of an accomplishment, and even a nice break in my day sometimes!

Tomorrow, I’ll share more specifics about our workouts, including what we do, when we find time, and some great resources for getting started yourself! We’re not experts by any means, just ordinary parents who want to share what works for us in case it might help someone else as well!

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Time and energy are my biggest hurdles to getting in a workout – how about you?

Linking up with Women Living Well Wednesday!