Remember that time I said I was quitting quitting? Well. That didn’t work out so much.  I could give you a long list of excuses and reasons why I quit. What it all comes down to?  I hated it. I would turn it on and want to punch Jillian Michaels in the face. I was so mad at her.  I should probably explore a little deeper to find out why I get so angry at workout DVDs, but instead I came up with a new plan.

I hesitate to tell you I’ve started something new because I’ve started new weight loss plans countless times and I’ve always quit.

Except for one time.

Once upon a time, in a world before I had children and I was working outside of the home full time, I lost 20 pounds. Yep. Me. The quitter. I met a weight loss goal.

I joined the gym at my work and would work out four days a week for about 30 minutes.  Nick and I carpooled and I finished my work day 30 minutes before him. He had a 10 minute walk to our car which was on my end of downtown so that gave me time to change before and get to the car after. I’d do the elliptical, some crunches and free weights during my time. I’ll be honest. I didn’t work that hard. I rarely even left sweating.

But gym time was built into my routine. Work was done; I worked out. No excuses.

I like routine. A lot. I think that was the key to my success.

For me, adjusting to the unpredictability that came with two kids and a little one who is just now sleeping well, was the hardest part of motherhood. There was little to no routine. I had gone from  having 2-3 hours of quiet alone time every day to do whatever my heart desired, to having to decided between a nap or a shower during my 30 minutes of silence. So finding that routine for working out never seemed to come along.

Until now.

Here’s the new plan…

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I drop Mariah at preschool, Lana and I drive to the YMCA where she plays in the daycare and I work out and shower. Simple, right? Routine. *sigh*

I normally join the YMCA for the classes (yeah, I’ve joined several times before).  For now I’m trying out a couch to 5K plan. 30 minutes of learning how to run. That’s right…learning how to run. I’ve never even run a mile before. Not even in gym class. I always walked some. One year of high school I walked too much because my time was too slow and I had to make up the test.

I actually like it so far.  Granted I’m only on week 3 of 8 and only running in 3 minute intervals. But since I’m running on a treadmill, I’m learning how to pace myself.  Something I’ve never been able to do running outdoors. I’m also listening to Jesus Music instead of my normal “in da club” music as we like to call it and oddly enough it makes the time go faster.

I have goals of attending more classes (I do Zumba on Saturdays sometimes) and maybe getting some personal training sessions in the future, but for now…and for the school year….it’s just about the routine. I get alone time, Lana gets social time, I get an uninterrupted shower and we all go home happy.