Learning to "Incrementalize"

The other day, as I was holding my baby above my head while doing crunches and blowing on her tummy, I started thinking. 

 

I'm not great at doing things incrementally. For those of you who are, kudos, and you're ready to be a mom. Having a child required me to take my to-do list, shred it, light it on fire, and then fling its ashes into the wind. I am not kidding when I tell you that it takes me four and a half days to finish the laundry. The other day I left the house with mascara applied to one eye. I have tried to master the 15 minute nap, because Lord knows that's all I will get. 

 

And exercise? Well, things have changed since my pre-baby days. I was once fairly particular about my workout routine. I tried to do cardio three days a week (running, stair climbing, walking, or a sport), and then some form of weight training two days a week. If I exercised less than 45 minutes at a time, it didn't really "count." 

 

Those days are gone. Yes, there are days that I take the baby out in her jogging stroller and jog for an hour. But some days, all I can do are a couple of baby sit-ups and some walking lunges in the kitchen as I'm preparing dinner. But to be honest, I don't find this change in routine discouraging in the least. Incremental exercise is definitely better than no exercise, and fitness experts agree that three 10-minute bursts of exercise can be as beneficial as thirty minutes in a row. I still have a hard time telling myself that my incremental lunges, situps, and walks still count, but the fact is that they do. 

 

At the end of my incremental day (or four and a half days, in terms of laundry), my body is still in decent shape, dinner is still prepared, the baby is still tuckered out from playing with mommy, and the laundry is still in its proper place. It all counts. So here I am today, trying to embrace short bursts of activity and accomplishment. But please don't laugh at me if I only have mascara on one eye.