Like Mama

“I’ll find strength in pain and I will change my ways.” –Mumford and Sons

Photo from Google Images

 I generally hit the gym after work with my workout buddy. We’ll call her Jackie-O (she reminds me of Jackie Onassis). Sometimes I will go home and do additional floor exercises or yoga as well. I live in a minuscule one-bedroom apartment with my husband, daughter, cat, and dog. Needless to say, between living creatures and toys, there isn’t much floor space for said floor exercises. But I make it work.

                My first week of strong, consistent workouts was the first time I tried a workout DVD with good ol’ Jackie-O, who happens to be stronger, thinner, and healthier than me (but I’ve learned that this doesn’t matter so much—we all have goals, even if we’re on different levels). Jackie-O and her straight-from-hell Combat DVD kicked my ass. The next day I was left with muscles sore enough to make standing from my office chair a difficult task. But it was the good kind of sore that reminded me that my body is changing and my muscles are adapting.

                I went home that night and did some yoga on my living room floor to give those sore muscles an extra stretch. I used to do yoga more regularly, but with my recent string of unhealthy habits and complete laziness, I lost that routine along the way. So this was the first time in a couple of years that I had practiced yoga, even on my own.

                I went on with my different poses, finally resting into child’s pose with my knees tucked under my body, my torso leaned over, and my forehead resting on the mat, when I heard my daughter, Sophie, approach. I heard her drop eagerly onto the floor next to me, so I sat up, nervous she might jump on me. Sometimes I wonder where this kid gets her energy.

                I watched Sophie roll onto her back, kick her feet into the air, and shout, “I’m exercisin’ like mama!”

Sophie Bedford

                My first reaction was to laugh, because the funniest things come out of her mouth sometimes. But then I couldn’t help but feel proud to have her copy this kind of behavior. How long had she been watching me? I thought back to a time when I was so unhealthy that fast food and Chinese takeout were the dinner options in our house in Syracuse. I remembered when I went through the drive-thru window at McDonald’s with Sophie, who was only just over a year old at the time, and she told me from the back seat that she wanted French fries.

                I don’t let my kid eat much fast food, but my husband and I were eating it so frequently that our toddler recognized the drive-thru and knew exactly what kind of food I was going to order. This horrified me at the time, and I still feel nauseous when I think about it. But the night when Sophie tried to copy me doing yoga on the living room floor, I knew I was making a pivotal decision not only to become healthier, but to set a better example for my daughter.

                Even if I wasn’t feeding Sophie fast food when I was at my unhealthiest, she was still watching me consume it. Humans learn by example. I want the example I set for my daughter to include healthy choices. I want to show her how to eat well, stay active, and feel happy. It is not only up to me to tell Sophie what to do or how to live, but to illustrate the kind of life I want for her by living it every day. This journey isn’t just for me after all, because my baby will always be watching her mama.