Embarrassing people seems to be a specialty of mine. It’s bad enough that I have publicly humiliated myself in 200 different ways doing my Experiments (and that might be low-balling it) but to take down my friends and loved ones with my antics? I can only offer them this: Dear Children who may read this 10 years down the road in a therapy session, I am sorry you have an unusual mother. It’s not your fault. Someday I hope you will be able to laugh about my quirks with each other. That’s why I had four of you. (Well that and so you’d always have even teams for board games. Keep it that way- always wear your seat belts!) To everyone else: Consider yourself warned. Hugs&Punches! Charlotte
I start with my kids because as they are still young enough that they require constant supervision they get dragged everywhere with me which invariably makes them unwitting accomplices (or props!) in my crazy schemes. (And also, they get me back plenty with the public embarrassments.) Take, for instance, our trip to visit my sister in March. Due to plane difficulties we ended up with an unexpected two-hour layover on the trip home. Just me and four tiny tots in an airport terminal that boasted one working bathroom and a newsstand. So what did we do? Boot camp! I had them all lined up next to the moving sidewalk doing sit-ups, push-ups (you should have seen the 4-year-old’s interpretation of these – he laid on his back and literally “pushed up” the air), jumping jacks, and pretend double dutch (the baby’s favorite). I even showed them how to hang underneath the metal benches and use them to do reverse push-ups. After that we cooled down with a bit of yoga – airplane pose was the hit of the day although happy baby came in a close second – and some gentle stretching. So what was I doing during all this? Doing it right with them, of course. And to anyone who stared I just said, “At least they’re not crying and screaming – we’re saving that for the flight!”
Doing “fast feet” in the parking lot of the rental car place (except for the one looking for bugs).
That was not the first time I have exercised in odd places. On a cross-country road trip I insisted everyone get out of the car at every rest stop to run laps and do box jumps on the picnic table. At gas stations I got out my trusty kettlebell and impressed the truckers. And best of all, whenever we stopped at a McPlayland – say what you will about the evils of the Golden Arches, the person who invented the Playland is a saint in our household – I insisted on running up and sliding down… not necessarily with the kids.
Other venues include the playground (they don’t call it the Monkey Bar Gym for no reason!), my kids’ soccer games (lunging on the sidelines either makes you look like a crazed cheerleader or like you have to pee), church (my second son required non-stop deep knee bends to calm his colic) and the parking lot of a movie theater (I had an IBS attack during a movie and the fastest way to calm my gut is to bust out some sun salutations).
Airplane Pose! Although in real yoga you don’t get to run around while you do it. I like our way better.
So you will not be surprised when I tell you that tonight found me toting my kids to gymnastics lessons – they’re the only boys in their classes, bless ’em – with my newly taped neon pink and purple hula hoop in tow. (Turns out that electrical tape is not very durable and so Gym Buddy Allison had the great idea to go over the hoops again with duct tape – it lasts longer, it adds a bit of needed weight to the hoops and it comes in 20 different shades of awesome!) I hooped while I chased the younger two around the gym and through the hallways. I hooped while I had a Deep Conversation with Gym Hubby. I hooped while reading an old copy of Reader’s Digest and walking up and down stairs and in the cafeteria and waiting in front of the men’s restroom for the little guy (no, that wasn’t awkward at all!). Did I mention my kids’ lessons are two hours? I’m at the school for a looong time.
Then when the kids wanted to play with the hoop, I did handstands, press-to-handstands, cartwheels, push-ups and stretched out my splits. I felt pretty awesome by the time the last kid had tuck-jumped his way down the tumble track for the 50th time. Right about here I expect some of you to start waving the compulsive exercise flag and saying (kindly, as you always do) “Charlotte, you’re allowed to just sit in the metal folding chair and check your e-mail on your phone like all the other parents. You don’t have to exercise everywhere you go.” And while I’ll be the first to admit I don’t always have the best insight into my own behavior, for me none of this felt compulsive. Everything I did was out of pure joy. I enjoyed playing with my kids – my 8-year-old can dive through a rolling hoop better than any acrobat! – and it was fun to just mess around. There wasn’t any counting of reps or forcing myself to keep going when I was exhausted. There wasn’t hardly even any sweat. Just fun.
So, here are my tips for having a good (fun!) workout anywhere:
1. Be okay with people staring at you. This is the toughest one for most people so I put it first. Consider: people will stare at you for all kinds of reasons – your haircut, your goth mani-pedi, your visible pantylines – so why not enjoy yourself. It’s up to you whether or not to acknowledge the starers but I prefer to give them a brief smile and a nod.
2. Get creative. Use what you’ve got. A big open space is ideal for running, cartwheeling, dancing, etc. Stairs are great for jumping. Railings work well for pulling up on. Chairs are good for Burlesque. (Kidding! I wouldn’t do that… in public.)
3. Invite others to join in. The level of your dorkitude is inversely proportionate to the number of people doing it with you. (Feel free to quote me on that.) One person doing Zumba moves to no music looks mentally ill but three people makes it a party!
4. Bring props. Gym Hubby and I, being the hyperactive types we are, usually have something in our car we can use. The frisbee is a family favorite. A plastic rainbow-colored jump rope has lived in our trunk for years. And you know my hula hoop goes everywhere with us these days! Just chuck a soccer ball in your backseat and you’re ready for everything from kickball to dodgeball to, I guess if you’re boring, soccer.
5. Don’t be afraid to try it. Trust me, once you do a couple push-ups on the picnic table at the park and realize that nobody’s really watching you anyhow, it gets a lot easier.
What’s the strangest place you’ve ever exercised? Do you like squeezing in mini-workouts at random times or do you prefer to have a dedicated time where you can change into your Nikes and go all out? Do you have any tips for exercising outside of the gym or with kids?
A huge THANK YOU to all of you who donated to yesterday’s Relay For Life! Your generosity brought me to tears several times – I am so touched by what a great and caring community you guys are. I thank you from the bottom of my heart!
I have been known to burn off energy whenever I feel the need, such as jumping and spinning around the band room before our junior year musical. And I so don’t care about people staring. If it keeps me sane, I’m not going to be so self-conscious about it (better than melting down and hitting the wall…or someone else).
And why shouldn’t you hoola hoop and cartwheel to your heart’s content in the school hallways? Wasn’t that every kid’s dream in elementary school?
“better than melting down and hitting the wall…or someone else” AMEN sister!
The weirdest place I exercised was when we were on a 1500 mile road trip in Iceland and instead of working out in the morning, I suggested to the hubby that we do a boot camp of sorts every so-many hundred miles or so many hours on our rest stops. Typical that Iceland has about 40 visitors per year, well all 40 went past in a bus right when I was doing sumo squats (lucky for me my jeans were stretchy). We had lots of photos and had fun doing it. I would not have done it had I already worked out however. He enjoyed it too!
I remember your post about that! Iceland looked so gorgeous!
I remember going running during the rain in a strange city in Germany. I was 21 and with my parents and my mom tried to talk me out of it, saying it was stupid and dangerous and I’d get lost (oh, and I spoke exactly NO german). Looking back, she was probably right. But don’t tell her I said that.
Hahah – yeah, probably not brilliant but sometimes I think we’re all a little too safe for our own good. The best adventures happen when you do something a little risky;)
I think you’re bonkers – but not in the way you think
Instead of thinking “crazy lady in the airport” I’m thinking “wow – a mom that is playing with her kids, giving them time, attention and something other than an electronic toy to play with”, instead of “crazy lady at gymnastics” I’m thinking “a mother who is playing with her kids….”. I hope your kids know how lucky they are ! They have someone who enjoys playing with them, who isn’t afraid to mess up your hair to have fun with them, who isn’t worried about what other people are saying to play with them. From what you’ve said the exercise seems like an added bonus, you’re having fun, and in my book, that’s what life should be about.
Your comment about looking mentally ill doing zumba alone, but 3 is a party – I remember an old clip on youtube where some guy was dancing alone at what looked like a huge picnic, then more and more people joined him and it became this big party (I can’t find it now – I’ll keep looking). It was amazing – I can see you doing that !
My aim is to be as crazy-fun as you 🙂
Thank you so much for this Terri – this meant the world to me! I don’t know why I always assume that when people are staring at me they are thinking something negative. I need to give people more credit!
The only workouts I do inside these days are spin classes (and the occasional yoga class). Naturally I run and cycle outside, but I also do all my workouts outside, either one-on-one with a personal trainer or in small group training. We usually work out in an inner city park on the edge of our gorgeous harbour here in Wellington, New Zealand, or in other local parks. It’s really hilly here so there are lots of outdoor steps and zigzag walkways, and we do a lot of training on them as well. Sure, we get weird looks but really, who cares. We even worked out near a seal yesterday. He’d come into the harbour for a bit of a rest and wasn’t bothered by us in the slightest. Sometimes we get wet, but in winter we just put more layers on. In summer sandfly repellant is a must. I love my gym, but I find it really stifling there now. I’d rather work out on the edge of the water while the sun rises, or in the evening as it sets. Humans are meant to be outdoors!
I met that seal! I presume it was the same one – but it was by a busy street at that point and the animal control guy scared it into the water to hopefully rest in a safer place elsewhere.
Yeah, he was at the top of the boat ramp right by the road when we started our workout and the animal control vans were there when we got back, by which time he was over the other side of the lagoon by the Marae. Very cool! Usually it’s only ducks hanging around!
Okay this entire convo cracked me up!! How awesome is it that a) there is such a seal and b) you both got to workout by him!!!
When my kids were 8 and and 10 we travelled the world for a year – we saw a lot of airports. My youngest was a having a cartwheel phase at the time and airports are great as there is so much space. She would cartwheel along side us as we walked to the gate like a little clown. It made me smile to remember this. Enjoy it now, they will be sitting in front of a computer for hours on end before you know it.
That is adorable! Thanks for the reminder to enjoy the “clown phase: 🙂
I’m a big proponent of rest-area exercise on long car trips! They have dog runs…. why not people-runs? Come to think of it, a jungle gym would be even better!
People runs!! You should patent that!
Sorry for the double post…. It’s too early in the morning for me to spell my name correctly, I guess.
I’m a big proponent of rest-area exercise on long car trips! They have dog runs…. why not people-runs? Come to think of it, a jungle gym would be even better!
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My fit tip for the day:The level of your dorkitude is inversely proportionate to the number of people doing it with you http://bit.ly/kBDTkQ 24 minutes ago
@tfgeorge You were a c-sec? 14 hours ago
@TheWellnessMama Me either! I’d rather see them in just a diaper running around than a string bikini 14 hours ago
@NotSuperhuman Oh well yeah, of COURSE. Gotta teach her young that beauty is pain & that she’s not beautiful the way she is. 14 hours ago
Haha, they’re funny AND cute! RT @Athleta: @CharlotteGFE have fun! Watch out for fields filled with poppies though… 😉 14 hours ago
Lol I busted out some pull-ups at the playground yesterday, but I did fear while doing it that I may be coming off as a show off. Oh well it is tank top season and I need to squeeze in all the extra arm work I can, jealous moms be damned.
YOu know, every once in a while I worry about that too. I try and do them unobtrusively so it doesn’t look like I’m trying to be the center of attention but yeah, I’m not going to let that stop me from getting my workout in! Yay for pull-ups!
Love, love, LOVE this post! 🙂 You had me chuckling a few times, but you know what? You are absolutely right. You shouldn’t care about what everyone else in public thinks, but rather care about the happiness and joy in your own life.
If you haven’t seen Yahoo!’s video series “Just Dance” look it up.
Hmm weirdest thing for me would probably just be random times friends and I end up being idiots in public. At a baseball game Monday a dude I’m seeing and I were reenacting Monty Python’s ridiculous walks up the ramp to our seats. I didn’t think once about what anyone else was thinking. We were having a blast in our own world
Thanks Nikki! Wish I could have seen you and your friend doing the Monty Python walk!! There is not enough Monty Python in the world, frankly. Gonna go look up those vids now! THanks for th etip!
I have to agree with Terri’s comments above. I think it’s AWESOME that you play that hard with your kids.
My boyfriend has a 7 year old son who has way too much screen time in his life, so when he’s with us, we try to be active and have fun. We take him snowshoeing, hiking, to the park, for walks and bike rides, etc. I can’t wait for the rain to stop (maybe it will someday…) so I can get back to cartwheeling and running around the playground with him. I figure it’s good training for Warrior Dash as much as it is for fun!
True! Kids pretty much do a Warrior Dash at any given opportunity! Mud – holla!
Our trips to Asia for work are usually 3 weeks at a time, which means the expense reports for those are HUGE! which ALSO means I have a lot of time to kill while standing by the fax machine…enter plie squats and leg lifts in the copy room! I also do standing push ups…it becomes a game to see if I can stop in time before someone walks by the door. Sometimes I’m in mid squat and I just keep going down to the floor, pretending I was bending down for something 🙂
I love the visual of you, caught mid-plie, totally dropping to your knees and picking at the carpet. Do you at least wear contacts? That might make it more believable;)
I have been outside, taking walks every chance I’ve had this year. When we go to the park, I don’t want to be one of those moms sitting on a bench, watching, so I’ve been playing right along with Little Sister, running up and down the stairs, TRYING the monkey bars–my girl is a pro at them!– and having a lot of fun with her. Sometimes, I will push Little Brother in the stroller up and down the big hill at the park by my house. THAT is a tough workout!
I love that you did boot camp in the airport! Can’t wait to pull that one out some time!
Oh! AND, we saw you on Wednesday when your kids were swimming and you were decorating your hoop. Little Sister wanted to come in and try it SOOOO bad! LOL
Aw, little sister is welcome to come try our hoops any time! And we’ll be taping again this swim lesson;)
I agree with the other posters- it’s awesome to have an active mom that runs around with you. I think my attitude toward exercise would have been a lot different, a lot earlier in my life, had my mom been a more active person- not necessarily through exercise, but just generally. I distinctly remember being told to ‘go outside and play’ and thinking ‘well, why do I have to if you don’t’. It seemed like a punishment, which in retrospect, it wasn’t.
Instead, when your boys are older, they can show up to any activity, and know that it will be what they make if it, instead of inherently being ONLY boring, or ONLY hard-work. Plus, you’re probably giving them innumerable health benefits (esp. during the car trip breaks, because I hear sitting is lethal).
But, they will pretend not to know you when they’re in middle school/high school. But, they would have done that regardless of your antics and shenanigans. Don’t worry, they’ll be back, probably looking for kettlebells and hula hoops.
It’s weird, I type that as if I have kids, but really, I’m just in my early-20s, and I remember high school really well, and I know what I’m like now (aka, a person who officially graduated law school yesterday!).
I think you will make an excellent mom! And I’m kinda looking forward to the day when they pretend to not know me – have all kinds of embarrassing tricks up my sleeve!
I, too, bust out the kettlebell at truck stops. I took mine with me on a 500-mile solo road trip last year. And on family trips to the playground (often with only 2 kids and 5 adults), we all play on the equipment–one of my brothers is a rock climber and he can do super-cool Spiderman stuff on some of the climbing equipment. When I took my son to do archery with a friend, one of the coaches asked if I wanted to shoot, too. I said yes (the other parents remained on the sidelines) and I just earned my Master Archer badge.
I think that if parents are willing to do the crazy stuff with their kids, the children grow up less self-conscious and less worried about what other people think. We all want happy kids who are willing to follow their own bliss. What better way to teach them to do that than to lead by example?
Hee – maybe someday we’ll run into each other at a truck stop and can share KBs!! I love that you are a Master Archer! That looks like a lot of fun – I’d love to try that some time!
I’ve definitely done the airport aerobics. The best place is usually in the international flights section – less people over there. And, you can always tell people you’re reducing your risk of having an in flight blood clot from sitting to long.
I do lunges, yoga moves and other such around the hallways at work. Fortunately, my boss and a few others join me. Usually I just stick to finding the stairs in a building during down time and climb them. Probably, the strangest place was in a bathroom where I used the toilet (seat down of course) as a stair stepper/ box jump at night. Maybe I should mention when I was doing this I was in an inpatient eating disorder treatment facility. Fortunately I have stopped bathroom aerobics but do enjoy moving to get my blood flowing when I feel energetic and tired of sitting – not compelled by the voices in my head, even if it is in an inopportune place. I do think airports should have gyms for all those long lay overs (and showers – don’t want to sit by or be the stinky sweaty person on the plane).
Oooh thanks for the tip! Next time I’m insane enough to fly with all my wee ones, I’ll have to look for the international terminals. And, sadly, I too have done bathroom aerobics. And car isometrics. And other inappropriate exercises…
I’ll bet your kids feel sorry for the other other kids, whose parents sit and check their email all the time. They know they have the fun mom!
A couple of weeks ago I brought my son to the pool at the gym, when he was on spring break. There were a few of us in the water with our kids, while others were on their blackberries and iphones. I think those of us who took the plunge had waaaaay more fun, lol!
Hmmm… not sure my kids always think I’m the fun mom but I’ll take it! I’m terrible about getting into the pool with my kids though. I don’t mind being wet and I don’t mind being in a suit (much) but I HATE being cold and I’m always freezing in pools!
There is a park near where my parents live that has a small obstacle course type park in it. I used to run laps around the park/lake and then go through the obstacles. I never saw anyone else do this, but it sure was fun!
I love those obstacle park trails! It seems like they were everywhere in the 80’s but you hardly see them anymore…
I’m all about office workouts! I was super bummed when I got switched to an office with a glass door, I get stares when I read documents in the plank position.
I love it! I need to see pics of that one! Sometimes I’ll read in the middle splits but that’s not nearly as entertaining!
I do squats at work when I think no one is looking. I’ve been busted a few times though. I would do pushups but I work at a hospital and getting down on the floor is just disgusting.
I love this! I have no kids of my own but I was a nanny for a long time and I would also randomly exercise with the kids. I think it springs from a place of joy and being around youth and vitality 😉 We would run up and down hills, play airplane, horse (until they were 12. Then I cut them off), go on walk after walk after walk around the neighborhood, play tag, jump in piles of leaves — the works. And those kids are STILL super fit. I think it’s partially because exercise was always fun when I was around.
Also? You & your kids are sooo adorable together =)
Aw thanks! I bet you were the most fun nanny ever! I did that for one summer and pretty much hated my life, lol.
Baggage claim of Pittsburgh International Airport. I have a go-to workout for those times I’m not near a gym.
10 rounds for time:
10 push ups
10 sit ups (or V ups if you have hip flexors of steel)
10 air squats
I can bust it out in about 10 minutes. I’ve also done splits and bridges in airline terminals.
Pro tip: if you attempt something that few people dare try (e.g. splits) it doesn’t matter how poorly you do it. The weird looks you get will be admiring.
Oh, and I used to have a push up club going at work. Every day at 2:30, my team would drop what they were doing and go for max push ups in the cube aisle. Fun times.
Do you seriously do this in the airport??? I LOVE YOU. I also love the idea of a push-up club!
I omitted the air squats. I can’t bring myself to do air squats, alone, outside of a gym. But I did the sit ups and the push ups. Next time, maybe I’ll do burpees instead of the push ups. 🙂 And the airport is a great place to do all this because no one is around for very long. It’s not like you’re going to see these people ever again.
I loved this post Charlotte! And yes, people look at other people anyway so why not have fun too & teaching the kids to have fun but they are also being healthy – love it! Ia m more a schedule it in early to the gym but I am not past doing things out & about too!
Taking notes…just need a jump rope and soccer ball in the trunk. 😉
Lately I would have to say that the weirdest place I’ve worked out is IN the gym because I haven’t done it in so long. Like you and some of the other readers, I’m always running, hopping, skipping, climbing – whatever – with the kids. When other adults are around, I do tend to tone it down, but you guys have given me some renewed confidence. From now on, let them stare!
And hey, you never know, maybe some of the other adults will join in! I’ve met some of my best friends doing crazy stunts like this:_)
I sprint down the hall at work to the bathroom,
do wall squats in the elevator (the building is *not* set up to make taking the stairs an option),
and practice my dance footwork, well, everywhere!
Wall sits in the elevator!!! I’m totally stealing that one!
I am still too self-conscious to get over the “but people are watching” factor… but I definitely do sneak in squats or lunges in the handicapped bathroom stall at the office if I’m exhausted and need to get my blood flowing without sweating in my work clothes.
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Hi Charlotte, came across this blog when I was searching for new ideas as to where to do workouts! Really interesting stuff and I love our motivation to get out and train! I also want to encourage other people to get outside and take advantage of their bodies.. but in other places than the gym! I’ve done some crazy workouts, but I video some others, take a look at this workout in Mexico I did!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTjwW_OCmOk
Thanks! Let me know if youre interested in linking up for a project!
Stuart
Cross Kinetic