I am not sure why, but I am not the type of person who loves working out. I don’t crave it, but I (and everyone around me!) know when I need to get my butt in gear and get to a gym. I always feel better after I work out. And in saying and reading those words out loud, I realize that I sound just like my mom.
Sounding like my mother is one thing, but acting like her takes some work. For as long as I can remember, my mom has always enjoyed working out. Well, maybe not always, but she has always done some type of physical activity since I can remember. When I was a little girl, I would wake up to watch early morning cartoons and she would be doing her aerobic exercise on the trampoline with her hand weights. When my sister and I were a little older, she would go for two-mile walks every morning at five. When I was in college, she joined a gym where she took Spinning and BodyPump classes. Even after retirement and becoming a grandmother, she still has not slowed down. She works out at her local gym. When she isn’t able to get to her gym, she goes for a run.
I am not as dedicated to being fit like my mom, but I want to be. I struggle and usually rely on working out with friends. I find that having healthy friends makes me want to be healthier. My friends and fellow military spouses, Michele, Kimberly,and Leslie, have often dragged me to kickboxing or yoga classes.
Kimberly recently shared an article, 10 Things I want My Daughter to Know About Working Out, and I realized that my mom taught me many of the things mentioned in the article. But the thing that really got me about the article were the last sentences in the last paragraph where it that states, “I will teach her the joy of working out by showing her I love it. And then I’ll leave the rest up to her.”
My mom has never told me that I need to work out. Rather she has always encouraged me in my new adventures when I have told her that I am trying a new workout or that I am trying to eat healthier. She has always been able to offer a 
new healthy recipe or tell me that she is happy for me when I 
tell her that I joined a yoga center. When I told her about InDependent, she was so happy for me and excited about what we offer to military spouses.
Being able to have a role model like my mom is incredible. I just hope one day I will be able to do as many pushups as she can do and be the happy, healthy person she has always encouraged me to be.
Do you have a person who is your healthy inspiration? Let us know who they are in the comments below.
