By Cheryl Bac
E-mail Cheryl Bac
About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons incl...
(More)About this blog: I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, home cook, marathon runner, and PhD. I recently moved to the Silicon Valley after completing my PhD in Social Psychology and becoming a mother one month apart. Before that, I ran seven marathons including Chicago and Boston. Exercise is an integral part of my life. I hope to one day go back to long distance running and tackle the New York City Marathon. Right now I run after my one year old son. Although I am a stay-at-home mom, we are rarely "at home." My mom also stayed at home with my brother and me. She warned me that, although rewarding, it can be isolating. So, with her help, I learned the importance of getting out into the community and meeting other mothers. On the rare occasion when I am at home and have a hand or two free, I squeeze in time to scrapbook. As a new mom, many challenges are thrown my way. I hope my opinions, triumphs, and struggles help experienced parents reminisce, new parents cope, and parents-to-be get an honest glimpse of what the first years of motherhood can entail.
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As our kids grow up, I’m finding myself with small chunks of kid-free time. And I’m slowly adding activities back into my life that I put on hold when they were younger.
Right now I’m truly enjoying getting back into an exercise routine. It’s nothing like my marathon training days, but I’ve been able to run at least once a week for a couple of months and now my legs are less sore and my breathing is less labored. I’ve also been swimming about once a week and it feels like my strokes, flip turns and kicks are coming back. I’m remembering drills that I haven’t tried since high school.
The challenging thing about free time is that it is no longer free once you fill it with activities. I’m trying to keep the majority of my kid-free time as enjoyable as possible. Filling it mostly with yoga, swimming and running and less with chores and errands. Rushing through chores so I have time to squeeze in yoga is counterproductive, so I’m still figuring out how to find a balance for myself.
The nice thing about getting back into an exercise routine is how quickly you see improvements. I am clearly more flexible now then I was a couple of months ago due to yoga. My 30 minute run covers a little more distance than it used to. And my swimming strokes feel more fluid. I know this progress won’t always be so noticeable, so I’m enjoying it while it lasts.
I’m so excited to slowly add things back into my life for me. It’s bittersweet to see our kids grow up, but it is so rewarding to watch them discover their passions while I get reacquainted with mine.
