Making the early morning count

OK, so I am a morning person. I tend to fade around 9pm, normally with a book and a dog on my lap in front of the TV while keeping Superman company.

However as our season turn the sun is up and it seems silly to waste daylight.

This year I also turned 40 and with 40 came a comfy little spare tyre around my waist which I have struggled to get rid of. For the last 4 years I have excercised pretty regularly and my body has been fit and strong. My weight has been steady so this spare tyre is definately a 40's thing.

I love mountain biking but picked up an ITB injury at the end of the 2nd year whilst mountain biking in the forest. I then switched to Adventure Bootcamp for 6 months but it really hammered my body. Rising at 5.30am excercising HARD at the field from 6 - 7 am eventually took its toll!

I then switched to Tae Bo for the last 6 months and while it was fun and different, the time was inconveniant - 7 - 8 pm Mon, Wed, Thurs. It cut into our meal times and family times.


I believe that family dinner time should be at the table, together, not eating in shifts in between activities. So in August when TB stopped I needed to make another plan. A friend and I had a brainstorming breakfast last week and came up with a plan which suits the needs of both our families, makes use of the early morning, is free and fun.

Here is what my family's excercise looks like:

Tues & Thurs early morning walk 7 - 8am in various green places (vineyards, forest or greenbelts within 10 minutes drive).

Saturday morning MTB ride for moms and older 2 children at 7.30 - 9 while dads take younger 4 to single tracks with their bikes. Moms finish ride at 9, take all kids home and dads have big boy bike ride.

My elder son also trains 3x a week in a swim squad and my elder daughter goes to gym with Dad 2x a week.All this costs is for my sons swim coach and my husbands trainer. The rest is free!

I found a "cup-of-gold" on our Thurs walk which my son put on his head as a pixie cap.

If I look at what I would be doing between 7 and 8am, I know that I can put it aside for 2 mornings a week to get out into nature, get my heart pumping, my kids walking and appreciating the beauty around us.