21st September - Woman's Work Workout

I should wear a pedometer. I think even without my weekly tennis I still get quite enough exercise. Let’s see, there is the fairly hilly school run twice a day, there and back, usually at a quite a pace because I didn’t leave early enough, and often pulling a scooter or pushing a buggy, usually with just one child in it but sometimes an older one muscles in too. 

Then, there’s the shopping trips, I never take the car into town, I just don’t feel I can justify it. It takes as long to drive and park and the idea of nipping in quickly for something never quite pans out like that. So, even if I am not in a hurry, which I usually am, there is the weight of the shopping under the buggy to push up the hill home.  I don’t need to go to the gym for my cross training. I’ve got it all here. At the height of my poundage pushing, I was probably hauling at least 8 pints of milk, plus an overspend on market day, on apples, oranges, potatoes, carrots, bananas plus the lighter fruit and vegetables, boxes of cereals, wipes, nappies,  not to mention a baby in the push chair plus a toddler on the buggy board, and a scooter. Is this an Olympic sport, because it should be. And this is me, in between my monthly bulk ordering, when I make sure I order the majority of our food, particularly the heavy stuff, on line. Imagine trying to do the whole lot locally – I’d have to get a trailer. Or just do what most sensible people do and take the car. Although, shopping is insane when you actually think about how much you handle your food. Off the shelf into the trolley, out of the trolley at the till, back into the trolley, to the car out of the trolley into the car, out of the car up the steps into the house,  and finally from the table or floor where you’ve dumped it,  into the cupboards. If you don’t take the car you miss out a step as it goes straight under the buggy from the till, but even so, why wouldn’t you get it delivered? Someone even brings it up the steps – only a fiver – worth every penny and a whole morning or afternoon of my time. Fantastic.

So, exercise; the bike ride (if it is not raining) to Tumble Tots with added child weight, the walk to and from ballet the other end of town, walking or cycling with the children over to Granny’s or Grandma’s at the weekend or trawling the grounds of the National Trust with them. I’ m not even trying to factor in exercise into my day yet.  An after- school game of netball in the garden, climbing a tree to rescue a stuck child. The stairs, I forgot about the stairs, numerous trips up and down those, (we don’t have a downstairs toilet,) carrying a child or full washing basket, does that count? Also, there’s to and from the outside, basement, freezer, more steps.  Stretching when hanging the washing... I don’t think I need bother with the tennis and yoga next week.