10 Reasons to Join a Gym with Child Care

Let’s face it, unless you are a celebrity with a personal trainer, chef and nanny, baby weight doesn’t exactly fall right off. So you join a gym with child care. Aside from the obvious health benefits, here are some other reasons it’s some of the best money you’ll ever spend…

1. It Kills Time. If one more person stops to tell me to “Enjoy every minute, it flies by!” I might whack them with my overflowing diaper bag. The days of being a mom are LONG and I feel every single minute of it. Killing two hours with the gym and round trip drive? Yes, please.

2. It Gets You Out the Door. Sometimes, getting out the door is half the battle. Once you get everyone dressed, packed up and into the car, you are free from your house-prison. Stop at the drive-thru for a coffee, run some errands with the kiddos after your workout, and take advantage of being in the outside world.

3. Bang for Your Buck. You can’t put a price on your health, but having a gym with childcare is a double whammy. Not only does your health and well-being benefit from getting fit, paying for the membership (and using it) ends up costing less than hiring a sitter or signing your kids up for lots of classes that you also have to attend. And really, I can only take so much of sitting in a circle faking a smile, signing the hello and goodbye song while my toddlers make a scene thrashing wildly around trying to escape.

4. Lose The “Baby” Weight. All moms want to lose weight and it just isn’t happening while we sit on the floor playing with our kids and consuming an average of 800 extra calories per day on their cheerios, goldfish, cereal bars and the like. I have even chugged apple juice right out of the sippy cup in desperate moments. Join a gym with childcare and start burning off those last 10 pounds that have been hanging on just a tad too long to still be considered baby weight.

Related post: Losing The Baby Weight

5. Chat With Other Moms. Being a mom can be a lonely existence. Head to the childcare center at the gym and you are surrounded by a group of women going through exactly the same thing as you. Many of them have been at this parenting thing longer and can have great advice on everything from colic curing tips to how to get baby poop off your shoes. I’ve received great ideas on local playgroups, kids classes and even babysitters. Other moms are the best resource for help and support, hands down, and they’re dropping their kids off for the 9:30 spin class, so get in there and strike up a convo.

6. Speaking of Other Moms…Motivate. When you’re home all day wearing said yoga pants, it is easier to come to terms with your post-baby body and kind of give up on it. Get to the gym and you will see tons of other moms in better shape than you that had kids after you. And aren’t we all a little competitive? Forget those damn yoga pants, you want to get in your pre-baby jeans!

7. Increase Energy and Reduce Stress. We did not know stress and exhaustion until we had kids. We thought we did, but we didn’t. This is a whole new ball game and we are losing big time. Exercise is proven to be one of the best ways to reduce stress and increase energy, it even releases happy little endorphins into your bod, and God knows we could all use a little more pep in our step to get through the day.

8. Relax and Catch Up on TV. Ok, I don’t always push myself when I get to the gym. For the days you just aren’t feeling it, you can walk on the treadmill at a leisurely pace, pop on your headphones, watch Ellen and forget about everything while your kids are being cared for.

9. Legitimize Your Yoga Pants Wardrobe. You know you wear yoga pants every day. Sometimes you even wear them to bed to save on time and laundry. Why not actually put them to their intended use and get a sweat on at the gym? Plus, you can tell anyone you run into that you are just heading to or coming from the gym and they’ll believe you!

Related post: Death of the Perfect Yoga Pants

10. Take a Long Shower in Peace. Get crazy and even dry your hair! It’s amazing how a shower can feel like a spa treatment when you’re a mom. Ahhhhhh…