I’ve been staring at my old running shoes for a few months now, but I must confess:  they were being mean to me ok? They were  making fun of me.  They said things like “You don’t have time to run” and “Keep sleeping lazy lady” and stuff like that.  Can you believe it?

Then, they laughed even harder when my husband would put them on to walk around town and run errands.  “Hahaha,” they said. “See if you’ll ever wear us again.”

You see, I had intentions of setting them straight and putting them on and heading out for a jog – even a 15 minute one, but I let them get the best of me.

I kept excusing myself every time my 1 year old would have a cold or a rough night, thinking, tomorrow morning I’ll go for a run.  I even tried skipping an afternoon shower thinking that it would give me incentive to run, and then shower the next morning.  I got a little grubby for a day or two, but never made it out.

But, I have news for you.  I’ve kicked those running shoes into submission and last week I took them out for a short run.  And then I did it again this morning.

And you know what?

It’s true what they say about taking a little bit of time for yourself and exercising.  It puts you in a better mood than a huge bar of dark chocolate.  Ok, maybe it only rivals that, but it’s pretty stinking good.

So, if you want to improve your mood, and through that your parenting, and your productivity too…and it just improves everything really…then take time for you.  I encourage every parent to carve out this golden time.

I call it my “me time.”

It restores my sense of self as a person apart from my titles of mother and wife. There’s no one tugging at me or asking for anything.  I’m not working, and I’m not cooking. I’m just doing something I enjoy. Even 30 minutes a few mornings a week is enough to make a difference.  It might take a bit for you to get going – but once you do, you’ll have started something you won’t want to stop.  I know I don’t.