“Relax, chill out, and unwind”

Last week, I had the rare opportunity to run outside after work. Nowadays my post-work activities include picking up Abel from daycare, hanging out with him, feeding him, and catching up with my husband. With this new family routine, my once-cherished evening run routine is a distant memory.

My favorite accessories

To be fair, I absolutely could go running after work most days. Chris is super-flexible to forgo the gym, and pick up and hang out with Abel after work if I want to run. But I don’t necessarily want to run after work anymore…I mean, I do, but not as much as I want to enjoy time with my son and husband.

So anyway, last week after a particularly frustrating and stressful day, I ducked out of work a little early – not so I could go home and zone out on the couch, but because I needed the cure, the stress relief, and the unwinding that comes with a good run.

I swapped my earrings and necklace for my Garmin, kicked off my dress flats and laced up my Asics, then hit the pavement for a nice 5k, my fastest one in awhile – apparently burning off a tough day has a way of making me run fast. It felt great! Cleared my head, put things into perspective, and helped me feel better about my day. And, bonus, I still got to pick up Abel and enjoy our evening together so it was a pretty perfect end to an otherwise not-so-great day.

True, life has changed and I don’t often get to unwind with exercise after a long day anymore. And I do miss it, no doubt. But I wouldn’t trade my new normal for going back to the old life. Now, what’s most important is that I make time to work out, both for myself, and for everyone around me, including my son. So I’m still committed to working out and I do enjoy it…it usually means getting up at 4:30, which can be tough, but it’s also worth it.

What’s your favorite time to work out and why? Comment or tweet me, @LindsayIRL.

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