Let's Do this Together. #SummerOfStrong

I've never been one for working out.  I played some sports growing up and occasionally get on an exercise kick, but it has never stuck.  Once I was in a 6 week yogalates class that I loved, but for some reason I didn't take it again.  Maybe it was too hard with the kids or maybe it no longer fit my schedule. Whatever the reason, I wasn't consistent with my exercise routine.  

Because of my history with sticking with an exercise routine (or lack thereof), I don't want to set myself up to fail with unrealistic expectations.  Instead, I want to celebrate the moments that make me feel strong.  I came up with this idea a couple of weeks ago while pushing a stroller up steep inclines on a mile long hike on an animal adventure trail at a birthday party.  I felt inspired by the hard work I was doing pushing through rough terrane and came up with the idea of using #summerofstrong to celebrate and document these moments that make us feel STRONG, like we can do anything.  

​I hope that I can inspire you too, to share your strong moments on instagram, facebook, or twitter with the #summerofstrong.  I'll look for your posts and like or share them too.  I'll share mine too which will help me celebrate my strength too and maybe even motivate me to do a little more.  

The best part of celebrating our strong moments is these are just moments.  No pressure to do anything complicated.  Do one plank, or ten sit-ups, or race your child to the nearest tree in your yard. Another bonus to these little spurts of activity is encouraging your kids to be more active and spending more time with your kids.  

My nine month old loves it when I lift him up in the air so we have been doing these baby lifts for a while.  I have actually noticed my arms getting stronger from all of the lifting.  Since we have been doing it for so long, as he gets heavier I can still lift him up because I have built up strength over time.  

Don't be deceived and think that I do yoga all of the time.  It's actually pretty rare that I do anything this structured, but I do really enjoy it when I take the time to do it.  Getting started is always the hard part.  I did a 10 minute yoga segment from a video a couple of weeks ago and thought this picture was cute with my 9 month old.  I love how his fingers are spread out like he is going into a yoga pose.  

So let's work together on this.  Join me with #summerofstrong and show me your strong smiling faces. And don't worry about having perfect pictures.  My photographers are kids as I'm sure many of yours will be too.  This is real life and I want to celebrate you hardworking moms, dads, grandparents, and anyone who wants to get stronger.  Let's do this together!  Show me your STRONG!
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