My Son is Gumby

I exercise.

At least 5 days a week. Hard. As in, I'm doing P90X2 right now.

My family knows that Mommy takes on a new fitness challenge every 3 months. Right now, it's P90X2. In January, it will be Les Mills Combat. I've worked out at home for 2 1/2 years now after I called a family meeting to discuss that Mommy was about to have a mental breakdown if she didn't get some extra weight off and have some uninterrupted time to emotionally and physically decompress every day. Even if that was only 30 minutes.

Schedules around the house shifted to make this happen. A kitchen cupboard overhaul was completed. The basement was cleared to make me a small workout space void of legos which were relegated to the "toy side" of the room, and a new life began.

This works for us.

Only, my kids have never really shown any interest in joining me. Probably because I told them to "leave me alone" too often in those early months of trying to develop this new habit.

But now, over two years later, I'd kind of like to have them join me.

And my wish came true this weekend.

"Mom, you doing yoga today?"

"No. Well, something like it. Recovery. My body is killing me."

"Can I do it with you?"

We rolled out two mats and for 60 minutes, my 7 year old son and I stretched and, as he put it, "worked out the kinks." Not sure what kinks he had, as he was able to split, and do crazy things with that nimble, rubbery body of his. Me, on the other hand? I had/have kinks.

"This is really going to help me for my Karate test tomorrow."

It was cool to hear him make that connection. He was right. His limberness served him well during the kick portion of the test.

So, today, Recovery is back on the schedule, only I'll wait until my partner in stretching gets home. We'll have a snack, do some homework, and retreat to the workout space for another hour of "Ahhh's" from him, and groans from me.

I never thought he'd be interested.

But then again, I never thought to ask.

Do you ask your kids to join you in your activities? I guess I just assumed mine wouldn't be interested. Lesson learned.

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Joline Pinto Atkins is an actress who also uses the web as her world-wide stage and can also be found writing at The Cuppa Jo, and is the founder and a contributor at Daily Fast Fuel and the newly debuted SlimSavers.com. Joline is wife to one (phew - that's good to know) and mother of two amazing children, aged 11 and 7, who are both named after authors. Addicted to fitness, she is an Independent Team Beachbody Coach and sweats out any daily angst by exercising and P90X'ing, and longs for good books, vats of coffee, and an endless supply of buffalo wings - which she will not share with you. So, please, do not ask.