remember in January I voiced feeling burnt out and just kind of meh?
i never mind feeling this way - it pushes me to pause and reflect on what I need in this current season of mine.
since our traumatic pregnancy loss, I especially make sure to take care of myself - I carefully listen to what I need and I unapologetically prioritize it.
and this time, I realized I missed swimming and I missed reading.
so I signed up for two nearby libraries, I fell back in love with my Libby app, and I resubscribed to Audible, pinpointing that I was specifically craving more audiobooks in this season.
and we made room room in our budget to join a nearby Lifetime gym.
i know, i know. this isn’t for everyone. but this has been such a good choice for us.
because one, I’m a swimmer. I always have been, and I always will. I may try (and love!) other forms of exercise, but after awhile I miss the pool - i miss the meditative, silent repetition that is swimming laps. and after a season of not prioritizing swimming, I missed swimming something fierce. i feel my absolute best when I’m swimming multiple times a week. and Lifetime gym has the best swimming set-up.
and two? they have the best pools for play. KK and I have spent a lot of time at the indoor ones during these cold months (our new favorite gloomy weather activity!), and I can’t wait to use both the indoor and outdoor pools during the hot months. basically we plan to spend time at their pools all year long. kk loves our pool time. see our pool (and summer!) essentials here.
and, even better? the gym has the most impressive childcare area. and it’s not crowded, it’s divided up by age groups, and it’s such a fun space. it has the same three warm, caring people working every time we go - each of whom I love. specifically the childcare has an outdoor playground that kk will contentedly play the entire time she’s there. but most importantly? kk is so happy in their care and she’s so happy around other kids. kk is an incredibly active, social kid - joining lifetime has been so good for her.
(and so good for me. because, yeah, I’m swimming. but also, I’m getting a break that I didn’t know I needed and I’m filling my cup in a whole new way possible. and sometimes after a recharging swim, a dip in the hot tub, and a goooood shower, if KK is still happily playing, I’ll work on my computer - or enjoy a cup of coffee! - in their cafe space.)
I want KK to grow up seeing her mom take care of herself, and the importance of doing so. and while there are plenty of other ways to do this (see the big list of ways I love to take care of myself for more), going to Lifetime to swim definitely aligns with this goal.
Naptime Kitchen also taught me this many years ago - that prioritizing a nice gym with good childcare and spa-like locker rooms can be worth every penny in this season of toddlers and tiny children. And I now so agree.
Getting a good workout and taking a luxurious morning shower (or having a coffee while tackling some household computer stuff!) while KK plays in their impressive childcare area has breathed new life into me. it’s nice having some consistency to our days, it’s nice prioritizing something that brings me as much joy as swimming does, and it’s nice to have such a mutually-beneficial morning outing.
An added bonus as well is the flexibility. I am not limited to only going with KK. I have the option of going before she wakes up, or after she goes to bed. And I love knowing I have that as a possibility. That in itself feels like I’m taking care of myself - having a special place I can go. Similarly, sometimes Brett loves to gift me time by myself. Which is amazing. But if he and KK stay home, before I had no where to go, so I’d just stay home and…wash dishes? Hide in a room while still taking care of the dogs? Listen to KK make a bunch of noise in the other room? It just didn’t feel very restorative. So now, knowing I can go off and recharge at the gym for some alone time feels like such a gift.
and like I mentioned in my blogpost of the big list of ways I love to take care of myself, I need alone time to thrive. and joining Lifetime has gifted me with more alone time opportunities.
but as you can imagine, our eating out budget is limited. (like i said, we prioritized Lifetime gym’s steeper membership fees in our budget, but that meant we had to trim other things: like eating out.)
so KK and I always eat lunch at home, or we bring lunch with us - depending on the day and our plans. like, the days we go to Lifetime (which is often), we eat our packed lunches in the cafe with our friends before heading home - I cherish that time so much. and I’m always so grateful for Past Haley for packing us good food. see our lunchbox favorites here.
curious what i bring to the gym? what I bring for my toddler? what I bring to swim? see this post!
so all that to say, I know joining Lifetime (or a gym!) isn’t a choice that works for everyone. but it works so well for us. and I wholeheartedly think that you deserve whatever you need to take care of yourself, you deserve to prioritize what you need to fill your cup. whatever you need is amazing, whatever works best for you and your family is fantastic.
