Family Exercise

These are the words that bring a chill to my Sunday morning: "Family Exercise". I enjoy both elements of the phrase, being with my family, and getting some exercise. This is especially true on the weekend, when there is time for both. But I have to say, putting the two together doesn't fill me with the kind of joy that the two might bring separately.
Maybe I should be more clear: Exercise is, for me, a solitary activity. I've never been much of a team sports kind of guy. I tend to leave the house with my headphones on and one thing on my mind: working up a sweat. I have never understood the need to travel to a place to start a workout. I gathered a bit of wisdom in my late teens from John Irving, who wrote about sports like wrestling, weight lifting, and running. The need for a lot of equipment and distractions, for me, just diminish the time spent exerting yourself. My daily bike rides to and from work provide me with a few minutes of "alone" time, and it is always a mild relief when I get a little more time to get (in the words of Strother Martin) "my mind right."
Family exercise is not a compact thing. It is an event that requires planning and coordination. The conversations that begin, sometimes days in advance, and eventually become as much a workout as the activity that we choose. I don't often run very far, or bike very fast, because it's not a competition, it's only and exhibition. I slow down to let my wife and son keep up with me. Our dog dodges back and forth, trying to figure out the pace. It's on these days that I sometimes try and sneak in a run before we all pack into the car and roar off to wherever and whatever it is that we have all decided to do.
Here's the truth: I wouldn't trade it, not for anything. I moan and complain, and wish that I could be doing things my way on my time, but I wouldn't trade it. When we all finally get to where we are headed, and the bikes are unloaded, and the dog is on her leash and my family is doing something together, then it's time to stop whining. It's different than running four miles and coming home sweaty. I don't often break a sweat when we're all together, but it's still an exercise, an exercise in family.