Family Exercise

That's what we call it: Family Exercise. A couple of times each month, we decide and announce that we will head out as a group to work up a sweat. The intent is cardiovascular, but the underlying theme is togetherness. On any given day, I've got my runs around the neighborhood. My wife heads off to do a circuit or two at our nearby Curves franchise. My son now has P.E. five days a week. We're not exactly sedentary, but as our family grows older, we face the same challenge of all matter in the universe: entropy.
On any given weekend, we manage the social calendar of a busy pre-teen as well as active and concerned parents. Meetings and other commitments outside the home sometimes allow for less "together time" than we would like. That is why when Saturday and Sunday roll around, we look for ways to create that cohesiveness. The trick is getting all three of us on the same page at the same time. Since part of the reason that I continue to pursue running as my main source of voluntary exertion is that I can lace up my shoes and head out the door, I find it a challenge at times to wait patiently as all other alternatives for outdoor activities are weighed and discussed. I understand that this is all part of the plan.
Once we have decided on a method, we have to agree on a location. Since this is an event more than an occurrence, we generally look for someplace to go where we can enjoy each other's company in a setting that will enhance that experience. Just running around the block is kind of a defeat after all that discussion. Riding bikes down by the beach or going for a run around the lake are more suitable recreation for all of us.
By this time, we have almost always spent more time debating than we have working out. Then it's time for lunch, and we find ourselves once again on the horns of a dilemma: Eat out or at home? Sometimes being in a family can be a real workout.