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Piyo by the Pool

Does this mandatory social distancing have anyone else dreaming of a getaway? I feel like this quarantine is like living those newborn days all over again--the days are long and the years are short. We have now been officially limiting all social interact for exactly three months, and it's almost like April and May never even existed. We jumped straight from March to June, and now we've nearly made it to summer!

The quarantine for us has meant a lot of long, long days at home. My plan had been to get on the trail with the jogging stroller as soon as spring arrived, and we did get out as much as we could before face masks were made mandatory in all public spaces. But the idea of doing exercise and breathing my own recycled air grosses me out, so I had to figure out something else. My sister and her boyfriend came and built us a trail on our property that we like to hike along, but moving at the speed of my two-year-old doesn't give me quite the workout I need.

So when I set out to scour youtube for an attainable workout I could do while trying to survive quarantine with my three kids, I needed something I could do in the middle of my living room without a lot of equipment. And I needed something that would actually motivate me to get up and moving. Enter... PiYo by the pool!




If you haven't heard of PiYo before, its a blend of pilates and yoga set to music and gives a full-body workout in just about an hour without lifting any weights or needing any machine or apparatus. I happened to do a few classes many years ago, before any of my babies were born, and I remembered it was a fun, engaging class, so I thought I would give this a try.

And I was hooked! During my youtube search for PiYo, this video stood out to me because of the idyllic locale in the background, so I decided to try it out. Not only does it give an intense workout, staring at that sparkling oasis in the background of the video inspires me to keep working out, because I get to pretend that I am doing lunges, squats, jumping jacks and sun salutations next to that pretty pool, too!

Of course exercising at home is not without its occupational hazards. As soon as I get in the position for a plank, Maya thinks its playtime, and Mateo thinks Warrior One is the perfect position for him to brace himself next to be and practice standing.



But I know exercising with the kids is setting an example for them to have a healthy lifestyle, too. So I'll endure my little monkeys climbing all over me as I work to get back in better shape for them, and for myself.

 I'd like to give a shoutout to Christine Dwyer for inspiring me to get up and moving during this quarantine! And I'd like to encourage anyone who needs a little extra motivation to check out any of her workouts. This is not an affiliated post, and I know it has nothing to do with raising emerging bilinguals, but I write to you solely as one mamma to another, working to get healthier together. If we don't take care of ourselves, it is even more difficult to take care of those who need us and rely on us.

As the quarantine begins to lift, I hope we can all remain healthy and safe, and greet summer with a toned sun salutation.

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