If you weren’t some kind of crazy fitness guru pre-pregnancy, chances are, even if you really, really want to, getting back in shape is low on the priority list next to mastering breastfeeding, sleep training, and remembering to feed yourself. While we all long for our pre-baby body, most accept that getting back there might not necessarily be in the immediate future. And that’s ok. We just love loving on our babies. I know I do, anyway.

However, once said baby starts moving, motherhood becomes a more active endeavor. At this point, my son is a full-on runner. Most mornings, I leave daycare sweating because he loves running out of his classroom and exploring as I try to put away his bags. He thinks it’s funny as my heart stares racing chasing him back and forth down the halls.

Chasing after my son is fun and daunting all at the same time. He gets into absolutely everything, and, if we aren’t quick enough, he’ll dump half his toys in the trash, his the other half in the potty, and pull all his books off the shelf. It’s like living with the Tasmanian Devil. With all the energy he brings, I feel like I need to dig deep to find the energy to keep up. It’s like when I used to go to the gym and had a trainer who’d make me do one more squat even though my legs were burning and I felt like I wanted to throw up.

Even though I don’t go to the gym anymore — between work, and, honestly, traffic, who has the time — he keeps me active. I’m not squatting 120 pounds anymore, but carrying around a twenty-five-pound squirmy toddler is just about the same thing