My workout buddy

I have a workout buddy.

He always gets up early with me to exercise. He’s my cheerleader. He’s often in my way in my tiny living room “gym.” His diet consists mostly of things that are in the yellow family: Chicken nuggets, french fries, pancakes, graham crackers, Ritz crackers, vegan margarine on white bread, applesauce (we’re working on it). Did I mention he’s four?

A lot of the time, I think my son Isaac is like Tails to my Sonic the Hedgehog. He’s got to be where I am, and he’s often underfoot. Much of the time, I think his little mop top of blonde hair only appears downstairs just as I press play on a DVD because he wants to spend some time with my iPad, not me.

But most of the time, he’s watching me exercise. He is imitating Autumn Calabrese as she counts out reps and points to obliques. He’s down on the floor, trying to do a solid plank with me.

Ike’s a little annoying when he shadows me, but in the grand scheme of things, I’m so glad he’s there. He’s watching me. He’s seeing me work hard and get sweaty and trying to carve out a better version of myself. I’m taking care of myself so he’ll see the value in taking care of himself. I want him and his big sister to view exercise and healthy eating as second nature, not something he has to learn as he’s pushing 40 like me.

So in a nutshell, I’m happy he’s my Tails. Even if I have to pick up 7,000 Legos every morning at dawn before I can have a space to jump around and make the house shake.

Join me for a fitness challenge group starting Jan. 5. Workout at home on your own time, when it’s convenient for you for less than the cost of gym membership. Learn how to eat the right foods in the right portions. Best of all, find tons of support and accountability using a Facebook group of like-minded challengers.

Look for me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/amysadventuresinfitness. Please “like” my page and look for more blog posts at amysadventuresinfitness.com.