The Benefits of Planking

Last weekend, I took both Notorious and Chubalicious to the gym with me. I have been so diligent about my workouts lately in preparation for the Life's A Beach Triathlon I signed up for (don't be too impressed, its an easy one and billed as the Triathlon For Slackards.)The boys have mostly been good in the play room there but I know, we would all rather be some where else.

Prior to heading out, MRA asked when he could start exercising. To which I responded by saying that he could begin exercising anytime he wanted and I offered to show him a few moves. He readily agreed. We did not have a ton of time nor do we have a ton of space so I quickly dropped to the floor and showed him how to plank. He did well. I explained he had to keep his belly and knees off the floor so in reality, it looked like something somewhere between a plank and Downward Dog (for my Yoga following friends).

I explained that this particular exercise would make his belly strong, and his back, and his arms and legs, too. He liked that idea.

We went on to the gym and all proceeded as typical.

Until later.

While running errands throughout the weekend, I noticed that prior to opening a door to go into a store, MRA would drop to the ground and plank. He did this at Target and Old Navy. At Dairy Queen, he must have forgotten because he got outside on that filthy exit ramp, stained with grease and gum and God-knows-what-else and planked. The whole time I am fussing away to, "Get up!" Sanitize your hands". "It's dirty down there." "People need to get by." He even did this going into Saks Fifth Avenue at which point I tried to explain that we don't plank going into stores, we only plank at the gym. All my fussing went in one ear and out the other.

The next day I went to his school to pick him and Chubalicious up... and low and behold, walking out the door (with a stream of other parents and children behind us), MRA stops at the door and drops into plank position (really more like Cobra Pose.)

He holds it long enough for me to scold him and say, "MRA, WHAT? ARE? YOU? DOING? Why do you keep doing that right here?"

He looked up at me with his huge grey eyes and an even bigger smile and said, "Mama, I'm getting strong so I can open the door for you!"

Plank away, MRA. Plank often and plank well. You bring the most unexpected moments of joy into my life!