Have you ever crashed on your bike, either because you weren’t paying attention or not being observant? Last year, I crashed my speeding bike into my dad’s car. The incident happened on a Sunday in the daytime. The sky was a dreary, gray color. It was one of those days when looking at the sky would make you sleepy. I was inside my house in the living room lying around. My mom came in the room, gave me an angry look, and declared, “Get off the couch and do something productive!” I didn’t budge, so my mom walked up to where I was lying down, put her mouth close to my ear, and whispered, “You can’t lay around all day, you need to get some fresh air. ”
“Okay, okay,” I muttered. I got up, and not wanting to make my mom angry, I shuffled through the door of the garage.
I tramped down the stairs of my obscure garage. Putting on my white and blue Reebok shoes, I started wondering about what to do outside. I got bored thinking, so I grabbed the dusty rug off of the chilly garage floor, and I shook it until dust was flying everywhere. The rug must have smacked my former bike, because it fell to the ground. I suddenly got an epiphany of what to do instead of lying around. I could just ride my bike. I opened my sliding garage door took a seat on my bike, and zoomed down my steep driveway. Suddenly, I smelt the nauseating stench of dog excrement. A jogger was jogging down the sidewalk, and he must have smelt the same odor, because he queried, “ Do you smell that?”
“Unfortunately, I do,” I answered back. I turned left on my bike, which led me to the left side of my street. I started pedaling harder, and I noticed that the bike was diminutive for me. Because of this I could go much faster on my bike. I increased my speed even more, and I felt the wind breezing on my face, and I heard it rushing past my ears. Suddenly, I perceived a minute bike not too far away from where I was. I applied the brakes, but they weren’t working. I veered my bike away from the miniature bike, and I turned it in the direction of my house. “ I can’t ride my bike around without brakes,” I thought. I accelerated down a steep road and swerved my bike to face my garage. While I was riding toward it, I observed my dad’s black Toyota parked on my driveway. Right when I was riding up the driveway, I smelt the same horrendous stench of dog excrement. I shifted my eyes to see where the stink was coming from. At that moment, I realized that the front of my bike was about a foot away from the right side of my dad’s car, and I was riding my bike at a speed of fifteen miles per hour. I tried my best to change the direction of my bike. “Too late,” I mumbled.
Crash! My left hand had jammed into the Toyota’s rearview mirror. I was lying on the concrete facing the sky, and my hand was bleeding profusely. There were glittering pieces of glass scattered all over the area where I fell down. The part that holds the rearview mirror might have ripped off from the car, because I saw it on the driveway. My neighbors must have witnessed the incident, because they inquired, “Are you okay?”
“I’m all right,” I replied. I tried to pick up my bike, but I couldn’t because my left hand was paralyzed. I left my bike outside, and sauntered into my garage. From there, I strode up the stairs and entered my house. My mom must have heard me come in because she solidly stated, “If you’re coming in you better not lie around.”
I proclaimed, “Mom, I shattered Dad’s rearview mirror with my left hand on my bike’s handlebar.”
“Oh no! Are you okay?” she bellowed as she walked to where I was standing. Then she noticed my hand. She asked, “Can I see your hand?” I showed it to her. There was a deep incision in it. My mom quickly grabbed her first aid kit, and grasped the antibacterial wipes, a long bandage, and an Ace wrap. Then she cleaned my hand with the antibacterial wipes, and wrapped it with the long bandage and the Ace wrap. I didn’t really feel any pain throughout the process of getting cut, because whenever I bleed a lot I only feel an itch. After my mom fixed my hand, she declared, “You can lie down for a while.” Just then my dad came in, and by the look on his face I could tell he had overheard the conversation between my mom and me. He uttered, “Arooj, you broke the rearview mirror on my car, but you did it accidentally and your hand got injured so I won’t punish you.
“Sorry about your mirror, Dad,” I responded.
My hand took two weeks to heal. I learned to never let my attention shift from one thing to another. I realized that this lesson could be used in everyday life, and for much larger situations. For example, if I was taking an important test, and I let my attention shift to think about what I would eat for dinner, I would probably do poorly on the test. I also learned to be more observant. If I had checked my bike before I used it, I would have discovered that there were no brakes and I would have never crashed. Now, I am more observant, and I have a lesser tendency to let my attention shift from one thing to another. Whenever I feel like not being observant, or not paying full attention to my main objective, I think of the piercing crash.
If you’re looking for a good way to get your baby out of the house and burn some calories at the same time, the BOB Ironman Jogging Stroller presents a great way to bond with your baby and get back in shape after childbirth. Having a morning jog makes your body feel refreshed and helps in keeping you stay physically fit.
Jogging Strollers are a great invention because they don’t allow the excuse you don’t have time to exercise or that the baby won’t let you. Get baby out for some fresh air and enjoy a jog that will make you feel great. The Ironman is light weight for convenience so that you can push yourself, along with the stroller.
The makers of the BOB Ironman wanted to add features that would make your little one as comfortable as possible. Some of these features include a near flat recline, which is great for small babies or toddlers when they want to nap. The BOB Ironman stroller has a great suspension system, keeping your babies from being jarred and bounced around and the premium padding that is in the seat of the stroller is soft and comfy for little bottoms, so take an extra lap, they won’t mind!
Not only are there great features for baby, but mommy or daddy as well. The BOB Ironman is a jogging stroller like no other because it is made with the intent of being used at a fast pace. This jogging stroller is made for the street. The tires on the jogging stroller are high-pressure road tires. The stroller is incredibly light weight with light alloy rims and hubs as well as stainless steel spokes. The BOB Ironman Jogging Stroller has stiff shocks, this works to provide amazing performance and so that your jog is all that it should be. This model also comes with a foot brake, which helps ensure that you can stop the stroller when it is parked on a hill and you are trying to load or unload your baby into it.
This stroller is top of the line, it is lightweight and easy to push. To boot, it has amazing features like stiff shocks and a foot brake for safety purposes. The BOB Ironman stroller is comfy for kids so they can relax and enjoy the ride while you get to burn on some calories. This stroller can be used at fast paces, so even the most fitness freak mom or dad will be able to use this to get a great workout while the kids get a rid. The BOB Ironman, a stroller for those who want to stay in shape.
When it comes to strollers, there is a huge range out there, from the little collapsible umbrella strollers, to the “transportation systems” that will carry 2-3 children and a car seat at the same time. The BOB jogger stroller line gives you the best of all worlds.
BOB Ironman features a really flexible stroller which can be improved to carry a baby seat, be pulled by a bicycle, or equipped with a wind/rain covering for bitter weather. It offers your baby a cushy ride, accommodates a great deal of storage, and is perfectly maneuverable and sturdy built.
If you’re looking into getting out again after the baby has come, I encourage you to take your BOB Ironman stroller and baby and hit the streets!
About the Author
Try a BOB Ironman Jogging stroller! I have a BOB jogger and I love it! The BOB Ironman is top of the line and a very popular choice!
Gaga Comparison of the 2011 Baby Jogger Summit XC, BOB Revolution SE & Mountain Buggy Terrain.
With a newborn in the house, sometimes it can feel like a hurculean effort to even get dressed before noon, much less, shower, go grocery shopping, cook dinner and fix your hair. If you’re a working Mom – the stress increases along with the workload. Goodbye sleep, hello anxiety!
Many new Moms worry about figuring out how to look and feel their best as they adjust to the ‘new normal’ that parenthood brings. I remember being shocked to realize, about 6 months after my son was born, that I wouldn’t be getting a “break” or “vacation” any time soon. There was no fairy godmother coming to help me return to those luxurious mornings of sleeping in, hours on the computer reading emails and chatting with friends, or the ability to sit down and read a whole book on my own.
So, I decided to make a few adjustments in my life I’d like to – I hope you’ll find them helpful as well as you cope with life with a new baby, and wanting to feel GREAT in your body again…
To motivate you I was about 150 lbs before I got pregnant (I am 5′ 10″). I gained about 40 lbs with the pregnancy. I eventually went down to 128 lbs using the tips mentioned below.
How To Regain Your Sanity and Health After Having A Baby
1) Eating Well - I realized that my son was benefitting (or not) from everything I ate since I was breastfeeding (similar to when I was pregnant). I decided to really make an effort to eat for nutrition rather than weight loss. I didn’t work on excluding any foods from my diet. I just worked on INCLUDING good foods – especially fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats (fax seed meal, walnuts, etc.) rather than excluding anything.
2) Exercise – I started getting outdoors every day. I didn’t put any pressure on myself to “workout.” My goal was to spend 30 minutes a day walking every day. Accomplishing something like this gives you that “I got something done” feeling that I often lacked staying at home with the baby. To start off with, I carried my son in a sling, but when he got old enough to sit up, I switched over to a BOB jogging stroller. The BOB stroller is a top of the line jogging stroller, it works great if you’re running, but I usually walked. It has a 3-wheel design so it can lock in place if you’re jogging, and unlock and pivot very easily. This is a great indoor-outdoor stroller that I use all the time for shopping, and hiking, not just for jogging/walking.
3) Sleep - The untold secret is that once your baby starts sleeping through the night at 2-3 months, you’re not good-to-go. My son continued to have months where he would get up in the night almost every night well after he was 12-months old. (We used attachment parenting – not the cry it out method – but he did sleep in a different room from us. I found that having him sleep in the same room was VERY distracting to me when he would make noises and be fussy. Even if he was asleep, I would wake up with my heart racing when I heard these noises. I strongly recommend finding a good night time sleep solution that works for you and DON’T BE AFRAID OR EMBARRASSED TO TAKE NAPS. When you are well-rested, you are happier, and that makes you a better wife and mother.
4) Disposable Diapers – This may sound crazy, but I had the “fun” of using cloth diapers when I was at a retreat center and I was amazed at how they would get wet and stay wet every time my son peed! We’d been using disposables at home and they worked so much better for us because when your baby pees, the moisture is absorbed and he can sleep through the night again without noticing it. This is good for everyone!
5) Appreciation - It can be easy to get cranky as you bemoan loneliness, boredom, and lack of conversation as you hang out with your little one. We’ve all been there and it’s okay to admit it. That being said… use some effort to focus on the positive. You have a happy, healthy baby who will relish his time with his mother and even though he can’t talk yet, your baby is absorbing the love in his environment that you are providing. My sister – the psychology major – has told me all about the emotional imprinting that happens to very young children. Rejoice in the fact that you are there to take care of him and love him every day!
Hope this finds you inspired and excited about taking charge of your health and your well being after having a baby! My son is 16-months old now, and it’s been a wonderful experience so far!
About the Author
For great savings on these important resources check out:
1) BOB Jogging Strollers – My site on where to find and buy the only stroller you’ll ever need – a BOB jogger – at the best prices possible.
2) My site on Huggies Diapers – For Huggies newborn diapers, on up to Huggies Size 3 and beyond – jumbo boxes delivered to your door!
