Confessions of a lapsed athlete.

True confession: I am a jock. Or I was, anyway. I've played softball (I was terrible, for the record: it's next to impossible to see the ball when you're super-nearsighted, and not yet wearing contact lenses). In junior high, I cheered, then played field hockey in high school. (I had contacts by then, in case you're wondering.) In college, I really amped things up: I tried water polo, fell in love with rowing, and then played rugby during a semester abroad in Australia. When I moved to Boston after graduation, I ran along the Charles River every day, morning and night. (Yes, really. Twice a DAY. When I think of how luxuriously easy it was to make that time, I want to cry.) I took golf lessons. I trained for road races. I did hot power yoga, and then did Pilates. I started swimming, because my husband loved it. I worked with a personal trainer, just to shake things up.

And then...I became a mom, and suddenly lost all sense of time, and my former athletic self. Don't get me wrong, I make an effort to stay in shape, but when you have a toddler, and you work full-time, and your job requires that you travel, it suddenly becomes much, much harder to carve out time for yourself. My gym membership rarely gets used, and though I go to power yoga religiously once a week, and walk or run when I can, I've come to realize that this little mish-mash isn't quite enough to make me feel balanced or healthy on either a physical or mental level.

So, I'm making a promise to myself: I will create a new schedule. If I can't (or won't) go to the gym, then I'll find some other way to get moving, get inspired, and keep my sanity. I just saw an ad for a Boot Camp class, and am seriously thinking that might be the proverbial kick in the pants that I so desperately need. And though I may regret this decision, I'm making this promise publicly, so that I'm more likely to stick to it. I miss my old jock self, and want her to come back for good. I'm tired of making excuses.

How have you changed your fitness routine as you've gotten older? Friends with kids, how do you find the time? Any and all suggestions are welcome!