I can’t tell you how pleased I was when I saw my son incorporating a “workout” into his imaginary play. I grew up in a household where no one moved. Taking the dog around the block caused quite the groaning and griping. I didn’t have a real role model for exercise. Or healthy eating, for that matter. To say the least, it was grueling work to train myself to be the active person I am today. To watch my son pretending to do pushups is so rewarding, it’s unbelievable. He will never have to retrain his whole body and pattern of thought into an active way of life–it will be natural.

My husband has been participating in a Biggest Loser contest at his workplace as well. Our son is seeing him working up a sweat, running on the treadmill and weight training on my step bench. The first time the little man saw him, he pulled my arm with eyes wide: “Look momma, look. Look at Da!” It was something my son wasn’t used to seeing from my other half.

And recently, the little man has been doing some of the moves with me. When I’m doing easy stuff like walking in place or jumping, he’ll stand next to me and pull his best pose. He always has to do a minute of walking on the treadmill before I’m allowed to use it too. It’s comical. But it’s also gratifying to know that I can be a good role model for him. And it doesn’t take much. It just takes him watching me make exercise a normal part of my life. He won’t know any other way.

This is the best way for momma to lose too! With my husband working out and crunching calories and losing weight at the bat of an eye, I, who am already a fitness buff, am making strides. I lost 2 lbs just this week. And while that doesn’t sound like much, it’s a huge feat when you’re way closer to your healthy weight. I’ve been trying to lose those 2 pesky pounds for four months.