How to exercise

Running is inherently a boring activity for me. But it gets me the most aerobic bang for my babysitter buck so I do it anyway. And when I discovered those treadmills that have a TV built into the dashboard, it changed everything. Suddenly I was doubling and tripling the time I spent on the treadmill because I just had to finish the Daily Show, or stumbled upon an awful reality show more engaging than staring at the person in front of me.

The goldmine of TV-running was the fateful day I was flipping through the stations, sweat beading on my brow, and suddenly found a show chronicling a woman giving birth. No seriously, there she was lying in a hospital bed pushing the proverbial piano across the room. Thank you, TLC ("A Baby Story").

That was the best work out of my life (except for the couple of times I’ve actually given birth, of course). I forgot all about my running time or pace or even that I was IN A GYM WITH OTHER PEOPLE. I laughed at the terrible jokes her husband was making, I not-so-silently cheered her on, and then when she finally gave birth to the baby, I started crying. On my treadmill. With my earphones in. Sandwiched by other joggers, I'm running in place and crying my eyes out. If you're looking for a killer workout, take my advice and run alongside a birthing woman.