WORKING OUT WITH MOM

Looking for something different to do with your mom this Mother's Day?

     You may already know that a surefire strategy for sticking to a physical program is enlisting a partner. When you want to say, "No, I don't feel like it today," you instead say, "Yes," because you made a date to meet up with someone else. But how do the scales shift when that exercise partner is your mother?

    Some people might scoff at such an idea—"My mom? Are you kidding?"—but in fact, recent studies show that working out with one's mom reaps multiple benefits.

     A study published in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise showed that it can improve overall fitness. In the study, mothers and daughters attended three instructor-led sessions per week for a total of 12 weeks. "We found that the parent/child team provided a solid social support system for each other, making a real difference in long-term adherence to an exercise routine," explains Lynda Ransdell, PhD, FACSM, one of the study's authors. "They encourage each other to stay with the physical activity—and the health-related fitness improvement was significant in the areas of flexibility, cardiovascular and muscle tone."

Quality Time with Mom
"It's a great way to spend time together," says Jacqueline Hornor Plumez, PhD, author of Mother Power (Sourcebooks Trade, 2002). Even if you have a difficult relationship with your mom, it could prove to be a more-than-pleasant way to spend time, as opposed to going out for coffee and enduring uncomfortable silences at a café. "Exercising gives you something to talk about other than your problems," explains Plumez. Paula Caplan, PhD, author of Don't Blame Mother: Mending the Mother-Daughter Relationship (Harper Collins, 1989), agrees: "It's important to find a new common ground rather than spinning your wheels about that awful Thanksgiving when you were 12 years old." She adds: "If you're exercising, you're often feeling better emotionally—and that, too, can improve the likelihood of a better relationship."

Chart new territory together.
      Another idea is to go on the adventure of discovering a new sport together. Try nontraditional recreational activities, such as golf or indoor rock climbing. "You need to keep it fun," says Ransdell. "Do what you like, not what society says you should do. Do what keeps you moving." Sign up for a series of yoga or Pilates classes together. (Most studios offer discounts on packages.) Take tennis lessons at a nearby recreation center or club. Regardless of what you choose, it will get both of you moving in the right direction toward better health and physical fitness. And as a bonus, you can root each other on, which will go a long way toward a good relationship.

                         Article by S. Kirk Walsh from www.weightwatchers.com