Fit For the Fight

Parents of special needs children have special needs of their own.  We need hearts that are open and caring yet strong and courageous.  We need minds that are flexible and knowledgeable.  We need spines that allow us to stand tall and stick up for our children and their needs.  We need partners, family, and friends who will stand by us, give us space, come when we call, and offer a shoulder to lean on and a helping hand.  We need a strong faith, as we lean on God a bit more than the average parent.  We need doctors, therapists, nurses, and aids who are at the top of their fields to treat, manage, and heal our beloved children.  We need to be able when our children are not.  This means we must be strong,  I knew I needed to be strong mentally and spiritually, but where I am lacking, is in physical strength.  I've known that down the road, when Little starts to lose the ability to sit/stand/walk that I would need to be able to do those things for him.  What I didn't realize, is that I can't wait.  If I keep putting it off, the day could come where Little needs me to lift him and I'm too weak.  I can't let that happen.  I have to put his needs ahead of my own and transform myself into whatever he needs me to be.  So I start now.  I start with the help and motivation from my friend, Rosie.

Yeah, I know, she's flippin gorgeous.  But don't hate - she worked her bum off (literally) to get that way.  Not her face, of course, a million squats and pushups won't get you her striking mug, that's just natural beauty right there.  But the rest of her?  That came from the decision she made to be physically ready to handle anything that autism throws her way.  Rosie has not one, but two little boys with ASD.  And yeah, they are just as gorgeous as she is.  

For these boys, Rosie decided to get Fit For the Fight

Rosie started a website for special needs families to motivate, educate, and inspire them to stay physically fit.  She appropriately named it fitforthefight.com.  This isn't just a website about pushups and cardio.  She will post about nutrition,  about keeping your kids healthy, and about her own struggles and triumphs.  Every now and then, you'll see posts by me and some other contributors.  

Rosie is such an inspiration to me.  This girl doesn't just work out, she works out.  Check out how she runs - that's a double jogging stroller with two little bodies inside of it.  That's approximately 100 lbs of extra weight she pushes along.  And those boys aren't done growing. 

Like me, she is married to an active duty soldier.  So as if the stresses and bumps of being the mom of a special needs tot weren't enough, she has 2 SN kids plus a husband who is often away doing dangerous things.  Rosie rocks my face off.  Seriously.  Sometimes I think I have it tough, then I think of Rosie and others who have it even harder than she does, and I shake it off. She's not sitting around feeling sorry for herself, she's thanking God for the life He is allowing her to live and paying Him back by training herself to be  in the best shape she can be to take care of her family.

Rosie has been my friend for several years now, but we've never met.  We got to know each other about 6 or 7 years ago (when I was living in Alaska) on a website dedicated to military wives.  We've supported each other electronically through deployments, births, and medical scares.  We were there for each other as we took turns coping during those terrifying first days (ok weeks) after learning that all 3 of our boys had  life altering conditions.  Rosie is someone I truly call a friend, be it in person or on the web.  

Thanks to Rosie and my ability to stalk.........err.....watch her grow stronger and more fit via Facebook, I am getting off my duff.  Yes, I am on medication that makes it too easy to give in to lethargy and carb cravings; yes, I have chronic headaches and monthly migraines that keep me on the couch for days at a time; yes, it is 100 degrees outside; yes, it is difficult to find time to exercise when so many of my days have hours booked up with Little's physical and occupational therapy, our doctor's appointments, and other errands; yes, these are all excuses.  Not anymore.  Elliptical?  Check.  Resistance bands, hand weights, weighted ball, and dvds to go with them?  Check.  Bicycle and helmet? Check.  Bike trailer for Little? Uh....not checked.  But I'm watching some on eBay!    An hour a day that I could be sweating instead of relaxing? Check.  Ready to get fit for the fight?  CHECK!  C'mon Rosie, let's do this!  Come join us and get in shape for your children.  You can click on the links in this post, on the fit for the fight logo on the right hand side of this blog, or by typing fitforthfight.com into your search bar.  

Yes, I've featured them before, but I feel it is only fitting to have Rosie and SE as today's Little's Leaguers!