And I would walk 2500 miles

Mom-fitness hurdles, a virtual Pacific Crest Trail journey, and an invitation to have some fun

Dear Nurturing Neurospicy Mamas reader: thanks for supporting my Substack! This is a space to share personal stories and build community - in particular around themes of late-diagnosed neurodiversity, mid-life identity transitions, parenting, and self care/movement practices. As it builds, I’ll be adding reflective articles, pieces on my fictional writing projects, poetry, and guest/collaborative articles. I currently publish 1-2 posts per week. My intention is to keep all content free for the first month. I envision some special offerings for paid subscribers, such as a movement-focused series and video content.

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Anyone out there who feels like all you have space for is work, housework, and parenting?

That your day-to-day routine leaves no time for self care or fitness? If this is you, I feel your pain.

What life currently looks like from day to day is:

• Showing up for my family, first, for what’s important

• Playing and doing projects with the kids

• Cooking food that’s at least somewhat healthy, with creative twists to satisfy picky eaters

• Keeping up on housework… dishes… laundry… and picking up endless toys

• Keeping the spark lit with my husband

• Planning for family events, school events, birthdays… and vacations… (and also forgetting them, thanks to my ADHD)

• Endless chauffeuring to and from activities and events

• Making time to see friends when I can

And then, there’s working a full-time job. It’s done mostly at a desk, usually at home, and sometimes with small human and/or feline helpers in tow.

Despite all of these time-consuming things, exercise has always been a priority for me. Before kids, I was constantly moving. I ran half-marathons and biked all over Washington state. I practiced and taught yoga classes. I was happiest when in nature and active.

in my backpacking heyday

How to reconcile the active, outdoorsy version of myself with the mom version?

biking with a baby

Walking 2,500 Miles

One year ago, I hit a new motivational low in the fitness life of a harried mom. Being the crazy person I am, I decided to address this by virtually hiking the 2,480-mile Pacific Crest Trail. Doing some pieces of the actual trail is a bucket list item for me – but I know it’s not happening anytime soon. So I decided to chip away at the miles over 20 months in my ordinary life.

I’m proud to say that at 70 percent through the challenge, ahead of my goal, have made it nearly 1,800 miles, and after nearly a year of walking, am making my way north through virtual Oregon. Virtual California was an enormous state!

But what about advice for those who want to be more active, but are having a hard time fitting it in?

So glad you asked. I’m planning something exciting and fun starting in a couple of weeks! Later this month I’m launching a “making movement fun for ADHD moms” series where I’ll elaborate with creative movement ideas in each of these theme areas:

1. ✅ Make it easy to do.

2. 🧩 Build it into daily life.

3. ⛹🏻‍♀️ Make it a game.

4. 🚴‍♀️ Shift from passive to active.

5. 🤸🏻‍♀️Try something new.

6. ♥️ Stick with what you love (sounds like it contradicts #5, but it doesn’t…)

7. ⭐️ Reward yourself!

I hope you’ll join me for a quirky, entertaining ride through my mind — which for decades has been coming up with creative, outside-of-the-box, ways to be active. And even moreso now that I’m a mom!

I’m a certified yoga instructor, former personal trainer, and novice lover of activities that range from rock climbing to mountain biking to skiing to paddle boarding (thanks to my ADHD). Due to my lack of coordination, I’ve even landed myself in the ER. Ideally, these ideas will help spare you that trip.

My movement journey as a mom has not been without its challenges. I don’t come from an active family and have faced health barriers both physical and mental. But these ADHD-friendly ideas have worked for me, and I want to share them, grow a community of moms sharing this journey together, and learn from all of you out there going through some of the same challenges.

Substack community: What movement goals do you have? What challenges do you face? Where do you envision your movement journey leading you over the next year?

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