Last week, our fitness editor, Meredith Melnick, wrote about her weekly squash games with her mother. In it she explained why they aren't just a regular trip to the gym:
If my mom and I weren't in good shape, we would have a completely different relationship. Experts believe that exercising with a loved one can strengthen the relationship, even as it strengthens your glutes. And people who exercise a deux stick with their fitness routines for longer and achieve greater mastery of them.
Based on the response, we realized that exercising as a mother-daughter duo wasn't so unusual. Readers, fitness professionals and contributors alike wrote in to describe the feelings of great satisfaction they had as they spent active time with a mother, child or grandchild.
"We have had thousands of conversations -- laughing and sharing stories of our days: present and remembering those of years past. Many problems have been solved and many ideas created as we walk those familiar steps," wrote reader Beth Kar.
Agrees contributor Leeza Erfeso, "My mother is my inspiration, she's instilled in me a life of fitness. Most importantly, she's shown me that age really is a number."
But exercising with mom isn't just a good way to bond -- it's also a good way to get in shape. Working out with a loved one can improve your chance of reaching a fitness goal, according to research on fitness motivation. And studies of family behavior show that children with active parents are more than five times more likely to be active in their lives as the kids of sedentary parents.
So this Mother's Day, if you can, take a walk, run or bike ride with your mum. Thank her for including you in her fitness routine, for keeping the bond strong and, in the immortal words of mid-90s rap sensations, Salt n' Pepa, you'd "better thank your mother for a butt like that."
Here are more of your inspiring stories below. And be sure to contribute your own!
