How to Spot a Mom at the Gym

You know who she is.

You can recognize her by the Ninja Turtle band aid secured to her index finger.

She has no need to wear makeup and she has her hair pulled into a messy pony tail. You might even find her rolling her eyes at the younger gals that have prepped as if they are going out on a date instead of going out to the gym.

If she is wearing shorts, you might notice her legs need a shave and probably need a few layers of lotion too. They definitely need a tan.

She dons an uncoordinated workout outfit, and she is often splattered with ketchup on the front of her shirt. She might even have on mismatched socks (not to be trendy; they were the only ones that were clean) and in her rush to leave the house, she may have forgotten to change into a sports bra (she'll regret that one later).

She skips stretching before her workout simply as a time management tool; she'll try to do brief warm up on the treadmill though.

She is not reading magazines leisurely on the stationary bike, but frantically checking her email, texting her husband or confirming doctor appointments while her exhausted legs push the pedals. If she does try to relax her mind a little, she doesn't listen to music. She catches up on the Netflix show that she can't watch in front of her kids or listens to audiobooks since she no longer has the free time to sit down and read an actual book.

She doesn't have time for locker rooms, showering, or changing clothes afterwards, so she usually has a purse or small bag of belongings sitting on the floor beside the equipment or the machine she is using.

Once again she probably skips stretching after her workout because honestly, she doesn't have the time right now. She'll try to remember to do it when she gets home.

And the telltale sign of a mom is that she might actually appear sad when her workout is over, knowing that her time alone, without babies crying, kids pulling her in multiple directions, or housework screaming loudly at her, is regrettably over. Already.

She has enjoyed her time alone so much that she plans her next workout as she walks out the gym doors and heads to the grocery store.

Can you spot her?