Triathlete Magazine: Parents Get Clever With Their Training

by Kate Bartkiewicz
Triathlete Magazine, June 2006

Do you log miles while pushing a stroller? Do you incorporate yoga bends into picking up toys? Does the word balance mean more than just an energy bar to you? Well, you just might be a clever parent, and there is a whole Web site dedicated to your excellent time-management skills. We asked Kris and David Jackson, founders of www.cleverparents.com, to fit in a few questions somewhere between training and naptime.

Triathlete: What inspired you to create Clever Parents?
Kris and David Jackson: With two boys (age 2 and age 1), the topic is near and dear to our hearts. When you become a parent, your life changes, but it doesn’t end. Your priorities change and the variables increase, so you have to be clever to get it all done. We wanted a site for parents that was about parenting, but that was also about all of the other things in everyday life. So we created a site for smart, successful parents that includes a wide variety of topics we think interest the parents of young children: charity, fitness, style, food, work and, of course, children.

Triathlete: Do you think clever parents are an anomaly or are they becoming the norm?
Kris and David Jackson: We think they’re becoming the norm. More and more we’re seeing parents figuring ways out to get the most out of every day and dollar — whether it’s starting businesses that work around the kids’ schedules, volunteering at charities or doing marathons pushing a stroller. A great example is our recent feature on triathlete, entrepreneur, coach and dad, Troy Jacobson.

Triathlete: How important is balance to you as parents and athletes?
Kris and David Jackson: Balance is incredibly important. To be a great parent, you have to feel good about yourself. That means having healthy relationships, having interests outside of your children (be it through exercise, racing, hobbies, or “me” time.) Scheduling time for yourself is crucial and makes you a much better parent and person; it enables you to give more.

Triathlete: Where did your inspiration to become clever parents come from?
Kris and David Jackson: Just because we have children doesn’t mean that we aren’t interested in doing the same things we used to do – be it triathlons, travel, or spending time together as a couple. Parenting challenges you like no other experience and if you’re clever enough about it, you can keep the best of who you were before having children while adding all of the goodness that comes from your new title, Mom or Dad.

Triathlete: How do clever parents effectively manage their time between training and children?
Kris and David Jackson: Flexibility and planning are very important. Taking turns is important, too. We’ve learned to adapt our schedules and our workouts. That might mean doing an interval workout on a bike trainer at 5am in the basement or planning runs around naptime. If you think ahead and plan, you can always find time to workout.

Triathlete: Can you share any tips to help include the whole family in a fitness routine?
Kris and David Jackson: Schedule family fitness time just like you would a workout or training session. Make it a priority. Your kids will love it. They have about 10 times the amount of energy that you do. Turn off the TV and get outside. We love to just run around the yard, playing chase, kicking and throwing a ball, raking, doing jumping jacks, galloping. Make it fun. If they see you doing something, they’ll imitate you.