How to Exercise with your Baby
Juggling a baby and exercise can be very difficult, so why not combine both (we wouldn’t advise literally juggling your baby). We recently wrote a post: ‘Exercise and a New and Exhausted Mum’that discussed the fitness, nutrition, and lifestyle of a new mum. We wanted to expand on this topic a bit and give you some exercises to do with your baby when you deem them old enough – we recommend your baby being six months or older.
There are many reasons to do gentle exercise as a mum, apart from the obvious benefits of getting fitter it increases your energy levels, making you less anxious and may also reduce the symptoms of postnatal depression.
Walking with your baby in a pram is one of the easiest forms of exercise when you have a baby but we wanted to give you some at-home/in the park or garden exercise options too! Remember, always check with your GP or Midwife before starting an exercise routine and take extra care to keep your baby safe while you’re exercising and stop if they are getting stressed or there are any problems at all!
Here are some great workouts you can do with your little one that we found on The Daily Green website:
Straddle Stretch
Sitting with your legs out in a V, place your baby in front of you as you reach towards them.
Lunges
Pushing the stroller or holding your baby securely take a big step forward and bend your legs to 90 degrees into a lunge position. Because the weight (the baby) is in the front, be sure to keep your abs pulled in tight so you don’t hurt your lower back. Be careful to not let the front knee go over the toes.
Glute Lifts
Lie on your back and have your baby sit on your tummy. Drive through your heels and lift your hips up squeezing through your glutes through the motion. Lower down and lift again.
Leg Lifts
Lie on your back and lay the baby on her tummy on the top of your lower legs bent at 90 degrees. Holding on to the baby’s hands, drop your heels down toward your glutes and lift up again.
Bench Squats
Hold on to your baby as you squat down and sit on a bench. Draw the belly in tight as you drive through the heels and stand up.
We hope you enjoy these fun exercises that you can do with your baby. Please take extra care, you are handling a mini human being rather than a dumbbell remember! If you’re a mum and have any questions about fitness then head on over to our Live Community page and ask away.
