Keep fit while spending quality time with the little one
Most moms would agree that a baby takes up most of your attention and time, if not all. That shouldn’t mean that you shouldn’t pay attention to your own health, tone and wellbeing. Check out these awesome exercises that help keep stress at bay and let you spend some mommy-and-me time with baby simultaneously.
Do keep in mind that while you might want to start as soon as you’ve recovered from childbirth, your baby might need more time: they should be able to keep their head straight without any discomfort. This will happen approximately around their third or fourth month depending on the child, but you may want to specifically consult your pediatrician
Exercise #1: Baby overhead press
Sit cross-legged, hold your baby in front of your chest and keep your elbows bent. Next, lift your arms upward without crossing the elbows. Pause and lower the baby into the starting position. The standard is 3 sets of 10 reps, but you can do as many as you want. Of course, take some time in between to rest and play with the baby.
Exercise #2: Baby bench press
Lie on the floor facing up and bend your knees. Contract your abdomen muscles and squeeze your shoulder blades together. Hold your baby securely and bring them close to your chest. Lift them up, pause and lower them to the starting position. Do 10 reps, rest and play, and then do 2 sets more. Don’t forget to make funny faces at baby, they’ll love it J If you feel like you need more, you can try the harder version in the photo above – it’s the same, but with your legs up, keeping your core busy.
Exercise #3: Walking lunges
Stand and look straight ahead. Take a large step forward with your right leg and bend both knees to 90 degrees. Keep your front knee over your ankle as your back knee approaches the floor. The heel should be lifted and the abs contracted. Keep a straight back. Push off the back leg and step your feet together. Repeat with the other leg.
Exercise #4: The plank
You know that one! Keep baby lying beneath you, while you start on hands and knees. Lower your forearms to the floor so that your shoulders are directly above your elbows. Slide your knees back, keeping your back flat and abs contracted. Hold the pose for as long as you can. If you want to make things extra interesting, sing your baby’s favorite song.
When done together, these exercises train all the main muscles in the human body. And you and your kid will have so much fun together! Do you already have a favorite exercise? Do you think they’re great supplement to a walk in the park? Tell us more about your thoughts in the Facebook comments 🙂
