Exercising with baby in tow: you can just do it!
31 March 2015
Most of us don’t realise what immense freedom we have until the day our little ones are born – freedom to do what we want, when we want, whether that be evenings out, weekends away with the girls or… exercise.
What used to be a simple case of fitting exercise around daily work commitments suddenly becomes a complex juggling act, especially given that many of us don’t necessarily wish to place a tiny baby in childcare in order to free up time for exercise.
So the question is how to exercise with your baby in tow?
This might feel like a monumental task but in reality it can be both fun and give you a much needed breather in your busy daily schedule of nappy changes, feeding and getting sleep routines sorted out.
- The first thing to remember is that the effects of exercise are cumulative. This is good news! It means that even if you manage to squeeze in five minutes here and there this will all add up to a cumulative effect and benefit. In short: no need to find an hour-long block of time.
- Consider online postnatal fitness that you can access and do anytime anywhere, whether your baby is napping or not. In the early postnatal period try this new mum Pilates move taken from my online fitness programme – The Hand Hover – which is perfect for getting your deep core muscles revved up again, targeting the mummy tummy area. You can place your baby right next to you and keep each other company.
The Hand Hover
- Set yourself up in a box position with your hands underneath your shoulders and your knees under your hips.
- Gently draw your tummy inwards and upwards
- Now hover one hand an inch or two above the floor, breathe and hold before swapping over to the other side.
- When you swap sides be sure to use your abdominals to keep your centre really still and stable.
Pilates Roll Down
If you are feeling a build-up of tension in your neck, shoulders and back from all your mummy-activities, then the classic Pilates Roll Down is perfect for dissipating tension and keeping your spine mobile. Place your baby on the floor just in front of you and your roll downs will prove to be an instant hit leading to irrepressible baby giggles!
- Stand tall with excellent posture: shoulders back and relaxed, chest open, arms and hands soft by your side
- Take your chin to your chest and start to roll smoothly forwards towards the floor
- Relax your neck, shoulder, arms, hands and jawline as your roll smoothly downwards.
- Give your little one a quick tickle and a cheeky smile just before rolling back up to standing.
- Getting outdoors is one of the best and easiest ways of exercising with your baby on board: in the very early months using a baby carrier is ideal and will keep your baby snug, warm and happy whilst you go for a power walk. Meeting up with friends to go for brisk walks in beautiful surroundings is the perfect way to release those all-important endorphins staving off the baby blues. Being low impact, walking is the perfect route back into fitness just so long as you put full effort into it rather than going for gentle strolls: think hills, striding out, incorporating intervals, and – importantly – excellent posture to protect you from backache.
- As your baby grows heavier and your fitness levels improve, start using a buggy for your power walks. As well as the cardio work from powering up hills, now’s the time to begin incorporating resistance exercise. Park up near benches or fallen logs and give yourself sets of press ups, and tricep dips to complete, or hook a resistance band over a branch and work your upper body – the possibilities are endless!
- Finally, once your little one reaches the ripe old age of 6-9 months, you’ll be able to invest in a suitable bike seat, so ditch the car and take up cycling to make your library visits or travel to all the baby groups you attend. The joy of cycling with your little one in tow is that you’ll be able to progress from bike seat to trailer and eventually to tag-along, giving you years’ worth of carefree, child-friendly exercise. And when baby number 2 comes along you’ll be able to travel and exercise with both your little ones with you.