Exercising for new moms

One of the hardest parts of getting back into shape after having a baby is finding the time to exercise and finding someone to watch the baby while you take a run or attend an exercise class. A way around this is trying to find ways to either exercise at home or include your baby in the workout.

Below are a few tips for new moms that can help provide easy solutions to exercising.

Mom and baby yoga classes: To be more accommodating to new moms, some yoga studios have created Mom and Baby yoga classes. Go and practice your favorite moves either incorporating your baby or letting him lay beside you. These classes involve pre-crawling babies and are a great way for new mothers to build their core strength. Babies often enjoy the movements as well as being held by their mothers. Along with building your strength, this can also be a great way to meet other new moms with babies of the same age.

Babywearing: Wearing your baby through your preferred carrier and simply walking can be a great way to exercise. The added weight will increase your strength and the closeness with your child makes for a great bonding experience. As your child grows heavier, the workout becomes more difficult, allowing moms to continue to build their strength and get a healthy workout.

Jogging or running strollers: Try running or jogging with your stroller. Make sure your baby is safe and buckled in first and then it’s as simple as running! If you are used to a treadmill, holding stroller handles can have a similar feeling to running while holding on to a machine. Try this a few times to get used to the motion and then bring baby along for the ride. This exercise method is a great way for you to get some cardio and your baby to get some fresh air.

Fitness DVDs: There are endless DVDs to choose from and all you need is some space in your family room to follow along. This exercise choice is great way to keep your baby close to you in case she needs to be fed or changed. Unlike a fitness class, you can press pause, take care of your child, and then continue without missing any of the workout. Try rotating between strength training and cardio DVDs to get the best results. This is also a great way to prevent yourself from getting bored of the same workout video.

Use your baby instead of weights: Carry your baby while doing squats, lunges, or lifts – really! For any exercise in which you would use a weight (if applicable and safe), swap in your baby instead. This can be incorporated with strength training or with fitness DVDs as mentioned above. Your child will enjoy the attention and you will get a great workout as your baby grows!

Moms definitely have difficulty when it comes to finding time to workout with a new baby, but all exercise options don’t necessarily have to require you to hire a sitter. Make exercise a time for both you and your baby by integrating these types of simple workouts into your everyday routines.