Lose That Baby Fat…With Your Baby?

A Baby Workout
By Stacey Nolan Young

Okay…so you have waited over 9 months for your baby to arrive. You’ve endured pain, discomfort and labour all for this little bundle. Your body has been stretched and kicked. You no longer remember what it’s like to have “free time”. You have this excess weight that you are carrying now and you do not have the time to get rid of it. The thought of leaving the house a few times a week without your little bundle seems so unrealistic.

Rest assured- you can get back to your former weight without leaving your house and better still- with the involvement of your baby. Yes, I did say that. This can be time that mom and baby enjoy together. I will be showing you how to get your workout in at home so put those dumbbells down and pick up your baby!

The first place to start is in the kitchen. Always. And without question. A good, healthy diet goes a long way towards getting you back into shape. Remember that great results come from incorporating a healthy diet with smart exercise. This will not only be good for you but it will definitely be beneficial to your baby especially if you are breastfeeding. I’m not going to delve into the nutritional aspect here but it was definitely worthy of mention because you cannot do one without the other and be successful.

Please don’t misunderstand. I am in no way saying that you will be working out alongside your baby. I am not suggesting that your baby needs to get in shape or that we need to create a miniature version of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I am merely claiming that your baby can have some fun while you carry him or her around and get some exercise in at the same time! Here is a sample of a workout that should only take about a half hour out of your day. Just to caution you… this will not be easy!

Find an open space in your house. You will need a carrier and of course, your baby!

Begin by walking around at a good pace with your baby. If you have stairs, walk up and down those for about 5 minutes. The idea is to get warmed up and ready for exercise.  Now that the muscles are fired up… let’s get down to business.

Baby Squats

Stand with your legs somewhat wider than shoulder width apart. Place your toes facing slightly out. Hold your baby against your body or in an infant carrier. Slowly lower your body into a low squat position (below parallel) almost as if you are sitting back into a chair. Pause at the bottom of the movement and come up pushing through your heels. You’ll want to make sure that your back is as straight as possible and that you getting the depth that you need for this exercise.  Going deeper will hit the glutes more so make sure to perform the bottom half of the movement. Perform 8-10 repetitions. After this set go back to those stairs and walk up and down them for about a minute. This allows your muscles time to recover and it keeps your heart rate up. And then you begin again.
Here is the breakdown:

8-10 repetitions holding your baby.
*stairs for 1 minute*
8-10 repetitions holding your baby
*stairs for 1 minute*
8-10 repetitions holding your baby
*stairs for 1 minute*

Baby Alternating Lunges

Place your baby against your chest while standing up straight, preferably in an infant carrier. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on your hips. Keep your abdomen tight to support your back. Starting with one leg, take a big step forward. Your toes and your knee should be pointed directly in front of your body. Bend your forward knee with your foot on the floor. Lower your body straight down from this position. Your back knee should almost touch the floor. Be sure that your back is straight during the entire movement. Raise your body again and repeat with opposite leg.

8-10 repetitions per leg
*stairs for 1 minute*
8-10 repetitions per leg
*stairs for 1 minute*
8-10 repetitions per leg
*stairs for 1 minute*

Baby Pushups

In order to perform this exercise, you will need a blanket or matt on the floor. Place your baby on their back on the floor. Position your body directly above your baby. Prop your self up on your arms and feet, keeping your body straight. Your hands should be placed on either side of your baby. Slowly lower your body by bending at the elbows. This movement should be completely controlled. Your back should remain straight. Lower yourself until you are nose to nose with your baby. Push yourself back up into the starting position. You’ll want to be particularly careful with this movement as you have the safety of your baby to worry about.  If you can’t perform this movement try it on your knees with your legs bent.  Perform as many reps as you can safely do.

5-8 repetitions
*stairs for 1 minute*
5-8 repetitions
*stairs for 1 minute*
5-8 repetitions
*stairs for 1 minute*

Baby Press

This exercise is easy to perform and you should feel this in your shoulders and arms. It should only be performed when your baby has established good head control. Also, be aware of your baby’s comfort level at all times. To begin, lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Place your baby face down on your chest and hold your baby firmly under their arms to anchor them safely. Slowly and very gently raise your baby off of your chest. Gently lower your baby back onto your chest.
Repeat this motion 10 times or as long as your baby will allow.

10 repetitions
*stairs for 1 minute*
10 repetitions
*stairs for 1 minute*
10 repetitions
*stairs for 1 minute*
 

Baby Deadbugs

This is a great abdominal exercise and it will strengthen your core musculature. Lie on your back on the floor. Prop your baby up on your chest. Tilt your pelvis up so that your lower back is flat against the floor. You should feel your abs tighten. From this position lift your knees up at a 90 degree angle. Keeping your back flat against the floor slowly lower one leg until it is about an inch off of the floor. Return that leg slowly to the starting position and repeat with the opposite leg. The focus should be on keeping your lower back on the floor by keeping the core tight. As soon as you feel your back come off of the floor, the set is over.

8-10 repetitions per leg
*stairs for one minute*
8-10 repetitions per leg
*stairs for one minute*
8-10 repetitions per leg
*stairs for one minute*

Wrap Up

Please keep the safety of your baby in mind when going through the exercises. This is meant to be fun for mom and baby

Perform this routine 2-3 times per week. Along with a solid nutrition program, you will see your body returning to its formal state. A word of warning…at some point this program will cease to get you the results you are looking for and you will need to step things up a notch. This is a great beginner’s workout after you have had your baby. My suggestion is to get to a gym within a few months. Most gyms have daycares for older babies and for those with very young children, have someone watch your kids while you take much needed time for yourself and hit the gym at least two times per week.

Another great way to exercise is to strap your baby in an infant carrier and go for a walk. For the more adventurous, take that walk to another level and try the stairs. Here, in Hamilton we have a good number of sets of stairs going up the escarpment. This is a fantastic cardiovascular workout.

There is no rule that says you can’t get physically fit when you have just had a baby. That excuse just doesn’t jive with all of the options out there today. So what are you waiting for? Get rid of that baby fat! Lose that weight and spend quality time with your baby doing it!

Posted: November 20th, 2007 at 08:52pm By: mark