Workouts For Mother And Baby
If you feel time tugs everywhere and simply can’t find the extra time to get to the gym or hate to take precious time away from your newborn, these workouts for mother and baby are the perfect way to start getting back into shape and spend time with your little one, too. They’re fun for baby, great for getting into shape and give you more cuddle time with your little one. Keep it safe. Check with your health care professional before doing any of these exercises and make sure baby is old enough to hold his/her head up on his/her own without discomfort.
If you have a new born younger than three to four months, unable to maintain head up alone, try walking.
Both you and baby may not be ready for some exercises, so start with something easier that still offers exercise for you. Taking the baby for a walk in the park or even around the block is a good start. Putting on music and dancing with baby or even singing as you hold the baby in your arms or in a baby carrier and gently move around the room whether you’re dancing slow or fast is another way to get in some extra exercise. Try to keep your tummy pulled in as you do and make sure you have good posture.
Hold the baby as you do exercises.
There’s no reason you can’t do regular exercises, but modify them by holding your baby. The extra weight of the baby adds an additional challenge and burns more calories. You’ll work on your lower body and add a bit of strength to your arms as you do walking lunges with baby. Hold your baby in your arms snugly as you stand with good posture and eyes focused ahead. Take a step with your right leg, bending both of your knees to right angles. The right knee should be over your ankle and the back knee should be lowered toward the floor, lifting the heel as you do. Push back up to start position and put your feet together, then step off with the left foot.
Just lifting your baby will have you lifting an increasing weight.
As your baby grows, the baby’s weight increases, which is perfect for working your body harder. Adjusting the way you lift your baby can make a difference in what muscles you build. One easy to do exercise is nothing more than laying on your back, lifting your baby in the air with both hands and lowering the baby back down, almost touching your stomach, then back up into the air for 10 repetitions. Sitting with your legs crossed and lifting the baby is another way to work other muscles.
- One simple exercise to do before any workout with baby is a tummy suck. Lift your head high, pull your shoulders back, inhale through your nose, then exhale as you pull your stomach in toward your spine.
- Lay baby on his/her belly in front of you and get into modified push-up position on your knees, so that when you lower yourself, your eyes will meet baby’s eyes. Say peek-a-boo when you lower yourself. Then raise up and repeat. As you get stronger, switch to traditional push-up position.
- You can modify any exercise by holding the baby in your arms when you do it. Squats and plies are examples you can do after two weeks if you had a vaginal delivery.
- When you’re ready for a full program of exercise and need some “mommy time” we have private sessions and classes at Evolution Fitness that can help you build more energy and strength to prepare for the toddler stage.
For more information, contact us today at Evolution Lifestyle Fitness
At Evolution Fitness in Raleigh, NC, we focus on family fitness and look for ways to help solidify the concept of family fitness at home. Simple workouts with jump ropes don’t require fancy equipment and can be adjusted based on each person’s fitness level by difficulty and amount of time spent. One important thing to remember when choosing a jump rope, is to get a slightly heavier one. A heavier one will slow down how fast the rotation is and give you more feedback. Most people that have a problem jumping rope usually find this simple change of using a heavier rope makes it far easier.
You probably hear about the importance of protein in your diet, but may not know why it’s important or really how much you should get and what foods should you eat to get it. There’s a lot of different theories about how much protein you need, based on your goal. Whether you follow a higher protein diet to keep you feeling fuller or a traditional healthy diet that’s lower in protein, keeping protein intake within certain perimeters is important to your health. Over long periods of time, too much is just as bad as not enough.
If you want to leave a legacy to your children, helping them achieve peak fitness and live a healthy lifestyle is one that can follow them for the rest of their life and help future generations. At Evolution Lifestyle Fitness in Raleigh, NC, we work with people of all ages and help develop healthy habits for the whole family that keep on giving to you and your children for years to come. Teaching children is best done by example, so what you do in your own life will help them in the future. It goes beyond that. There are fun ways to help make and keep your family healthy.
There is misinformation on nutrition everywhere you look. Some misinformation comes from commercials, like those on high fructose corn syrup that say it’s healthy because it’s natural. There are other nutrition myths on the internet, sometimes because it lacked research into new findings and sometimes because no research was used to write the article. For instance, some people believe that it doesn’t matter what you eat, as long as the total calories are below a certain amount. It doesn’t account for nutritional needs or each person’s special needs, such hormonal imbalances that causes weight gain.
Evolution Lifestyle Fitness in Raleigh, NC, is focused of family fitness, getting and staying fit at all ages is important. However, there are many great family exercises and activities that can also aid in keeping the whole family fit. One important way parents can help their children lead an active lifestyle is to limit both computer and TV time for all family members, including mom and dad. Instead, schedule a more active option like riding bikes or shooting hoops. Even playing tag can be quite a workout for most people.
Exercise is so important that I encourage people to workout, even if they can’t make it to the gym. With everything going on, sometimes getting a babysitter is impossible or simply not prudent if they’re sick. That’s why I love to suggest alternatives for those days. They’re easy workouts you can do at home when you have the opportunity, which is normally nap time. Some involve short but intense workouts, others are longer and less intense. You’ll revive your energy when you give yourself the gift of working out.
It’s hot in Raleigh, NC, and that makes it easy in the summer to suffer from dehydration, especially if you’re doing something physical. Even mild dehydration can cause physical problems, which is why it’s important to find ways to stay hydrated. If you want to feel your best, be your sharpest and look fantastic, adequate hydration is important. Don’t turn to soft drinks or coffee to do it and unless you’re working out over an hour, sports drinks aren’t necessary. Instead, turn to the world’s best diet drink that has zero calories—water.
People often ask me why I talk about other types of exercise, which don’t involve coming to Evolution Lifestyle Fitness or linking to our website. It’s because I want everyone to enjoy the joys of being active and swimming is a very active sport. It’s fun and a good way to spend time with the family, while burning extra calories for weight loss.
You need all types of exercise to be truly healthy. You need ones that keep you flexible, ones that keep you strong and ones that improve your endurance and cardiovascular system. One of the easiest ways to get that cardio is by running. Running has a number of benefits. You can do it anywhere. It doesn’t require much equipment, outside of a good pair of running shoes. Aside from ensuring you have good posture, running for fun doesn’t require a lot of training either. Running is good for your heart and provides many other healthy benefits.