This week I thought I would share some ideas for exercising while carrying a baby.
We don't have a double buggy and so for the last four months I have been pushing the toddler and carrying the baby. That alone is pretty good exercise if I keep up a decent pace, but twice a week I try to do an all round workout with other mums in a local park. The biggest challenge in these park sessions is keeping the baby settled during our session.
Usually she falls asleep in the baby carrier on the way to the park. When we arrive I get the toddler out of the buggy, lie the seat down and try to transfer the baby from the carrier into the buggy without waking her. Every time I fail! She is grumpy about her rude awakening and doesn't easily settle and I flit between trying to exercise and trying to calm her.
To avoid this difficult situation I adapt some of the exercises and do them while still carrying her. Here are my suggestions for a baby carrier workout:
- Warm-up by power walking (never run with your baby in a carrier as their little heads are not supported and will shake about). I stick to power walking while pushing the buggy for cardio work too.
- I find that the baby carrier reminds to keep my back straight and hold my tummy in when doing squats and lunges.
- Lots of floor work you can do against a park bench, including press-ups, an adapted plank and supported leg rotations. You can also do tricep dips against a bench.
- I find upper body stretches a bit harder to do but try to stretch out as best I can. Standing tall with arms above my head helps me to stretch out my back from the ache of carrying the baby.
- The baby carrier and the buggy can be good aids for remembering your posture, and therefore strengthening your core. The buggy is also a good prop for balancing exercises when the baby carrier alters your centre of gravity.
The extra weight can make a workout that much tougher, so don't be too ambitious! If anyone else does baby carrier workouts I would love to know how you get on and what exercises you do.
I'm certainly feeling the three weeks of sleep deprivation but trying to get on with some normal things in life is helping me feel less like a zombie. Just getting us all up, dressed and fed takes hours, so having gone to the effort of brushing my teeth (when did I last wash my hair?) I might as well go out.
Yesterday was a good day to go out: no rain! I went to the park for another workout and was encouraged by the number of mums that had brought toddlers to the session. I recently read a blog entry from another mum blogger who talked about her frustration of not being able to do a workout at home with the kids about, and also of the wish for her children to see her exercising so that she is setting a good impression to them. I really empathise with that. I tried to do yoga at home while I was pregnant but ended up doing it when our daughter was asleep as otherwise she was trying to climb on top of me or push her toys into me.
The toddlers at this session stayed in their buggies for a bit, played together or on their own and occasionally wandered off and let mum have a bit of extra exercise chasing them back to the group. With other mums around there were lots of eyes to check that they were all safe and didn't wander too far. So now I am planning on going to another workout session with both kids in tow.
What about exercising at home? After reading the other mum's blog I've decided to adopt her attitude of doing what you can. Maybe yoga is best saved for nap times, but I can do stretches and play active games. My toddler really loves to jump at the moment so maybe more of that (apologies in advance to our neighbours below) or some enthusiastic renditions of "head, shoulders, knees and toes"?
I had a lazy weekend and didn't leave the flat for two days. I also ate the last of the Easter chocolate and a takeaway curry, so on Monday I really wanted to get out and move about.
Monday morning was a bit windy and rainy but me and the little one wrapped up and walked to the park for my first outdoor Ready Steady Mums session. The session was led by a lovely volunteer and as the weather seemed to have kept others away she adapted her session plan to suit me. Lucky me! The focus was on gentle movement - walking and swinging my arms, and pushing the pram while doing kicks and lunges - and strengthening my core through stretching and balancing exercises.
The baby cried a bit to begin with but as soon as we started exercising with the pram it rocked her to sleep and she stayed like that for the rest of the session and I was able to keep my focus on the workout. I felt good afterwards and re-motivated. I felt all the benefits and no twinges or discomfort, and that has given me a confidence boost. I definitely must do more of the same.
