9 Ways To Get Your Post-Baby Body Back – With Your Tot
All new mums know that as soon as you welcome your little bundle of joy into the world, time for all your usual activities goes out the window – and that includes getting back into shape. So, if you’re struggling to find the time, here’s nine exercises you can do with your baby.
Sarah Gibbons
Before you start: Check with your doctor before exercising, (especially if you’ve had a C-Section), keep your baby safe at all times and make sure they’re able to support their own head.
Yoga With Your Baby
Yoga is a great way to tone, as well as take some time out to unwind. If you can’t bear to be separated from your little one just yet, find a yoga class that lets you take him/her along with you. Not only does it help you get back in shape, but it is a great bonding tool, according to yoga and Pilates expert Susan Yu.
Baby Bench Press
An easy exercise to do in your living room, just lie on your back on an exercise mat and hold up your bub then lower your arms until his or her little face is inches from yours, engaging your core as you move. The best part is you can gaze at your tot as you tone!
Buggy Power Walks
Walking with a pram is a great way to get a bit of fresh air, tone up and spend time with your bub. The good news is that it also works your glutes (bottom), hamstrings, abdominals and pelvic floor muscles, says celebrity trainer celebrity Lee Mullins. You’ll have a pert derriere in no time!
Bike And Baby
Hopping on your bike with your tot is a great way to get around, as well as up your fitness levels. ‘Cycling is excellent cardiovascular exercise, burning 200 calories an hour and toning your lower half,’ says postnatal fitness expert Jane Wake. So long as your baby can sit up unaided and you’ve got specialist kit for your little one, helmets and a carefully-fitted baby seat, you’re good to go.
Take A Hike
All you need for this activity is good weather, the baby essentials and a good, supportive baby carrier. Sorted!
Have A Jig
You may not need to get into your gym gear for this, but having a dance around the kitchen with your little one engages all the muscle groups and provides light cardiovascular exercise, as well as being fun!
Crunches (And Cuddles)
Lie on your back with your knees bent and pop your little one on your lower belly, just above your public bone, then contract your abs and lift your upper body.
Lunges
This is an easy exercise you can do with your baby in a sling, using your little one as a natural weight. Take a big step forward and bend your legs to 90 degrees into a lunge position, keeping your back straight, as expertly demonstrated by The Saturdays’ Frankie Sanford (above), who roped in her baby Parker to help her shed her baby weight.
