Have you recently had a baby?
Are you missing your fitness?
Remember before you had a baby you could do what you want when you wanted? A free spirit able to come and go to the gym as and when you please. You could put yourself first whenever you wanted. Having a baby does change things for you, but it doesn’t mean you have to put everything to a stop. There is light at the end of the tunnel and we are going to show you a whole new world of fitness.
Just because you have had a baby doesn’t mean that you need to sacrifice your fitness. In fact, having a baby can mean you can not only get in shape but you can also meet new friends, have a great social life and start enjoying exercise again!
The many benefits of postpartum exercise
Exercise has so many benefits within the post-partum period. New moms frequent the mom and baby classes for all the social aspects to be enjoyed.
They can make new friends, chat to new mums about their experiences and make a new friend circle, all of the women who are in the same boat. The classes where moms can take their babies too provide the babies with plenty of excitement, new faces and interaction! This means they will sleep longer after a class freeing up more time for the moms afterwards! Another huge benefit of mom and baby fitness is that working out also sparks the release of endorphins-feel-good brain chemicals that can help tackle the “baby blues.”
So what types of mom and baby fitness are there?
Mom & baby fitness classes
Usually, at your local fitness center, you can find there will be a mom and baby fitness class. No need to organize childcare to get to the gym, fitness classes allow you to spend quality time with your child whilst you undertake the workout. Exercises will be adapted to suit all ages & development of the child as well as suit the fitness level of the Mama. Over the course of sessions, you gradually build up your fitness level and strengthen your core & posture to rehabilitate your body after having a child. A fab, fun workout to upbeat music both you and your child will love!
Swimming
Swimming is an excellent activity for mom and baby fitness.
Time in the swimming pool encourages your baby to explore its natural instincts for water, while you as a mom can enjoy a low-impact routine that’s kind to your healing body.
Swimming is relatively stress-free on your joints and can be a great cardio workout. Some mom and baby fitness classes accept infants as young as 12 weeks of age, while others prefer your child to be five to six months.
There are many locations which offer mom and baby sessions from council-run facilities to private ones. Swimming ticks all the boxes for a safe and effective workout, however understandably not all moms are comfortable getting back into a swimsuit right away, just remember you are all in the same boat.
Outdoor bootcamps
Outdoor boot camps are an awesome way to get fit and get outdoors with your baby!
At these outdoor bootcamps, your fitness instructor will usually take you through a number of drills with your baby as resistance. Your stroller is quite often included too as you do a mix of cardio and resistance based exercises. Bootcamps are a great way to get fit and get some fresh air into your lungs. Your baby will love it too!
Mom & baby yoga
Is yoga something you enjoyed pre-baby? Maybe it’s something you have always fancied giving a go? Yoga is wonderful for stress release and calming the mind, something which can often be much needed with a new baby! The poses taught in mom and baby yoga classes also promote balance, strength and work to tone overstretched areas like the core and pelvic floor. There’s movement (and music) for the babes, too, who usually leave as zen as you do.
Strollercise
Strollercise is an extremely popular form of mom and baby fitness! It means you can rock up to a class with your stroller!
The easiest postpartum exercise you can do is stroll solo with your stroller, or with a neighborhood group or class. Raising your heart rate is key to a successful stroller-based workout to make sure you are burning calories! If you are a more advanced exerciser some classes are more jogging/running based. In many strollercise fitness sessions, they include cardio bursts and wind sprints to achieve results keeping it interesting. Don’t worry about keeping your in fact occupied either because they will love every second!
Personal training
If you can’t get out to a postnatal exercise class, have a PT come to you. There are many great on-demand fitness and wellness personal trainers out there, specializing in postnatal training for a private lesson on your terms. You can have a one-to-one session in your home, garden or at a local park – and you can even split the cost with other mums. You choose the structure (working out while your baby is napping, or working around the baby, if not) and focus, from yoga to traditional PT.
Online fitness videos
Online fitness videos are awesome! It gives you the freedom to workout from the comfort of your own home at a time that works for you. Youtube is a great place to start or there are plenty of sites you can subscribe too. A lot of these videos incorporate your baby in certain moves that use the weight as resistance. There are so many different classes you can do online with your baby, some are dance-themed, some are yoga themed and some are completely resistance based.
There are so many different ways you can get with your baby. Just because you have a young one doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your social life and fitness life. Having a baby can open the door to so many different activities, the main thing is you don’t have to let go of your fitness. Why not make this period the most active you have ever been?