Including the little ones in your exercise routine can help you stick with it.
Finding time to exercise is always challenging. Make it easier — and more fun — by including your kids in your workouts! Here’s a quick rundown of what you can do without having to call a sitter.
Exercising With Your Baby
Because your little one is portable, there are many options for working out with a baby in tow.
Head out with the stroller. If you like exercising with a group, join a stroller-walking program. More than just good exercise, research shows walking with a group also helps moms ward off postpartum depression. But if you prefer to walk on your own, keep increasing the challenge by adding hills or intensity. “Even just skipping with a stroller ups your workout — and it makes you feel good,” says exercise physiologist Felicia Stoler, R.D., F.A.C.SM.
Pilates. Pilates is the perfect mom and baby exercise, says postnatal Pilates expert Jennifer Gianni. “You get one–on–one face time throughout, which creates a bonding time for you and your baby,” she says. Try an exercise like push–up kisses: Start on your hands and knees, or in a full push–up position, with the baby lying on the floor next to you; lower yourself, give your baby a kiss, and then push back up. Once she can hold her head up, have her do bridges with you: Lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat, hold your baby on your pelvis as you lift it (and her) toward the ceiling. She’ll love the ride — and it’s good resistance for you.
Bouncing baby. Once your baby is old enough, put her in a bouncer. Then stand in front of her and bounce too! Create your own cardio routine with jumping jacks, jumping rope or other plyometric exercises.
Exercising With Your Toddler or School–Age Child
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children get at least one hour of physical activity a day (it doesn’t have to be consecutive). By working out, you can be a real role model for your impressionable child; research shows that active parents raise more active kids.
Head to the playground. Climb, swing, slide and hang with your kids. “Pumping your legs on a swing is basic flexion and extension — it’s a workout,” Stoler says. Get reacquainted with the monkey bars. When was the last time you tried a static hang? “We lose that kind of strength so fast,” she says.
Take a ride. Bike together, or jog alongside your little one as he rides. Get creative: Sprint up ahead, do 10 push–ups, and then sprint back. He’ll get a kick out of watching you (and you’ll get some intensity).
Rock and roll. “I’m a big fan of music and dancing,” says Stoler, the mother of an 11–year–old and an eight–year–old. Turn on the stereo and dance with your kids. Make sure your feet are really moving. And let everyone take turns leading the dance.
Try a fitness DVD. A recent Mayo Clinic study showed that children who trade sedentary screen time — watching TV or playing video games — for active screen time, such as working out to a DVD, double their energy expenditure. Find exercise DVDs for kids and parents at your local library.
Take a class together. More fitness centers are offering classes like family yoga. If you have older kids, try taking tennis lessons or a martial–arts class together. You’ll both learn something — and you’ll have fun doing it.
Here are a handful of other fun activities that will get your heart rate up while also bringing a smile to your child’s face.
- Play tag.
- Go hiking together.
- Have a relay race.
- Go roller–skating at a skating rink.
- Toss a Frisbee.
- Play kickball in the street.
- Set up fun exercise stations in your basement.
- Play Twister.
Every weight loss program depends expanding more energy through intentional exercise than you obtain from the food you eat. Walking and running are both excellent forms of exercise. Neither requires any special equipment aside from a pair of shoes that provide adequate support. While both running and walking provide huge benefits, there are some things that you may want to consider before embarking on a running program.
