Did you work out a lot pre-baby? Even if you did, many times during pregnancy or certainly after delivery working out can fall off your list of to-do’s. Between recovering, nursing, figuring out your new schedule, chasing after a toddler, and tantrums, there are a million excuses you can find to NOT workout. All that being said, there are big benefits of exercising with your baby that I’ve personally found make it worth the effort!
As you may remember, I did a 15 minute mom and baby exercise video with my friends at Homefit a while back. I still workout in my home every Tuesday and Friday with Homefit and Leyton. I also love to watch workout videos with Leyton and go on family walk with him and Eric. If we are just hanging out at the house, Eric will do his pushups and such on the floor and Leyton always thinks that’s such a great thing to get involved in. 🙂
Benefits of Exercising with your Baby:
- Working harder: You work your small muscles differently since your baby is unstable. In your workouts you end up working harder and targeting muscles you didn’t even know need to be worked!
- Rest better: When your baby works out, they get energy, which means they will sleep better later. Hopefully that also means more sleep for you. 🙂
- Bond with baby: This may sound cheesy, but you get to bond with your baby over your exercise. Instead of feeling guilty about leaving baby in childcare or “neglecting” your sweet little one, you can incorporate your baby by laughing, talking and using baby as a weight where applicable.
- Instill good habits:Â The habits your baby forms now can stay with them the rest of their lives! Leyton loves playing with me on the floor while I foam roll, or while Eric does push up’s. This is a great way to show your child that being active is both fun and important.
- Fit in your fitness: Instead of planning your workout and the time you spend with your baby, now you can multi-task! Consider how much fun your workout can be for your baby and really enjoy this time to make for a meaningful bonding time + workout time for you.
I love that my shirt is reversible and how my pants are high-waisted to stay in place and suck me in while I run or walk with Leyton. Shop the athleisure look:
Workout Top // Yoga Pants // Running Shoes // Sunglasses // Stroller
Make sure you check out how Laura works out with her baby in her post, Jessica’s ab workout.
What benefits of exercising with baby do you see or want to see? I’d love to hear in the comments below!
I love walking with my son! It’s the best way for me to fit in exercise and keep him entertained!
A jogging stroller is a necessity!
Working out with Mason is one of my favorite things to do with him. I’ve got a community of mamas who we work out with and so I get my workout in and they we also get a little baby playtime/interaction after our workout is over. Love that you are sharing your journey with us!
xo, Laura
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Hi Laura! Awww, that’s so sweet…yes, I agree! It’s such a great bonding time. I’m jealous of your baby workout/play dates…that sounds like a fun idea!
Hi, Heather!
I admire your discipline and commitment. I have always lived a healthy, active lifestyle. But I have to admit that doing so post-pregnancy, just when it is needed the most, is very challenging!
Back then, I really found mom-and-baby exercise videos really weird. I felt that they were staged, purely for entertainment purposes.
But yeah, we gotta do what we gotta do! We should find ways to still work out after having a baby.
I love all the benefits that you listed there, but I have to say that #4 is my favorite. More than what it can do for me, exercising with my baby is a great way to introduce to her a healthy lifestyle.