Fitness for Two: Postparum Exercises for Mommy and Baby

It’s never too early to get back on your feet and work on losing postpartum flab. Doing the right exercise will help you recover your muscle tone, shed the unwanted pounds, and even gain more energy to catch up with your growing tyke. What’s more, you can even include your little one in your fitness routine. In the book Amazing Babies, Beverly Stokes outlines movement patterns of an infant during the first year, patterns which you can incorporate into your exercises so that you can involve your child. Stokes emphasizes the importance of parents relating to their babies through movement “to understand how babies learn, communicate, and interact with their environment.”

Try these starter exercise routines for at least 15 minutes daily to get your pre-pregnancy body back while bonding with your tot.

 

Warming up

Always begin your exercise routine with a warm-up: take a five- to ten-minute walk outside or around the house with your baby in tow, and finish off by doing a few easy stretches.

Position your baby flat on her back on the carpet or a covered pad on a table, and do the following:

 

Chest Stretch

Place your forefingers in the baby’s hand to encourage a grip. If the baby does not grip, hold her forearms, and slowly stretch her arms sidewards. Then gently close arms across the chest. End this routine with a warm hug.

 

Massage

Pat and relax her shoulder. Slowly massage her arms working from the shoulder down to the hands. Open her hand and help her stroke her body and face, and your body and face as well.

 

Leg Stretch

Support baby’s legs under the knee joint, and gently lift her legs up and down. Then, with one hand on the knees, carefully straighten her legs. The hips should remain touching the floor.

 

Click here to learn postpartum exercises during your first 6 weeks after delivery.

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Read on for more postpartum exercises during your first 6 weeks after delivery.

 

Mommy Moves (First 6  weeks  after delivery)

 

Breathe In, Breathe Out  (abdominal workout)

Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.  Let your baby lie on her chest on your abdomen. Inhale in one count, and exhale in four counts, slowly blowing out air through your mouth. Do eight repetitions.

 

The Bridge (for the abs, quadriceps, and buttocks)

Lie on your back, with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, arms relaxed on the sides, palms down. Inhale and exhale, lifting your torso off the floor as far as you can. Then slowly lower your torso keeping your abdominal muscles and buttocks contracted.

 

Twist Again (for the back, abs, and shoulders)

Lie on your back, with your right leg extended and your left knee bent. Hold your left knee with your right hand, and extend your left arm across the floor with your palm down. Inhale and exhale as you cross your left knee over your right leg. Repeat with the other leg and arm.

 

Side Kicks (for the upper hips, quadriceps, buttocks, and hamstrings)

Lie on your left side using your left elbow as support, with baby resting on the crook of your left elbow. Extend your right leg in line with your torso, then flex your left foot. Inhale and exhale as you kick your leg back and front.  Do this five times, then repeat the same routine on your right side.

 

Click here to read more postpartum exercises when your child is 6 months or older.

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Read more postpartum exercises when your child is 6 months or older.

 

Floor Play (6 months and up)

 

Crawl With Me  (strengthens arms, shoulders, and chest)

As your child learns to crawl, lead the way around different objects such as a chair, a stool, or a box. Take the cue from your child and imitate what she will do. Most infants will support and balance themselves using their forearms. Some may even use both hands to push their bodies off the floor, similar to a push-up. Your child is actually working against  gravity and learning how to balance her own weight.

Crawl through a hoop, cardboard-box tunnel, or plastic chairs and tables. Arrange favorite objects to encourage your child to crawl under, in circles, zigzag, straight, slowly, quickly, forward, or backward.

 

Rolling

Place your baby on all fours on the floor. Roll your baby slightly, transferring her weight from hands to feet and feet to hands, until the arms have been released and your child’s weight is on her feet. Your child will gradually learn to push off the roll to a standing position. Always support your  baby’s hips during this exercise.

 

As baby GETS older:

You can play follow-the-leader around the room by crawling on all fours, creeping (on hands and knees), or bear-walking (on hands and feet), as your child does. These new movements build your child’s motor coordination and will strengthen her hip muscles, which are essential for walking later on.

 

Leg Lifts (for the buttocks and hamstrings)

Take the all-fours position (on your knees and hands), your wrists aligned with your shoulders and knees aligned with your hips. Inhale and exhale as you slowly stretch your right leg back, until it is  aligned with your torso. Inhale as you lower your leg back to the starting position.

Do the same with your left leg. Repeat five times alternately with each leg.

 

Race Away

Engage in running or a game of tag with your toddler and get a cardio workout in the process. Race every time you can—to the bathroom for bath time or  to the playroom to find a favorite toy.

Find time to exercise and play with your child on mornings or weekends, or enroll in a parent-child program that is designed for motor development.

 

Photography by David Hanson Ong