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Okay, let’s talk about exercise. Humph. Just thinking about it is making me winded.
Since having my daughter Lily, I have not exercised at all. At all.
Which is really embarrassing considering my daughter is 18 months old. Not to mention, I was a dancer most of my life and my mom taught spinning and aerobics all throughout my childhood. Being this sedentary is truly shameful.
The only thing that makes me feel a little bit better is knowing that I am not the only mama out there who can’t find the time or energy to fit exercise into her already busy day.
The thing is, working out is hard in and of itself, but working out when you’re incredibly tired from taking care of a new baby or chasing a crazy toddler around is absolutely dreadful. Not to mention finding the time to do it!
It is so easy to just let the days go by and not make exercising a priority.
Why should mothers prioritize exercise?
- When our children see us exercise we are teaching them healthy behaviors.
- Exercise is the best way to reduce stress and get some mood-boosting hormones pumping through our bodies.
- Exercise helps build up our stamina so we can keep up with our kiddos.
- Exercising and taking care of ourselves is the best way to take care of those we love. When we are better for ourselves, we are better moms, partners, and people!
The bottom line is, that we can’t keep letting the days go by! We have to find a way to weave exercise seamlessly into our daily lives so we won’t have any more excuses for not doing it.
How can you find time to exercise as a mom?
Try doing mommy and me exercises!
Mommy and me exercises allow you to include your child in your workout. When you do mommy and me exercises you are teaching your child about exercise, you won’t have to wait until someone else can watch them or until they nap, and you have one cute little weight to add resistance and difficulty to your workouts!
When I set out to find mommy and me exercises for this list, I was looking for one very important feature: They had to be easy!
Okay, no exercises are easy. But I tested out a bunch of mommy and me exercises and narrowed it down to the 14 least miserable!
I wanted to find a bunch of exercises that even the most out-of-shape mothers can do with their babies or toddlers! And mamas, if I can do these mommy and me exercises, pretty much anyone can!
Disclaimer: In order to do many of these exercises, your baby must be able to sit up on their own. You can try to modify them based on your baby’s strength, but please be careful to not put your baby in any potentially harmful positions. Also, I am not a professional fitness instructor. All content provided in this post is for informational purposes only. I will not be liable for any losses, injuries, or damages from the display or use of this information. I will not be liable for any errors or omissions in this information. For further details, please visit our Terms and Conditions page.
14 Easy Mommy & Me Exercise You’ll Actually Do
Please do not take these photos of me and Lily too seriously! I wanted you guys to get the gist of how the mommy and me exercises were supposed to be done; however, my technique and posture are horrible so don’t mimic that part! Also, taking these photos was comical, to say the least, and I was huffing and puffing and dripping sweat from doing each exercise only once. So I think it’s safe to say that although these exercises are simple, they still get the job done!
Arm Exercises
1. Bicep Curl Kisses
Pick your baby up underneath their armpits. Hold them out with your elbows at a 90-degree angle. Then, pull them up and give them a kiss. Return to the beginning position and repeat!
2. Crab Dips
Sit down, place your feet in front of you flat on the ground, and hip-distance apart. Place your baby on your lower stomach straddling your hips. Put your arms behind you with your fingers facing your feet. Pick your hips up off the ground. Then, with your hips still in the air, bend your elbows. Return to the beginning poison and repeat!
3. Push Up Kisses
Put your baby flat on their back. Then, get into a basic push-up position over them. Then, do a push-up and give your baby a kiss. Repeat!
Legs and Butt Exercises
4. Calf Raises
Hold your baby centered on your chest. Place your feet hip-distance apart. Go up onto your tippy toes. Then, back down to flat feet. Repeat!
5. Front Cuddle Lunges
Cuddle your baby centered on your chest. Place your feet hip-distance apart. Step forward and do a lunge. Step back and put your weight on both feet. Repeat again on the other leg.
6. Back Cuddle Lunges
Do the same thing you did for the forward lunge. But instead of stepping forward, step backward. Repeat on the other leg.
7. Cuddle Squats
Cuddle your baby on your chest. Place your feet just outside your hips, toes facing forward. Bend your knees and squat. Make sure your weight is in your heels. Stand up straight again and repeat.
8. Deep Cuddle Squats
Take the same stance as you did with the Cuddle Squats. Except for this time, turn your feet out to the sides and take a deeper squat.
9. Bridge Butt Crunch
Lay down on your back. Place your baby on your stomach. Then, place your hands around your baby to hold them in place. Lift your butt off the ground and squeeze it! Release and put your butt back on the ground. Repeat.
10. Airplane Legs
Lying on your back, bring your knees to your chest and pick your feet up off the ground. Place your baby stomach-down onto the lower half of your legs. Your baby will basically be sitting on your feet. Place your hands on their back to hold them in place. Then, straighten your legs and bring them back down. Repeat.
Core and Ab Exercises
11. Staring Contest Plank
Place your baby on their back. Situate yourself so that your forearms are on the ground on each side of your baby’s body. Then, stretch your legs out behind you and tuck your toes underneath. Hold your body up off the ground as long as you can face to face with your baby. See who can win the staring contest!
12. Baby Fly Twists
Sit on the ground with your knees bent in front of you and your back at a 45-degree angle. Pick your feet up off the ground slightly. Place your baby on one side of your body and grab them underneath their armpits. Holding your core in place, slowly bring them to the other side of you and place them down, but don’t let go. Then, slowly bring them back to the other side. Repeat.
13. Row Row Row Your Boat
Sit on the ground with your knees bent in front of you. Place your baby on your lap. Grab your legs just under your knees. Rock your body back and forth and sing Row Row Row your boat to your baby!
14. Sit Up Kisses
Lay in a basic sit-up position and sit your baby on your stomach facing toward you. Do a complete sit-up, kiss your baby at the top, and slowly lower down. Repeat.
If you end up trying any of these exercises, please let me know how it went in the comments below!
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Thanks for these fun (as fun as exercising can be anyway) exercises! You have such a lovely and patient daughter, mine got bored within 5 minutes of trying, haha!
Oh no! LOL She is pretty patient. I wish I had a trick to make it more fun for her, but I think some kids are just more active and independent than others. If you figure out a way to get her to have fun with it, please share! I’m sure lots of other mamas are having the same issue. Thank you for sharing your experience. I love getting feedback! Have a beautiful day!