Working Out with a Baby

I have been physically active my entire life; I was a competitive gymnast from the time I was 6 until my freshman year in college when a knee and back injury ended my career. These injuries and my love of staying active are what drove me to a career in physical therapy. I love to try new things and I live for a good challenge, so after college I tried pretty much every style of work out under the sun. I have tried and loved:

Yoga
Orange Theory
Title Boxing
Running
Cross Fit
Aerial Fitness
Acro Yoga
Barre
Rock Climbing

You name it, if its challenging and it makes me sweat I enjoy it. When I moved to Kalamazoo, got married and was working full time I fell into a fairly easy to maintain routine. My husband and I were going to Orange Theory two to three times a week and running outside one day a week. I loved being pushed by the coaches and the variety of workouts that Orange Theory provided, and while running for long distance isn’t my favorite thing in the world we had joined a running group and the social aspect made it a fun weeknight workout. Then the Pandemic hit.

Within a month I went from working out four days a week to being stuck at home with very little home gym equipment. Oh, and I found out I was pregnant! Whoever coined the term “Morning Sickness” was lucky. For the first trimester of my pregnancy I had “All Day Sickness.” I was too exhausted to do much of anything until the second trimester, and with COVID in full force I stuck to outdoor walks and jogs around the neighborhood to keep myself sane. My third trimester became tough as it got colder in Michigan and working out indoors was still not an option. I walked on the treadmill and did a few yoga videos here and there but nothing like what I was used to previously.

As I neared my due date I made a promise to myself that as soon as it was safe to do so I was going to kick my butt back into gear. After my son was born in November I knew I had to get a plan together. I was balancing a newborn, a fulltime job and trying to figure out the best ways to workout from home in the middle of a Michigan winter. I was so lucky to have Katie, who was in almost the exact same boat, as a support system and an accountability partner. That was one of my biggest inspirations in starting this blog, to provide encouragement and workout ideas for Moms who are looking to stay active while balancing life with a little one. I will be posting some of my favorite exercises that can be done with your little one, because I know life is crazy and sometimes if you can’t incorporate them into your workout it wont get done. Katie and I will also share some of our favorite solo workouts because getting time to yourself, when you’re able to, is so important.

With all of that being said, here is one of my all time favorite exercises to do with my little one: Squats.

Squats

Squats can be done anywhere, no equipment is needed, they target all the major muscles of the lower body, and its easy to do with a little one who refuses to be put down. Plus they’re a great post partum exercise because they don’t require a ton of core engagement.

Start with your feet shoulder width apart and slow bend your knees. Make sure that you keep your chest up and sit back as if you were sitting into a chair. You should feel most of your weight in your heels, and your knees should never go over your toes. Slowly lower, hold for one second, and slowly raise. When you reach the top of your squat, squeeze your glutes (booty muscles) to complete the move.

Holding or wearing your little one (check out my favorite way to wear my little one) while doing squats provides added resistance, just make sure to stand up tall and keep your chest high to not put added stress on your lower back.

Wide Squats

Mix up the squat just by changing the position of your feet! Taking your feet wider than your shoulders and turning your toes out will engage more of your inner thighs.