The new mom’s dilemma usually goes a little something like this: if you want to get anything done, you have to wear your baby. Because the moment you put your baby down is the moment that the crying begins. If only mothers had 4 hands! So how are moms supposed to exercise? The same way we get anything else done — break out the carrier! Let’s face it, if you have the motivation and time to squeeze in a workout, then you should do these 5 exercises while babywearing.
With all the alignment changes and weak muscles that occur with pregnancy, it’s key to choose exercises that strengthen the body without exacerbating any muscular imbalances. A mix of standing and seated and side-lying exercises is appropriate to minimize pressure on the pelvic floor. So if you are putting together a workout, do the exercises below in the order listed. 2 sets of 10 reps is a good place to start. As you ease back into working out, you don’t have too much free time so this workout won’t take more than 20 minutes. These effective exercises while wearing baby on your front will maximize your efforts!
Rows
Your back is a high priority in post partum exercise! Strengthening your back will help reduce the aches from nursing and babywearing. When your abs get stretched and weak from pregnancy, your back must be able to pick up the slack. If you have a TRX, TRX Rows are a great exercise. Your bodyweight (plus baby) provide the resistance. If you don’t have access to a TRX, you can do a Standing Single-Arm Cable Row.
Incline Chest Press
The Incline Chest Press is a bit easier to do than lying on the floor with baby. It’s a regular chest press with dumbbells. If you don’t have a fancy bench that inclines, you can sit on the floor and prop your back against a couch. Hey, we do what we can when we aren’t feeling the hassle of getting to the gym!
Squats
Squats while babywearing are like doing a goblet squat. Turn your toes out slightly. This creates a little more room in your hips and a place for baby to move in and out of. Baby acts like a dumbbell to provide resistance, so you don’t need to hold any extra weight. And baby is adding a lot of pressure to your abdominals too. Even if you feel like you could do more than 10 reps, don’t be a hero. Your core is most likely working at its max with the front-loaded weight of baby. Still a great exercise for your thighs….just one to be careful with.
Seated No Money Drill
Did I mention how important it is to keep your back strong? So important that there are two back exercises in this workout! The No Money Drill complements the Rows because they are different movement patterns. The video below shows the exercise in standing, but do these sitting tall on the edge of a bench or chair. Be aware of keeping your ribs down. It’s common for your ribs to flare out. Think length in your spine and getting the top of your head towards the ceiling to maintain good alignment.
Glute Bridge
Your glutes are just as important as your back to strengthen post partum. Your pelvis typically tips forward while pregnant which stretches your glutes and makes them weak. To reverse this posture, it’s imperative to activate your glutes. If you only have 10 minutes to work out, this is the exercise you need to be doing!
Summary
Are you wondering where the core exercises are? Walking around with your baby in a carrier IS a core exercise! Seriously. It’s the same as doing a version of a carry exercise.
You may not feel your abs working, but trust me, they are. Strengthening your back and butt as well as keeping your ribs down will help bring your body back into good alignment. Once you are better aligned, your ab work will be even more effective. Of course, there are core exercises you can do post partum, but none are really safe while wearing your baby. Save the core exercises for when you get a moment alone.
Those are a few of the exercises you can do while wearing baby. Keep in mind it’s best if you can exercise without wearing baby, but these ideal situations can be hard to come by.
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