Exercise With Your Baby - Suggestion 15: Bench Press

The standard bench press may or may not work for you, depending on the size of your child...if you have the ability to sit at an incline, that may help:

1) Lay flat on the ground with your legs together. 

2) Lift your baby up and have them lay flat on your chest with your arms underneath their armpits. This is the Start Position. 

3) Slowly lift your baby straight up above your body until your arms are straight up, but not locked. 

4) Slowly bring your baby down towards your body until approximately one-inch away. 

5) Repeat steps 3 and 4 for a total of 10 reps. 

6) Rest for 60 seconds.  

7) Complete 3 sets.

Exercise With Your Baby - Suggestion 11: Standing Forward Bend

Improve the strength in your back with a simple Standing Forward Bend:

1) Start with your legs shoulder width apart and slightly bent.

2) Place your hands under your baby's arms. Preferably under the armpits to get the best grip and balance. Lift your baby and hold them to your chest. This is the Starting Position. 

3) Slowly bend forward from the waist until your upper body is as close as possible to a 90 degree angle with your legs. Hold for 3 seconds.

4) Rise back up to Starting Position and repeat 9 more reps.

5) Rest for 60 seconds and repeat for 2 more sets.

Exercise With Your Baby - Suggestion 10: Sit Ups

One of the best ab workouts is related to the simple exercise: Sit Ups

Once again, you use the weight of your baby to increase the resistance on your way up, similar to when you hug a weight against your chest as you do sit ups. 

Sit Ups:

1) Lay down on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the ground. 

2) Place your baby against your chest so that they are lying flat against it. This is the Start Position. 

3) Raise your upper body until your baby's back touches your knees. 

4) Lower yourself back to the Start Position. 

5) Repeat steps 3 & 4 for a total of 10 reps. 

6) Rest for 60 seconds.  

7) Complete 3 sets.

Exercise With Your Baby - Suggestion 8: Calf Raises

Do you have stairs in your home? If not, do you have a stool?

A quick exercise that you can do with your baby is Calf Raises on a stair or step stool. As you use not only your weight, but the weight of your baby (feel free to add layers of clothing to your baby for more weight), you can complete a quick set in no time!

Calf Raises:

1) Stand straight and face your stairs or step stool.

2) Set your legs shoulder width apart and lift your baby into your arms and against your chest. This is the Start Position. 

3) Step onto the first stair and/or step on the step stool with the balls of both feet so that the rest of your foot has the ability to be raised up and down. . 

4) Lower yourself as low as you can go while still maintaining your balance with just the balls of your feet still on the stair / step stool and hold for 3 seconds. 

5) Raise yourself as high as you can go on your tippy toes and hold for 3 seconds.

6) Repeat steps 4 & 5 for a total of 10 reps. 

7) Rest for 60 seconds.  

8) Complete 3 sets.

Exercise With Your Baby - Suggestion 5: Shoulder Raises

To increase the strength and mobility of your shoulders, what better way to enjoy a minute with your child than essentially lifting them up and out in front of you, and then back down to your waist / legs.

For today's post, here is a series that you can try:

1) Start with your legs shoulder width apart.

2) Place your hands under your baby's arms. As always, preferably under the armpits to get the best grip and balance.

3) Straighten both of your arms all the way down, while still holding on to your child.

4) Let your shoulder be the swivel point as you keep your arms straight and lift your child up - straight out in front of you so that your arms are parallel with the floor.

5) Hold for 3 seconds and then slowly relax your arms back down.

6) Lift back up 9 more reps.

7) Rest for 60 seconds and repeat for 2 more sets.