Joint gymnastics of mother and child is not only the health of the baby, but also another reason for communication between the closest people in the world. This is not a hard workout, but simple exercises, which do not cause fatigue in the mother, and give the baby some positive emotions. In children under one year of age physical development keeps pace with the psychological and mental, so a little time spent in early age It is a huge investment in the future of a child. But the most amazing thing is that there are exercises in which both the child and the mother train at the same time.
Exercise up to six months
A child at the age of several months is very plastic, it is easy and interesting to work with him, but he is also fragile, so you need to be careful. In the usual case, ten repetitions of each movement will suffice, but the number of exercises in one approach can be increased up to 20 times over time. It is desirable to engage in up to 20 minutes, it makes no sense anymore, since the child still has a feeding and sleeping regimen. Observe also hour intervals between a quiet hour, food intake and gymnastics. The exercises are designed for moms who understand that maternity leave is not a burden, but a time of new opportunities. Simple exercises:
Up to one year of age
The following exercises are for a child who can sit, he will soon learn to stand. Accordingly, mom can make movements more difficult:
Gymnastics for young mothers who want to work out with a child should be safe and enjoyable. You can do a specific set of exercises, or you can come up with your own movements that can be performed to music. The main thing - in order not to injure the child, you do not need to make sudden movements, jumps, you can not shake the baby. But you can smoothly rock the baby, such static unhurried movements will have a beneficial effect on the well-being of the child and on the muscles of the mother.
Fitness with a baby
The stereotype is gradually becoming a thing of the past that a woman who has baby, it is permissible to start yourself a little in the daily worries about the baby. The modern rhythm of life dictates its own conditions, and now many newly-made mothers are striving to return to shape and to their previous activity as soon as possible. Of course, the child still remains in the first place, but this does not mean at all that he will interfere with classes - on the contrary, the baby will become the best company for daily fitness training, and in some cases will be a worthy and charming competition to a soulless sports equipment.
At home
There is a whole range of simple, but effective exercises, which you can do with your baby from the sixth week after birth (unless, of course, the doctor recommends extending the recovery phase). The optimal period for such a charge is the age of a child from 3 to 12 months, when he already holds his head well, but does not yet walk confidently, and therefore sits in his arms with pleasure.
Dancing together
You can dance whenever you hold your little one in your arms or carry him in a baby carrier or sling. The main thing is that the baby is pressed against you, and his head is well supported. Put on some fun music and dance with your baby to your heart's content, or try a combination of fast and slow dances to keep your heart rate up.
Precautionary measures: dance in a space that is wide enough so that a bad turn does not cause the baby to hit. Breathe deeply or sing. If you can talk or sing without difficulty, then your heart rate does not exceed acceptable levels.
Twisting
These movements, which strengthen the abs and reduce the load on the lower back, can be done simply by playing with the child on a rug spread on the floor.
1. Lie on your back, bend your knees, feet on the floor. Sit your baby close to your hips (if he can't sit up yet, put his back on your hips) and take him by the sides. Tighten your abdominal muscles and at the count of "one or two" tear off your head, shoulders and shoulder blades from the floor, and at the count of "three" lower yourself into initial position. Do 15-20 reps, rest for a minute and do another set.
2. Lie on your back and raise your knees to your chest so that your shins are parallel to the floor. Put on the shins of the little one. Tighten your abs to gently lift your buttocks off the floor and lift your head, shoulders, and shoulder blades. Lower yourself to the starting position. Do 15-20 reps, rest for a minute and do another set.
Bench presses with a baby
Presses will make your arm muscles strong and supple, as well as strengthen your upper and middle back, triceps, and biceps. In addition to tangible benefits for your figure, these simple exercises will make it easier for you to carry your baby in your arms, even when he grows up.
1. Sit cross-legged on the floor with your baby close to your chest. Raise your baby above your head so that your arms are almost straight. Hold this position for a couple of seconds and lower the baby to the starting position. Do three sets of 10 reps, resting for a minute between sets.
2. Lie on your back, bend your knees, put your feet on the floor, tighten your abs and bring your shoulder blades together. Hold the baby firmly under the armpits, pressing to the chest. Gently straighten your arms, but do not completely straighten your elbows. Hold in this position, say "Fly-ate!" and lower the baby, returning to the starting position. Do three sets of 10 reps, resting for a minute between sets.
Precautionary measures: when doing crunches and presses, the baby needs to hold his head on his own, so you need to be sure that he can really do it and he is comfortable (usually the baby begins to hold his head at about 1.5-2 months).
In the fitness center
If you are afraid of doing something wrong, prefer to work out under the guidance of a trainer, or just need company for stable workouts, you can sign up for the appropriate program at the nearest fitness center - today, when young mothers strive to be active even with a baby, many gyms offer similar services.
In a swimming pool
Another pleasant and useful occupation Swimming is with the baby: many pools offer Mother and Child programs that combine exercises for the woman and the child.
On a walk
For lovers of "land" activities on fresh air there is also a win-win option: exercises with a stroller during regular walks with the baby. Here the set of effective exercises is truly limitless: quick step, alternating fast and slow walking, walking with a roll from heel to toe, walking with tight muscles of the buttocks or abs. Also familiar with school lessons physical education “lunges” (alternate squats on one or the other widely spaced legs) and “swallow”.
Precautionary measures: when performing exercises with a wheelchair, do not lean on the handle, as the wheelchair can easily tip over in this case. Just hold on to it so that the stroller can be rolled.
Hello Friend! Today we will talk about fitness, which will help not only your figure to bounce back, but also your charming baby will love it!
Spring is in full swing, which means it's time to start preparing your figure for the summer season! Almost your entire wardrobe is, but what about the figure? How are you going to fit into a new ultra-stylish swimsuit when the imperfections of the forms are striking!
Remember, just recently we told you about morning run for weight loss? We hope you are already used to getting up earlier than usual, and you are not embarrassed by 30-minute races in the parks.
But you must admit, this type of fitness, although very useful, is still not suitable for everyone! For example, what if there is no park or stadium near your house? What if you get up for work at such a time of day that there is no time for a run at all?
In this case, you will come to the rescue! Some of them will help you get rid of excess weight faster, others will take a little longer. But even here you won’t be full of diets alone, sorry for the pun. Any diet is good when you have:
- willpower to endure all this and finally lose weight;
- presence of physical activity.
The above two requirements are required in order for your figure to return to its former luxurious forms, and overweight fled in fear in all directions.
Today I will tell you about 5 wonderful exercises that you can do right at home! All these exercises will not require the makings of an athlete from you and will not take much time, and your figure will again become perfect.
A nice addition: all the proposed exercises can be performed with the baby, which is very important when the child is still very small and mom's fitness classes are a weak excuse for her absence.
Feet shoulder-width apart, arms with the child bent at the elbows. We bend our arms until the child touches the chest. This exercise will relieve flabbiness of the muscles of the chest, arms and abdomen.
Everyone knows how to do push-ups from school. We make this exercise enjoyable for the baby by kissing him every time we go down. Exercise for the press and buttocks.
We take a position as in the picture, put the child on the shins perpendicular to the floor. Holding the baby by the shoulders, we unbend the legs at the knees. Exercise for the press, buttocks and thighs.
Exercise #4
Feet shoulder-width apart, arms with the child extended horizontally to the floor (the straighter the arms, the steeper the effect). We perform turns of the body to the side, trying not to lower or bend our arms at the elbows. Exercise for oblique abdominal muscles and abs.
Exercise #5
Do you remember, back in school, in physical education classes, they explained to us how to do lunges forward? Everything is the same, only with a child in her arms. Exercise for the buttocks, hips and back.
The period of pregnancy and childbirth is over, so now it's time to think about yourself. The opinion has long been left in the past, according to which a woman with a baby was allowed not to monitor her figure and not rush to restore physical form. Modern life dictates its own laws, and mothers who have grown fat after giving birth are no longer in fashion.
To return slim figure and part with extra folds on the body, return to physical activity should be two months after the birth of the baby. Exercises with a child in her arms will help mom cope with a difficult task.
Fitness with a child in her arms: general rules
In the absence of special recommendations from a doctor, fitness with a baby in her arms is allowed already six weeks after birth. The optimal age of the baby is considered to be from three months to one year, when he still walks uncertainly, but already holds his head well. When doing fitness with a child, follow these rules:
- Start training after consulting with your doctor;
- Do not exercise with a baby in your arms if it weighs more than ten kilograms (heavy weight increases the risk of injuries to the joints, muscles and spine);
- During training, monitor the reaction of your body and the well-being of the crumbs (if you or your child feel discomfort, classes should be suspended);
- Avoid sudden movements;
- To obtain maximum effect, do the exercises at a slow pace;
- Plan your schedule so that fitness classes begin at fifteen o'clock (at this time the metabolism is most intense);
- Introduce the child to classes no earlier than forty minutes after he ate;
- Do the exercise as many times as is convenient for you and your baby;
- Each time, descending to your little one, make a face for him, kiss him, blow in his face;
- At first, do no more than ten times in each approach;
- To make the workout fun, and the crumbs develop a sense of rhythm, do fitness to the music.
Use for fitness free time when the child is in good mood and ready to play with you. If the baby does not like some exercises, replace them with others.
A set of exercises
Downloading the press
This exercise for mothers after childbirth strengthens the press and reduces the load on lumbar spine. It is performed on a rug, along the way playing with your little one. The press technique is as follows:
- Get down on your back and bend your legs in knee joints. Sit the baby on the stomach closer to the hips. Hold the baby by the back or arms. Raise the top of the body at a time (the baby is in a horizontal position). Return to the starting position for two. The exercise should be repeated ten times;
- To strengthen lower press lie on your back, raise your knees to your chest and place the baby on your shins. Grab your baby firmly and lift your buttocks off the floor while lifting your shoulder blades and head. Do two sets of ten times.
Pushups
To strengthen the muscles of the arms and chest, put the baby on the floor, put your hands on the sides of it and do push-ups. To make the baby more pleasant, during the "landing" you can play with him.
Living with a baby
Presses are used to strengthen the muscles of the upper and lower back, as well as for the muscles of the arms. In addition to the health benefits of mom, these exercises will make it easier to carry the little one in your arms when he gains weight. To perform the bench press with the baby, use this instruction:
- Sit on the mat and cross your legs, holding the baby to your chest. Raise the child above you with almost straight arms and stay in this position for two seconds. Perform three sets of ten times with short breaks;
- In a prone position, bend your knees with your feet flat on the floor. Holding the baby under the armpits, straighten your arms. Hold in the top position and lower yourself down, pressing the baby to your chest. Do three sets of ten reps.
Do not forget that in order to perform any exercise, the baby must hold his head well.
Strengthen leg muscles
The following set of exercises is aimed at losing weight after childbirth:
- Put the baby in a kangaroo or put on the neck if he already knows how to sit. Holding the baby by the handles, do squats, gradually increasing the squat time to five minutes;
- Sit on a chair, cross your legs and put the child on the leg. Ride the little one on an impromptu swing. Then change your leg;
- Lie down on the mat, put the baby on your stomach, and put your feet on a low chair or sofa. Lift your buttocks and thighs off the mat by tensing your muscles and straightening your body. Hold this position for three seconds, then relax.
Lunges with baby
To perform this exercise, which strengthens the buttocks and thigh muscles, use the following instructions:
- Take the baby in your hands, turn your back to you and press;
- Take a big step forward with your right foot;
- Lunge, bending your knees (left knee is directed to the floor, and the shin is right foot perpendicular to the floor)
Squats in an embrace
Pair fitness is very useful for both mothers and children. The next exercise, like the previous one, is aimed at strengthening the buttocks and thigh muscles. We present the technique for its implementation:
- Take the baby in your arms, hug and hug you;
- Turn your back to the seat chair;
- Tighten your abdominal muscles, keeping your back straight;
- Sit on a chair, pulling back the buttocks;
- Touching the seat, take the starting position and repeat all over again.
Children's lift
With this exercise for moms, you can achieve fantastic results, strengthening in a few weeks regular classes shoulder muscles, biceps and upper part back. The technique for performing the "children's elevator" is very simple:
- Take the baby in your arms and sit on a chair;
- Turn the child facing you and hold at chest level;
- Tighten the press and lift the crumbs, straightening your arms;
- Take the starting position and repeat all over again.
home swing
This exercise for moms perfectly strengthens the abdominal muscles. The technique for doing it is as follows:
- Sit on the floor and bend your knees;
- Put the baby on your shins with your stomach, holding it to the sides;
- Roll onto your back, lifting your feet off the floor and lifting the baby above you;
- Take the starting position and repeat all over again.
Twisting with baby
To strengthen the abdominal muscles, fitness instructors have developed the following exercise:
- Take the baby and lie on your back;
- Bend your knees, put your feet on the floor;
- Place the baby on your stomach so that it leans back against your hips, and hold it on the sides;
- Raise the body, reach out to the baby, smile and kiss him.
Slide
To gain relief press And tightened buttocks, do the following:
- Lie on the floor with your knees bent;
- Place the baby on the stomach and slowly lift the hips up, leaning on the shoulders and feet;
- Press your head to the floor and stay in this position for two seconds;
- Slowly lower yourself down.
Dancing with the baby
You can dance every time you hold the baby in your arms.
The most important thing is that the baby is pressed against you, and his head sticks well. Turn on moving music and dance with your child to your heart's content. You can alternate between fast and slow dance. During such activities, precautions must be taken. Fitness instructors advise choosing an open space for joint dances so as not to accidentally injure the baby.
To look even more slender and fit after childbirth than before them is the dream of every pregnant woman. From the category of fantasy, you say? Not at all. And we have living proof of that. Meet Marina Fedotova - our reader, who managed to achieve excellent result despite all the "buts". She shared with us some secrets that helped her not only regain, but also improve her physical shape after giving birth. Interesting? Then find out about it first hand.
Prologue
For those who have been involved in sports all their adult lives, a temporary rejection of their favorite activity can turn into a real stress. Even in high school, I went to fitness, then there were sports dances, then - running, swimming, and finally, during pregnancy -. Precisely pregnancy, and then motherhood so unfamiliar to me almost two years ago plunged me - why hide it? - in gloomy reflections.
First of all, like most girls, I was, of course, afraid of gaining weight. I had no idea how much a kilogram could be - on the “mother's” forums, the numbers fluctuated in the range of 2-42 (!) Kg. Secondly, I had no idea how you can do anything with a baby, not to mention sports (this is now clear - you can do at least three things at the same time!). Fortunately, during pregnancy, I was lucky to find an intelligent yoga instructor specifically for expectant mothers - we met with her twice a week for the entire second and third trimester, that is, six months. Well, a subscription to a sports club with a swimming pool turned out to be handy - again, twice a week I swam at least a kilometer. To be honest, on recent months swimming was difficult for me - for some reason after the pool I was terribly sleepy, I worked in the office, and oh how I didn’t want to look like a somnambulist ... But I forced myself to swim and not sleep =) Plus, in the evenings I walked with the dog on foot. At least an hour and a couple of kilometers. In general, I think that for those 6 months that I could play sports, I was without fanaticism, but kept my body in good shape.
And ahead loomed childbirth ... And, as it seemed to me, deep immersion in a child with obligatory attributes in the form of an unwashed head, a stretched dressing gown and - oh, horror! - excess weight coupled with the inability to get rid of it. After all, I was not supposed to have a nanny, my husband went to work at 8 in the morning and returned exactly 12 hours later, and my parents were far away. That is, leaving the baby in someone's care to go to the gym was not possible ...
This is my story, it contains 99% of unique factors - heredity, everyday features, surrounding opportunities. But maybe it will inspire you, and between the lines you will be able to see the way out in your situation.
Part 1
I think I'm lucky. The nightmare of all pregnant women - to recover after childbirth - remained nightmares. I left the maternity hospital with a weight less than before pregnancy. But! The condition of the body was far from ideal. The abdomen is flabby, the buttocks are “extinct”, the arms and legs are thin and lifeless ...
When the first shock from the baby screaming in my arms passed, I thought: what should I do?! The doctor strictly forbade any physical exercise in the next two months, but kamon! Women's ingenuity will find a way out of any stalemate!
As soon as it was possible to go for a walk with the baby, I put on sneakers and tights and taxied with the stroller to the park, to the usual running distance. To diversify the monotonous walking, I turned on the audiobook. Here are three useful things for you at the same time! As a result, for the first few weeks, such walks became my only, but extremely useful sports load. Firstly, the stroller with the child weighed about 20 kg, i.e. walking with additional weight was obtained. Secondly, there were at least two such walks for one and a half to two hours a day, which means that I walked about 20 km! Now, as I remember, I will shudder =) The result is that the hips noticeably tightened, the butt returned elasticity, and the "breather" - its former endurance.
At the same time, at home, I was able to pump my arms with the help of the Shake weight vibrating dumbbell. It was presented to my husband, but he considered that THIS was not a dumbbell, and put it out of sight, until suddenly the sports device turned out to be handy. Vibration provides base load on the entire torso, in particular on the muscles of the press, chest, deltoid muscles shoulders. The description also says that the principle of the dumbbell is based on inertial resistance, which must be overcome by the muscles to complete the full cycle of exercise. This effect is achieved due to the vibration of the dynamic parts of the dumbbell, which makes the muscles work many times more intensively. In any case, the first few days I had a krepatura, and in two months, when it was impossible to play sports, my dumbbell worked out - I put the muscles of my arms and shoulders in order. Yes, don't be fooled. Although the dumbbell looks simple, it’s not so easy to “vibrate” for a minute for each hand, as in a training video =)
And another secret exercise that allowed you to train your abdominal muscles and tighten your stomach is Uddiyana Bandha from yoga practice. First I did it lying down, then standing up, several times a day.
And, girls, don't forget the Kegel exercises!!! Google =)
Part 2
That morning, when my son was two months old, the first thing I did was pumped the press. Surprisingly, there was no krepatura, and ... away we go! To my walking half-marathon “races”, I added exercises for “cubes” (after several attempts, it turned out to be effective complex Ab ripper P90X - it perfectly forms the relief), hula hoop, several exercises for the hips (unloved, but effective lunges, thrusts and squats) and buttocks (the classic "bridge"). A rainy November loomed outside, followed by a dank winter. It became more and more difficult to wind circles with a stroller due to weather conditions, as well as a change in the baby’s regimen - he began to sleep less and stay awake more, it was no longer possible to feed him on the street, and we began to spend more time at home. But even here there was a way out.
When the weather allowed, I put my son in an ergo backpack and, with a “weight” of 6 kg, went out for all the same race walking, to which lunges and squats were added in the fresh air. An important note: shoes should be non-slip, and pants should stretch well =)
Another surprise crept up literally from behind. During the first months of motherhood, my lower back, and, in principle, all the muscles “got tired” and urgently required stretching. Then I remembered my "pregnant" yoga and began to practice asanas with my awake son as an admiring spectator. At three or four months, children are already aware of what is happening around them, they are capable of a “dialogue” with others, some even begin to roll over. I laid the baby on the floor and made him laugh only by bending over, getting up, reaching for him, turning away, turning around - probably, this is exactly what yoga looks like from his point of view =)
Bottom line: I finally got into Shirshasana (headstand).
Part 3
Spring has come. My son is six months old. Now he slept much less, and the rest of the time he demanded attention and participation. This meant that I had even less time for sports and other personal life. But, girls, we remember that the impossible is possible, right? In my case, the solution to the problem called "don't let yourself relax" was . A few years ago, the husband brought them from the United States, deciding to train like marines - with a minimum number of devices and with the heaviness of his weight. But the simulator was collecting dust on the mezzanine for a long time, until one early morning during a regular walk I appreciated the full potential of the trees growing in the park and a flat clearing under them. The hinges clung perfectly to the poles and tree branches. You can find a lot of different exercises in workouts with TRX on YouTube different levels difficulties. So I carved out another 30 minutes for physical activity- during this time, three times a week, it was possible to work out all muscle groups. Two or three more times I still practiced race walking with a weighting agent in the form of a stroller or finally ran while her husband "worked as a dad." Since it was rarely possible to stretch a run for an hour, in order to get an objective benefit from the lesson, I practiced interval running - alternating brisk walking, jogging and sprinting.
Sometimes it was possible to do exercises for the press right in the park - on a bench or a mat right on the lawn. More often than not, I still performed them at home: either early in the morning, while everyone was sleeping, or late in the evening, when everyone was ALREADY asleep, well, or in the company of a baby crawling nearby =) In the first two cases, strength training the minimum required set of asanas was added. In the morning - Surya Namaskar (or Salutation to the Sun), in the evening - breathing practices and. I twisted the hula hoop during the day to the delight of my son, who enthusiastically watched me from his arena. For everything about everything in total it took me a maximum of an hour, but in fact these 60 minutes were divided into two or three parts.
Part 4
Summer is coming. And this is another challenge. With a baby, we are moving to the country. Sun, air and water, in a word. There I plan to continue using TRX and finally try Shaun's Tabata Workout and Insanity or something like that from the Body Rock channel on YouTube. Fortunately, the “English lawn” allows you to jump without a twinge of conscience and limit the span of your arms and legs =) At home, on the sixth floor, the potential dissatisfaction of the neighbors from below held me back ...
Secondly, I again pulled out my ergo-backpack - we will walk with a small one to the river and back while he sleeps. His sleep is now short and sensitive. So, I hope, the proximity of my body - the native smell and the beat of my mother's heart - will set my son in the right calm way.
Well, I have already replaced it with one and a half hour walks with my son by the hand. Three hours of such promenades expend as much energy, if not more, than a 30-minute interval run.
Epilogue
As I said before, each of us has unique circumstances. I, apparently, belong to the type of women who do not gain weight while breastfeeding, but on the contrary, even lose weight. And thanks to the almost daily five-minute sports, my body is now even better than before pregnancy. What have I learned in the past nine months?
Anything is possible, just don't be lazy and think - HOW to implement the plan. Excuses like "I have infant”, as you can see, they don’t roll =)
Be flexible. The mode and acquired skills of babies change every one and a half to two months, the weather conditions are the same. The main thing is not to fall into despair because the just-established schedule of life suddenly again requires revision, but to approach this issue with imagination.
Do not be shy. Yes, at first I was embarrassed for my atypical activity for most mothers with strollers. But after some time, when I got involved in motherhood and related attributes, I didn’t care at all how I look. In Alaska and Moonbuts in minus 10 degrees, I continued to squat, lunge, and do push-ups. WTF?! This is my life, my body and my health.
Use moment: child in a good mood - put away the mop / dishes / iron - . You can clean / wash / iron later. I very often do exercises at home when my son is crawling somewhere nearby. And when he sleeps, I sleep with him. This is an acquired skill, but from another story - about how to start practicing healthy lifestyle life after childbirth.
P.S. Unfortunately, I don’t have photos from the “training” - I honestly didn’t plan to document everything I talked about. Therefore, I share those that I have - during pregnancy, with a four-month-old son and relevant.
