Being a parent to a baby or young children (or big children!) comes with a whole host of extra responsibilities. Our younger, carefree selves might’ve thought nothing about eating biscuits for dinner or lying in bed for a lazy weekend. But once little ones are in the fold, you suddenly have to think about the welfare of another human being 24-7.

But a consequence of that is that we can neglect ourselves at the expense of our family. So how do we continue to look after our own needs, especially exercise, when we have babies and young children? Could the answer be in getting them involved too? 

Working out with a new baby

If you’ve recently given birth, exercise might be the last thing on your mind, but if you’re a few months in and you’ve been given the green light by your doctor or midwife to begin some gentle exercise then taking some long walks with baby in the buggy can be a great gentle introduction back into exercise.

Our range of short, ten minute workouts, such as Toned in Ten and 10 Minute Fat Burn classes could also be ideal for you if you want to take some time for yourself and exercise whilst baby is asleep.

Working out with a toddler

Young kids who are toddling about are into everything (as you probably well know!) and that includes copying the things we do. You could start to introduce some joint exercise, which will mean that you can still work out, and your child will learn the importance of exercise from an early age.

If you like running, you could invest in a lightweight running buggy. This obviously relies on your little one wanting to be in their buggy whilst you run! 

Floor work can also be good to do together with your toddler. Try doing some sit ups and press ups, along with some squats and lunges and see how they get along. It could have hilarious consequences, but it could also mean that you get crucial exercise time! 

You might not be able to stick to a regular time, but when the mood feels right and your toddler is in the right frame of mind, introduce ‘fun exercise’ time and it’ll become second nature.

Exercising with older kids

School age kids will be more used to exercising after PE and other getting active initiatives at school, this can make things easier, and can mean some quality bonding time, especially if you have younger kids at home.

As well as the floor work mentioned above, you could try introducing your little ones to more aerobic activities such as jogging on the spot or in the park. Junior Parkruns are now very common, where kids can run 2km and can really whet their appetite (and yours!) for more.

Take things gently, and together who knows how far you’ll get? Good luck!

This blog was Inspired By Amber Hilliard - Thank you!