Mama Mgeni’s Guide to Babywearing Fitness
Before kids, we hardly found time to squeeze in an hour for working out. Now that we’ve got kids, it’s all but impossible to juggle life, family, work, and the needs of a tiny baby. With all these demands on our time, it’s especially difficult to find time to work out. The good news is that your baby can actually help you to get back in shape!
One of the best ways to get fit postpartum is to incorporate your baby into your workout. All you need is your baby and a baby carrier of your choice – a lesso, sling, wrap, or soft structured carrier. (The carrier should support your baby’s legs from knee to knee and you should wear your baby facing you for better support.) The earlier you start working out with baby, the better! Your baby will act as your weights, and as he grows, you will naturally be adding gradual weight to your workout.
Benefits to working out while babywearing:
- Baby is not an excuse to miss your workout, she becomes an incentive! There is no need to squeeze workouts between feeding and naps, so you will have more time to work out.
- Babies tend to fall asleep when being worn, especially with the swaying, bouncing movements that come with babywearing workouts.
- Babywearing is a wonderful way to reconnect with your body while bonding with your baby.
Types of babywearing fitness:
- Babywearing yoga is a gentle practice that incorporates poses modified to suit babywearing. In Nairobi, you can try babywearing yoga at Ayatana Yoga Lounge (The Greenhouse, Ngong Road, Tuesdays 10:30 – 11:30) or Acacia Studios (Viking House, Westlands Roundabout, Fridays 10:45 – 11:45).
- Hiking or walking is a great babywearing activity that you can make as leisurely or challenging as you want, from strolls through parks and forests to walking safaris, to climbing local hills and mountains! With the right baby carrier, you should be able to tackle most any terrain, within reason. You can go for babywearing walks in Karura Forest, Arboretum, or the Safari Walk at Nairobi National Park. You can up the ante by babywearing during hikes in the Ngong Hills or even Mount Longonot!
- Babywearing workouts – Babywearing workouts often incorporate weight-bearing moves to strengthen both the upper and lower body. Exercises might include lunges, squats, side planks, tricep dips, wall push-ups, twists, and steps. If babywearing workouts interest you, you can find online resources and create your own babywearing circuit (try thebabywearingworkout.com, breakingmuscle.com or fitforexpecting.com).
If you’re a busy mum struggling to find time to work out, incorporating your new baby into your fitness routine can help! Not only will wearing your baby add weight to your workout, but it will also give you a chance to bond with your little one while doing something that’s good for you. Let your baby be your personal trainer and help you get back into shape! You can find out more about babywearing at mamamgeni.com!
Tara Wambugu is a former humanitarian aid worker and current stay-at-home-mom of two children. She’s been blogging about parenting, travel, books and babywearing at Mama Mgeni since 2012.
