A toddlerhood workout update

My baby boy is getting BIG. I can’t believe he is a toddler now! He is also getting quite heavy. My husband likes to joke that we should stop feeding him so he stays small. LOL. Yeah, that’s not how that works… 😉

I have heard so many people say “Gosh, he’s heavy. Wow! You don’t need to workout — he is the workout!” I agree. But…

I workout in order to keep up with him. Handling nearly 30 lbs of toddler cuteness every day is not enough to keep me strong. I need to workout to keep all the other stabilizing muscles strong. To lift heavier then his current weight to anticipate what comes next. Why? So I don’t throw my back out while I’m picking him up (or his toys). Or stumble and sprain an ankle when I run to save him from face planting off the slide (his latest thing is sliding down head first). 

Like so many others, my husband and I created a home gym during the pandemic which I am finding is enough to meet my current fitness needs (I do have ambitions to return to the competition stage one last time, at which point I’ll rejoin a gym). A set of bands, dumbbells, kettlebells and a mat is all I need. I think it’s important for my son to watch me workout eventually, but for right now, I squeeze it in during his nap time because it is “me” time. My attention is divided when he is awake and I don’t feel I can completely focus on the task at hand otherwise. And my workouts are short. 20 mins. 30 mins tops. I get it done. In and out. I don’t have time for much more.

So what have I been doing?

Well, I have maintained a nearly daily yoga and meditation practice first thing in the morning. The yoga really helps with just keeping my body feeling good overall. As well as balance and flexibility. I try to work in a balancing pose a few times a week.

For strength training, I have really fallen in love with Lindsey Bomgren’s YouTube channel Nourish Move Love. She is a mom of three kiddos and understands the mentality of needing to get your workout in, quick and dirty. But also that you are staying strong for YOU. And your family. She is a great motivator and her workouts are TOUGH. Definitely check her out!

So that’s what I do. 20 mins of yoga every day and 20-30 mins of strength training 4-5 times a week. It makes me feel good and I know I am a better mom and wife when I do.

What can you do to make sure you are physically (and mentally) ready to meet the demands of your day?

“Take care of your body. It is the only place you have to live.”

~Jim Rohn

Do what makes you happy.