I so enjoyed a (acutally the only one) comment from my blog yesterday, that I thought I'd blog about it today.
THans writes, in part:
"... That's when I decided that carrying "A" around all day counts as my exercise."
It's so true that when you are a busy SAHM (stay at home mom) you actually get quite a bit of exercise without even trying. It starts out when they are newborns and you aren't supposed to lift anything heavier than your baby, which is a good thing since your baby is with you constantly. Your arms start to get toned in new and unexpected ways as you try to hold the baby in a position that will make nursing easy for her and less painful for you. Eventually you figure out how to position your arm and find ways to rest so that it works and doesn't hurt. At this stage Daddy has no problem holding baby for extended periods of time.
By the time Baby is 3 months old, Mom has developed some good abilities and strength in many major muscle groups. You know this is true because when Mom needs a break from holding, Daddy can only handle holding the baby for about 5 minutes. Then he says something like, "Boy is s/he getting heavy!" Mom thinks, "You just noticed?" Mom is also getting quick with her reflexes because she has now figured out how to change diapers without getting soaked or dirtied by anything that might becoming from the baby's bottom; because everyone knows babies love to let loose when their bottoms are bare.
When the baby is 9 months old, Dad can basically hold the child for 30 seconds and says something like, "Are you sure you're not feeding him/her too much?" Mom has figured out how to cook dinner, vacuum, go to the bathroom, type and write with one hand because Baby is teething and won't be consoled unless s/he is held by Mom. Yet another major muscle group has been challenged because Mom has also had to figure out how to stand up from sitting on the floor while holding the baby...this is a great workout for the upper thighs, abs, lower back - much more effective than squats.
I could go on but...I think you get the picture.
The funny thing is, even with all of these muscle groups that are challenged and worked out every day...I still can't get the lid off the pickle jar without my husband's help.
4 comments:
It is so true! In fact, we could start a workout program where we hand out fake 8 pound babies to carry around, then every two weeks we give out new babies whose weight is four pounds heavier.It would be the new workout phenomenon, I'm sure - Especially when people saw the results. ha ha
Ha Ha well I'm sure I don't understand all that yet but I'm in for it someday. You won't believe it but Doug actually does pilates with me every now and then (I think when he's feeling really lazy). We haven't done it lately but I started a water aerobics class at the college and I love it! If you get ever get the chance try it!
My little man was 20 lbs at 4 months ... I definitely felt like I was getting a workout with him :) !!
Good for people to know.
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