A local Jersey City fitness expert shares three simple exercises to strengthen your body from home. Tailored specifically to parents and the core muscles used most often!
At Hazel Baby we are always trying to do the best we can to keep our families happy and healthy. It's why we always stock toys that are non-toxic, and look for the best in organic skin care products for mom and baby.
But sometimes - as caring mothers & fathers - we put our babies first, and forget to make sure our own bodies are healthy & strong. Being a parent is tough work! You're lifting a child all day! And often running on no sleep! If you're not in good physical health, it can make parenting unfairly much more difficult.
It can be a daunting thought to think of taking up a new exercise routine, and we are not experts - so we turned to one, a local mom and personal fitness trainer, Sarah Freitas.
I asked Sarah to give us a few easy exercises a mom could try to start feeling stronger. She tailored them to the muscles most often used by mothers, our 'mom muscles!', and made sure we could do them from the living room at home.
One of the most common issues Sarah hears from new moms is that they are experiencing lower back pain. She says it makes total sense, the strain on your back from breast feeding, changing diapers, or picking up the baby is REAL.
So how do you combat the stress on your back? Strengthening your core overall. These three exercises combined will do just that! Disclaimer: Please be advised by your doctor to make sure you are cleared to exercise before you try these.
1. Plank
- Three sets of holding the position for either 20 seconds, 40secs, or 1 minute. Start with 20 seconds and work your way up.
- Form: Pull your belly button in, push your chest out so your shoulder blades are straight, keep your nose pointing to the ground.
- Three sets of eight on each leg, build up until you can do three sets of 12
- Form: Lay on the floor with your arms along your body, palms up. Pull your belly button in, and legs up at a 90 degree angle. With a controlled motion, alternate one leg down at a time. Don't let your legs touch ground!
- Three sets of 12, build up to three sets of 20.
- Form: Pick a chair from your home that when you sit down in it, your knees are at a 90-degree-angle. It's about finding the right height of chair. Stand a couple of feet in front of the chair, and sit back to touch the seat with your tush gently and push off of it. Make sure you keep your heels down and push through them, and squeeze your abs in tight.
