A few months before I welcomed my daughter into the world, a well-known actress shared her thoughts on new mothers shedding post-baby weight through exercise. She claimed, “Every woman can find the time — every woman — and you can do it with your baby nearby. I’ve worked out plenty of times with my little ones crawling around. You just adapt, and if it matters to you, it will matter to them.”
It wasn’t until about eight weeks after my c-section that I heard her words. At that point, my doctor gave me the green light to exercise again, and I eagerly dove into a routine.
Excuse me while I chuckle at the memory. The reality was that I wasn’t the superwoman she seemed to be. I was exhausted. My nights were filled with feedings, and once I returned to my full-time job, I was juggling commuting, daycare pickups, meal prep, and laundry. And those glamorous moments of trying on fancy outfits? Oh wait, that was just her life. It’s funny how her mindset can seep into your own.
Fast-forward to six or seven months after my daughter’s birth, my sleep-deprived brain was beginning to recognize the importance of getting back into some form of exercise. I had stopped breastfeeding after four months but was still consuming those extra 500 calories a day, leading to an unexpected eight-pound gain instead of a loss. Inspired by the idea that “every woman” could work out with kids around, I decided it was time for me to make a change.
My daughter, however, was not particularly supportive of my efforts. She was always on the move, and whenever I attempted to exercise, she transformed into a tiny tornado. When I would stretch on the floor, she would crawl all over me. Push-ups turned into an invitation for her to climb on my back, and sit-ups quickly became a game of peek-a-boo, with her forehead colliding with mine: “Ow, boo-boo!” “I’m sorry!” “Hi, Mommy!”
Mommy magazines suggest using your little one as a weight, holding them during squats or balancing them while doing crunches. I tried this a few times, but the result? You guessed it: Ow, boo-boo.
I briefly considered baby yoga, but expecting toddlers to hold poses when they can’t even control their bladders seemed unrealistic. Even when she wasn’t literally in my face, she was still vying for my attention — asking for juice, yelling “I poop!” and demanding I stop to check, only to realize she was just playing.
Our workaround became putting on Elmo’s DVDs on repeat. While it didn’t completely solve the problem — she still preferred one of us to sit with her — at least we could take turns.
As for the notion that if something is important to you, it will also be important to your kids, I can see that happening someday… maybe in the distant future when my joints are creaky, and my daughter might remember my valiant but futile efforts at exercise as an example. But for now, I can confidently say that nothing that matters to me has been acknowledged as important by her. Not my need for sleep, not my desire to enjoy a hot cup of coffee, certainly not the luxury of using the restroom in peace.
So, for the moment, my husband and I continue to take turns, and thanks to a little help from Elmo, I hold out hope that I will one day fit back into those jeans.
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Summary:
Finding time to exercise as a new mother can be a daunting task, especially when a toddler demands attention. While the idea of working out with kids around is appealing, the reality often involves more distractions than workouts. As parents juggle responsibilities, solutions like using media as a distraction can help, but the struggle remains real.