92 | JULY & AUGUST 2019
✓ Check with your healthcare
professional before starting any
postpartum exercise programme.
✓ Attempt to do the exercises
confidently and with ease before
adding your baby into the regime.
That way you are familiar with
what the exercise should feel like
before adding your baby’s weight
into the equation.
✓ If you start feeling ill, dizzy or
experience any acute pain and/or
bleeding, stop immediately and give
your doctor a call.
✓ Exercise should always be done
in a well-ventilated room and in
appropriate exercise gear for both
Mom and Baby. This is important,as baggy clothes can hinder some of
the exercises, making it unsafe for
you and your baby. This includes
foot wear.
✓ Keep hydrated! This is especially
vital for breastfeeding moms. A
simple equation would be to drink
250ml of fluid for every 10kg of body
mass. This is the bare minimum
amount of water needed for organ
function. If you are active, add an
extra 500ml per hour of activity.
✓ Be wise when choosing your
exercise times. Make sure that you
are not picking times of the day that
interfere with your baby’s feeding
or sleep times. A hungry, tired or
overstimulated baby is no fun to doexercise with. A good time would be
half an hour after feeding.
✓ Keep sessions at an average of 20 to
30 minutes long and no more.
✓ Use an exercise mat or something
soft to place your baby on when
doing your exercises, and surround
your baby with one or two of his
most beloved toys. It is important to
make your baby feel as comfortable
as possible.
✓ These particular exercises need the
baby to have some form of head and
neck control so are only appropriate
from around three months old.
✓ Don’t rush the exercises with your
baby. Be gentle and fluid with your
body movements.MOVES FOR
mom&baby
Get fit while playing with baby – it’s win-win
IT’S TOUGH ENOUGH to fit in time for exercise in
between working, feeding the family and stimulating
baby for his development, even if you’re supermom.
These moves cut your daily to-do list down by
pairing excellent exercises with games to play with
your baby, meaning you both get a super workout.BEFORE YOU GET STARTED
With all of these exercises do repetitions of eight and build up to 12. Once done with a set, repeat each exercise two to three
times if your baby is still happy and enjoying it. You could also break the exercises into two parts and do two at one time and
two later on in the day.