Tag Archives: exercise

Kettlebell Training for Toddlers

Hey there, fellow Toddler cohorts! Walking yet?

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No worries if you’re not there yet, it took me longer than expected too. At least Mommy and Daddy seem to think so. Whatevs. Remember how I revealed my resolution for 2015 was to master the kettlebell? I’ve been practicing and even have my very own now.

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I like it much better than Daddy’s since I can actually lift this one, plus it’s more colorful with a pretty blue handle and red base. See?

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Now that I have my own, I figured I’d share a couple quick kettlebell moves you can use to start exercising with your Mommy and Daddy. Or, maybe you can help them kick any bad habits and teach them a thing or two about training. Like drinking, have them knock it out or threaten to do it for them. Like this….

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There, problem solved. Let them know they can buy a new kettlebell with the money they save from not drinking, or at least skipping the next purchase. Toddler Tip: Parents seem to really like their drinks, so only use this approach as a last resort. Back to the training; use the grooves on the handle to align your fingers for a good, firm grip like so.

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Then stand up making sure you keep good form throughout.

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Now, from a standing posit…..ahhh, blasted teething, must chew something quick! Hummmmmm, nom, nom….

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Holy diaper rash, the pain just comes out of nowhere! Anyway, holding your kettlebell by the handle, begin a swinging motion by……Gahhhh, not again!! Lets take a quick break.

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Okay, had to leave the gym/our garage and go inside to let the pain subside. The benefit to kettlebell training is that you can do it inside or out, making it perfect when the weather is like my morning diaper….crappy. C’mon, you other tots know what I’m talking about. Eh?

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Picking up where we left off, hold your kettlebell and ahh, aaHHHH….seriously?! How many teeth are in there? This is worse than…..well, I don’t have much to compare to yet, but it hurts! For those of you going through the same thing, forget swinging, just do this with your kettlebell.

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No hands! Yeah, I’ve been practicing for a while now, so don’t feel bad if you aren’t advanced enough for the kettlebell mouth swing. Well, my training is not going as planned today, so just try closing your eyes, grabbing your kettlebell, and running/swinging blindly.

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Hey, it gets the heart going and just feels good sometimes.

*Next Day*

Hi again……it was a long night full of what Mommy and Daddy call ducking teething. I have no clue what ducking has to do with it, but my mouth sure does hurt.

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Before “it” happens again, let me just show you the basic kettlebell swing. Yesterday, after my ducking teething, Daddy showed me how to do it right.

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I took plenty of notes, and can give you the key things to remember for a proper swing. Standing with you feet at least shoulder-width apart, hold your kettlebell with both hands and swing it between your legs back up to eye level. That’s one rep/swing.

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Some versions have you bringing it over your head, that’s the American style, but we tend to do the Russian swing in our house. That might change after I just knocked that vodka bottle over though! Oops.

One last thing, when you’re training at high intensities with the kettlebell, you’re going to have an increased appetite. Make sure you feed your body quality nutrients to help it grow strong and fuel your workouts to allow you to perform. Along with plenty of fresh veggies, Daddy always has a delicous NuttZo creation to feed me and I can already tell I’m ready for a heavier kettlebell!

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Oh, and one more last thing, for real this time; you can save 15% off your total NuttZo order by using code liley15 at checkout on their website. Since us toddlers don’t have a credit card, make sure to put on your best cheese-face and get your parents to order now!

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Personal Training From Our 1 Year Old

Gone are the days of Avery sitting idle as Going Mom and I workout. From sitting in a swing, to bouncing in her jumper, our baby turned toddler has transformed into our personal trainer.

Not long ago, we used to only be concerned with keeping Avery entertained as we worked through an exercise routine either inside or in the garage, but now she’s part of the action and helping to increase intensity! I still remember having her watch us from her swing as we sweat it out with a workout video.

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Or bringing her to the garage for first time and how worried I was to do anything.

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And for the longest time, she’s been happily (for the most part) bouncing in her jumper as we lift in the garage.

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Eager to workout with Daddy!

But now, with her walking and wondering all over, she prefers to get in on the action when and where ever possible. My wife and I were doing a quick body-weight routine consisting of 50 seconds on, 10 seconds off working through squats, push-ups, lunges, and planks for a total of 4 rounds; making it 16 minutes total. Short but intense and perfect for those with limited access to equipment.

Apparently, Avery didn’t think it was intense enough and she made sure to let her Mommy know to work harder!

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C’mon, faster, Mommy!!!

 

And I guess Kelley looked like she needed a little extra weight as she doing push-ups, so Avery helped increase the intensity by adding her own weight.

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I’d say this isn’t fun, but I”d be lying.

Of course, I think Avery went a little too far with the intensity at one point. I’m not sure, but something tells me Kelley would agree….

What? Having trouble, Mommy? Can I have milk soon?
What? Having trouble, Mommy? Can I have milk soon?

This happened with the plank hold too, and Avery would venture over to me every now and then to check in. I think my wife got the worst of it though, but she ripped through the 16 minutes; “baby weight” and all!

In the garage, we just hit a milestone by removing the jumper to make room for a play yard/pen (really looks like a place for a dog) that Avery can move around in as we lift weights.

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Goodbye, jumper, you served us well

 

I even had a second of feeling sad since it’s bittersweet to take it out. Our little girl is growing too much! Common saying from parents, and I completely understand! But there wasn’t much time to sit and ponder on the past, Avery let me know it was dead lift day and I needed to take my weight belt (she advocates lifting safely) and get to it.

Here, dad, you'll need this.
Here, dad, you’ll need this.

She looks pretty content in her new cage play yard, right? She seriously loves playing with the weight belt, so I know as soon as I’m done, she gets it back. It’s a good relationship though, she behaves and helps motivate me to lift heavy and keep focused, and I give her my belt once I’m done. Instant happiness….

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I’ve had this mini kettlebell for kids in my Amazon cart for too long, and now I have motivation to finally buy it. Soon, you’ll see our daughter swinging her very own kettlebell with mommy and daddy!

How cool is that?

Whether inside or out, Avery’s keeping her Mommy and Daddy in tip top shape around here. And why not? Shouldn’t all kids want to have their parents be healthy so they are healthy enough to go play and run around with them?

I might joke about Avery being our personal trainer, but in a way, all parents should have their children act as personal trainers in the sense that they should want to get and stay healthy for themselves and their kids. I don’t want to be one of the parents sitting on a bench as my kid runs around playing on the playground, I want to be out there playing too!

Please, if you can’t find being healthy and fit for yourself being reason enough, do it for your kids’ sake. From chasing them on the playground as toddlers, to playing sports when they’re older, to helping them move out of the house when they’re fully grown, parents need to be there for their kids, physically and mentally.

Going Mom and I choose a healthy, active lifestyle, and I hope you do or will too. As and aspiring personal trainer (when Avery is older), I’d love to offer tips/advice to anyone who is serious, free of charge. In fact, if just one person reaches out to me, I would do my best to help you achieve whatever goal it is you have in mind.

Don’t limit yourself by thinking you can’t do something. Stay positive, set your goal, and get to it! Just like you are what you eat, you are what you think too!

Do you workout with your kids?

Any fun exercises or stories you care to share?

What goals do you have for yourself and how are you working to get there?

Going Strong: A Playground HIIT Workout Routine

How often to you bring your little ones to the playground? And how often does it interfere with your fitness goals? Although it might be a change from your normal workout routine, the playground offers plenty of equipment to create a quick, muscle-burning HIIT routine all while your kids run free.

Now that Avery is walking like a champ kind of good, I plan on taking her to playgrounds and activity centers a lot in the near and distant future. Last Sunday, Going Mom gave me free time as she played with Avery at home, so I took advantage of the nice weather (70 degrees and sunny!!) and went for a walk……with my 20lb weight vest.

My foot injury from a few months ago has come back because I started running and jumping on it before it healed all the way, so walking is the most I can do. I’ve been going back and forth on buying an indoor water rower like this one, but keep talking myself out of it. Not sure why since I’ve talked about it for years, but my wife is getting extremely tired of listening to me talk about it and says she’s about to just buy it herself.

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Guess that would be hard to refuse. Think I should just “row” with it and buy the thing?

Back to the playground. On my lonesome walk with a 20lb vest and Ben Greenfield Fitness podcast playing, I ventured to a desolate playground at a nearby elementary school and figured I’d “play” a little to test things out for future Avery.

With my 20lb vest still on, I ended up doing this HIIT routine….

5 rounds of:

– Monkey Bar Chin-Ups x 5

– Parallel Bar Dips x 10

– Squats x 15

Rest 30 – 45 seconds between rounds.

And there you go, it took about 15 minutes to complete this full body workout.

I know I was alone and having a kid would make this a bit more challenging, but there’s always a way, and I’ll figure it out soon enough. Besides playgrounds, since the weather will turn bad again, I can’t wait to go to a trampoline park or indoor bounce house and play around with Avery there. Hopefully this darn foot is better soon……for the second time.

There are plenty of exercises you can do on playground equipment, and as the time passes, I will try more and share them with you here. The weight vest is optional, but as a stay-at-home dad, I’m probably already a minority to all of the at-home moms, so why not set myself further from “the pack” anyway?

Do you do workout routines on the playground?

Anywhere else that you’ve created workouts when with the kids?

Please share as I would love to hear and try them for myself!