Tag Archives: fitness

Going Strong: Get Fit with this Full Body Babywearing Workout

05/25/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

I’ve been waiting for this day for a while a now; the day I could wear Avery on my back with our Onya! Now that she’s 6 months and over 15 pounds, she’s good to go!

Now that wearing her on my back is an option, this opens up new ways to get in a workout while keeping your baby close (really close). Trying to workout while your baby is sleeping can be difficult, and it’s tough if they wake up crying as you’re in the middle of sweating it out. Do you keep going and hope they fall back asleep or end your hard work and get them right away? Not an easy answer…..like most questions regarding babies!

So, I prefer to have Avery with me when working out as much as possible. She sees her daddy being active, and hopefully will want to do the same when she can move around. Plus, it just makes for good bonding! I’m pretty sure Avery has seen me do enough burpees now that she can’t wait to do them herself. Isn’t that right, Avery?

Well, maybe.

Anyway, having your baby on your back enables to you change the loading parameters on your core and legs, allows you to get on the ground for push-ups. With that, two of the best, most functional moves you can do are squats and push-ups.

Nothing fancy schmancy here, just two simple moves that work your entire body. Like I’ve mentioned before, babywearing workouts offer built in progression. As your baby grows, so will your strength. I put together a video demonstration just to show you the moves and hopefully you find it helpful.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_U2NCaUH7w?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

As mentioned in the video, if you want to make this more challenging than 3 rounds, you can just add rounds or make it into a timed “AMRAP” (as many rounds as possible) session. This, of course, is assuming you have a comfortable and happy baby. Also, I don’t advise doing this right after your baby eats, and I’m sure you know why.

Here’s the AMRAP routine that you can print out if you’d like.

And for an even greater challenge, add another 5 or 10 minutes of continuous work and/or hold dumbbells while doing squats.

Always make sure you are warmed up before starting and above all, have fun getting fit with the help of your growing baby!

Check out my past Going Strong posts for more baby bearing fitness ideas:

This post is part of a new fitness link-up party co-hosted by the great guy behind Disillusioned Dad. Check it out and show some support by linking your post related to diet, health, exercise, and/or well being.

Challenge, Going Strong

Going Strong Challenge Update: I Found my First Race, Have You?

05/23/2014 R.C. Liley 5 Comments

Hey there, how’s it going?

Doing well here and happy to have my trusty partner in parenting, Going Mom, home since she took off today. Avery is having her 6 month checkup and a couple more vaccinations. Remember her 5 month shots?

Yeah, oh joy…..

I’ll let you know how everything goes, but now I just want to talk about the Going Strong Challenge I posted several days ago; run a 5k with your kids.

So, have you found a race yet? Not trying to be pushy, just thought I’d check in. I know I don’t have thousands of readers or anything, but if just one of you accepts and finishes the challenge, I’d be satisfied.

Really, just getting out and being active with your kids is the main message here. I still need to pick a race to run or walk (run if in stroller, walk if I’m wearing her) with Avery, but I am signed up and ready to run my last 10k before I’m 30!

The race is called the Unforgotten Heroes Memorial Day Run and is a 5k or 10k. This is the 1st annual run and will be held at the Texas Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Memorial Day. That’s Monday, May 26th, if you needed to know.

If you’re in the area, come join the fun and support a great cause! Are you already running on Memorial Day? What race do you have lined up?

Most of my “training” has been with Avery in the B.O.B. and our Golden, Abby, on a leash. Needless to say, I’m not expecting to PR by any means, just to run my best and enjoy the last race of my twenties. Eeeesh!

Since this run will be solo with Kelley and Avery there to support me, I still need to step up to my own challenge and run a 5k with Avery. There are plenty of races this summer so don’t worry, it won’t be long before I find one.

Hope you’re having a great Friday and getting ready for a fun and relaxing Memorial Day weekend!

Are you or aren’t you running a race this weekend?

If yes, is it with your kid(s) or solo like me?

Any special Memorial Day plans?

Going Strong

Going Strong: High Intensity Interval Mowing with Fiskars

04/18/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

We’ve all heard of high intensity interval training (HIIT) as a great way to workout in a short amount of time. The most common form of HIIT is sprinting, and for good reason, it will get your blood flowing and lungs burning fast. This equates to an efficient calorie burning, do anywhere exercise anyone can utilize.

I’ve been into long distance running for years, and the hours spent running high miles is rewarding, but there’s not always time to fit in a long run. Lately, I do more sprinting, mostly up a hill, and keep going until my legs and lungs are begging me to stop.

Now that we have Avery, being able to run for over an hour is scarce, and if I do, I have her in the B.O.B. and our dog, Abby, in tow. Not the most comfortable, but it’s not that bad…..unless it’s windy, that stroller is like running with an umbrella!

Luckily, I have a Fiskars Reel Mower to lend a helping hand at accomplishing chores and a workout all at once! Just mowing with a reel mower like the Fiskars provides more cardiovascular activity than the gas-powered alternative, but why not up the ante?

How, you ask? By combining HIIT sprints with reel mowing of course! In the Fiskars StaySharp Max Owner’s Manual, they provide a useful outline of how to mow your lawn with their reel mower. I’ve provided the picture below:

Use this as a great way to plan your sprint mowing workout. I like to get the edging out of the way first as my “warm up” and then proceed to sprint back and forth across the lawn with as little rest as possible.

Yes, corny pose, I know, lets just try and look past that…mmmmkay?

I enjoy making things hard on myself, so as you see, I’m wearing a weight vest. This just adds another level of difficulty and helps keep me primed for when I mow wearing Avery and she doubles in weight.

Caution: DO NOT sprint while wearing your baby!!

To help you out, I put together a little video of me sprint mowing in action. This was during Avery’s naptime which is why I have a hurried look on my face.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xQzneLFFBc?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

Again, you do not need to wear a weight vest, sprint mowing is already a great workout.

This is just another way I am enjoying our Fiskars Reel Mower and plan on keeping fit by mowing while wearing Avery in the Onya or by sprinting with a weight vest. It’s a great form of exercise while tending to your household duties, and I recommend you give it a spin.

Do you have any fun ways to fit in a workout and accomplish household tasks? Please share if you do!