Mums & Bubs fitness groups – how to make it work for you

Mums & Bubs group fitness sessions saved my sanity after the birth of each of my three children. Exercise has always been good for my soul but babies bring a whole new level of challenge to the equation.

I started going to the Mums & Bubs sessions when my babies were 6-8 weeks old.

There is definitely a knack to the baby/training juggle so I wanted to share some of my tips with you. If you have been thinking of going to Mums & Bubs fitness sessions but feel a bit unsure or overwhelmed I hope this helps.

Note – these are just based on my experiences and may not work for everyone. I would love to hear how other Mums do it too!

How do you commit to a set day & time when babies sleep & feed needs are so unpredictable?

Yes, this is always my greatest challenge. My answer is – you just commit and then wing it with a bit of a plan – LOL.

For example I recall a day where – my baby “should” have been asleep in her cot by 8.15am based on what time she woke and fed. Then I was going to get ready myself, load her into the stroller at 9.15am and walk down to training with her beautifully asleep. Great plan … but that’s not what happened!

Instead she was still not asleep at 8.45am so I had to leave her in her cot, frantically dress and pack my things, then walked to training hoping she would fall asleep en route. She didn’t. So I spent 15 minutes doing laps along the footpath before the session began … she dozed off just as we needed to begin.

Is it uncomfortable to exercise if you are breastfeeding?

It can be. Where possible try doing some or all of these things:

• Feed just before the session. It will make you more comfortable and your baby more content
• Wear a supportive bra. You can by nursing sports bras
• Wear fitted stretch tops for extra support

What happens if your baby won’t sleep or settle?

You will often find the trainers running these sessions are very happy to help rock a baby or a stroller if needed. Some days my lovely trainer spent 80% of the session rocking my stroller as it was the only way to keep my baby asleep

They can also adjust your exercises if you need to keep a pram moving or hold a baby. Things like taking the stroller for a run or doing squats with a baby in your arms.

It can be challenging when your baby is unsettled. Just do your best … your best is enough.

What if you have a baby/child on the move?

Eventually your little baby will grow up and want to crawl around. Obviously if they are happy sitting in the stroller keep them contained but my babies have never liked sitting still in a stroller so I have always had to take them out when they get older.

I used to bring a rug to put on the grass under a tree with some toys. I would clear as many leaves, sticks etc as I can see to make the space safe and let my bubba play. It did mean I was watching them closely while training and would often have to make a quick dash to retrieve them when they started to roam. Just part of the juggle.

If you have a todder they may even be able to follow what you are doing and feel involved.

When should you start going to a Mums & Bubs group?

You need to wait until at least your 6 week check up if you have just had a baby. After that – start when you feel ready – it is different for everyone. What I will say is if the reason you are not starting is because you feel anxious about how to juggle baby and training just go along and try it out. You will be surprised at how quickly you figure out how the juggle will work for you.

As for me … I know from past experience that some days everything flows beautifully and I love going to training and other days nothing seems to be in sync and it all feels like hard work. But I know that making time for my own fitness is critical and I will have more good days than bad when doing the “juggle” so I am glad I have jumped back in and look forward to getting back into shape!

Do you have any other questions or concerns holding you back? Let me know …