Training with a Newborn…Oxymoron?
So, my wife and i recently had a baby boy! I knew i wasn’t going to get any sleep but i didn’t factor in not sleeping and not being able to train!!!!The first four weeks were a wash! I did maybe some light cardio but the mrs. had a C-section which meant she needed my help more than ever. I enjoy bonding with my little guy but i had no idea how hard it was to balance work, baby, wife and working out….I went from working out 5-6 days to maybe one day a week and when i did try to lift heavy, it was a waste of time b/c i had nothing!!!!If i did have any kind of energy i needed it to help out at home. Oh yeah, almost forgot…someone has to clean the house! Ta da! Your looking at Mr. Molly Maid baby!!! Im so thankful that my wife has fully recovered now and is allowing me to sleep at night since i work early mornings(she’s the best). As of March 1st i have been able to get back to a somewhat normal routine in terms of lifting! I just have to muster up some energy to squeeze in a workout and that by far is a challenge. How do moms do it? I thought i had it rough! How and where do moms find the energy to get back in the gym??? my hat’s off to all the moms out there! My wife is lucky she’s married to a personal trainer….and im just as lucky to have her, she motivates me to stay fit. No excuses for me!
March 12, 2009 at 8:02 am
Congrats on the baby, he is a cutie!
I think you’ve learned why so many moms "let themselves go"! It’s HARD work! But it can be done, obviously - there are sooo many fit mamas (and papas) on bb.com, it’s inspiring!
It takes a while for babies to settle into a routine, but if you’re lucky you’ll start to notice a pattern (or already have) with his eating/sleeping and it’ll be easier to get yourself organized.
My biggest piece of advice… you’re not going to get a full night’s sleep for a while, so NAP! Try to get an hour or two during one of bub’s longer naps, and that should help a lot with your energy when you do manage to get to the gym.
oh, and if you train your wife, definitely look into c-section rehab.. it’s tricky (I had one). In fact, I would even suggest passing the torch to a PT who specializes in post-pregnancy if you know of one.