A Mother of a Workout

I am cutting down to a tip of the week instead of daily. Just in time for Mother's Day, I have a tip for working out with your kids. Depending on how big or little they are you may need to adjust. When I am stuck in a hotel room with no way to go out and run and no weights in site I turn to my kids for resistance training. Here are a few exercises that are my favorites:

Push up: Let your child sit or lie on your back to add extra weight to some basic push ups.

Dip: Sit your kid on your lap, slide off the chair with hands right next to your hips, bend at the elbows to lower yourself to the floor and then press back to starting. This works the triceps.

Curl and Press: Works biceps and shoulders; Start standing up holding your child under their arms, arms straight. Bend elbows to bring the little bugger's face to your face (bicep curl), kiss if needed, then press them into the air over your head (overhead shoulder press) and reverse the motion.

Squats and lunges: Put 'em on your back or shoulders and squat and lunge until your hearts content (beating hard).

Leg extension: Sitting on a sturdy chair (or on the edge of a swimming pool) let your kids sit on your feet and hug your shins. While holding them in place extend knees so legs are straight then lower. You'll feel it, but I'll tell you it works the quadriceps, or front part of the thigh.

Core: Any ab exercise can be done with your child sitting on your stomach. What this does is force you to keep the abdominal wall contracted throughout the movement which means extra work for the core.

Happy Mother's Day to all!