The Best Workout for New Moms

I'm a passionate walker. One of my favorite childhood memories is how my family so often took walks together. We lived in this great, hilly neighborhood with lots of trees, deer, and sweet, old houses. It was near a lake and at the edge of the neighborhood you could walk near a cliff that overlooked the beautiful water as it sparkled in the sunset or moonlight. It was a large subdivision in a small town with lots of quaint history. I think walking is one of the best family pastimes for those of us who live in neighborhoods where taking a stroll is possible. It's a good time to talk, to soak in your community, to hold hands with your spouse and share your day. It's romantic. It's relaxing. It's great exercise. It's convenient, because it's right outside your front door.

After I had my baby and was ready to burn off the post-baby weight, walking was a natural option. I already knew I would enjoy it. I could easily take my baby along with me, so I didn't have to time my workout to when someone else could care for her or when she was napping. And I didn't have to feel the typical new-mom guilt over doing something for myself and neglecting her, because I could easily include her in my walk. So Gomer and I started walking. It was an adventure at first, because we'd just moved to a new town and she and I could scout out the neighborhood and meet the other people living around us. I and the tiny baby barley big enough to poke her head over the top of her Snugli baby carrier became a familiar and fond sight every morning. Sweet elderly ladies and men, too, would hurry to the end of their driveway to say a few words to us and see the baby.

By now I've been walking with my daughter for two years. I intend to take walks several days a week as long as I am physically able. I see elderly couples in my area taking strolls as she and I are out for our walk, and I know I will be like them when it is my turn to be that age. I've come to the conclusion over the past two years based on my experience and from observing other mothers I know who make a point to get out with the stroller or infant carrier often, that walking is the perfect mommy workout. Here's why.