Exercises Every Mom of Young Kids Should Be Doing

Caring for infants and young children takes a toll on your musculoskeletal system. Discover four exercises you can incorporate into workouts to help ease aches and pains caused by lifting, carrying, and spending time on the floor.

Moms often find joy and satisfaction in caring for their infants and children. It’s rewarding and exciting to see your little ones achieve milestones and come into their own.

Even so, daily activities such as bending, carrying, reaching, and playing on the floor can take a toll. Research shows that 64%-80% of all moms report lower back pain or other musculoskeletal discomfort. The good news is that you can address these symptoms with targeted exercise.

At Performance Therapy Institute, with offices in Nashville, Brentwood, and Nolensville, Tennessee, our experienced team regularly works with moms to help ease aches and pains.

This blog highlights four simple exercises you can do to strengthen your muscles, improve mobility, and support your musculoskeletal health.

1. Bodyweight squats

A bodyweight squat looks exactly like a traditional squat. The only difference is that you don’t need a barbell and weights.

Squats are a great exercise for moms because they mimic common motions involved in daily activities, such as picking up children and gathering toys. They also emphasize the muscles in your legs and buttocks, helping build the strength and stability needed for balance.

To do a bodyweight squat, stand up and put your feet shoulder-width apart. Then, hinge at your hips, like you’re preparing to sit in a chair, and lower your body until your thighs are about parallel to the floor.

Once you’re in that position, maintain an upright head and chest, and stand back up. Do three sets of 10-12 reps.

This video provides step-by-step instructions.

2. Glute bridges

Glute bridges are designed to strengthen the buttocks and hamstring muscles, and help counteract aches and pains from activities like sitting and lifting.

To do a glute bridge, lie on your back on the floor and plant your feet flat on the ground with your knees bent.

Then, place your hands on the floor, squeeze your glute muscles, and press up through your heels until your shoulders, hips, and knees form a straight line without arching your back. Hold this position for a few seconds, and then carefully return your bottom to the floor.

Do three sets of 10-12 reps.

This video illustrates the move.

3. Planks

Planks are an excellent core exercise that can help strengthen your abdominal muscles, which are necessary for lifting, carrying, and overall stability.

To do a plank, get down on the floor in a quadruped position so that you’re on all fours. Then, put your feet back like you’re getting ready to do a pushup. However, instead of putting your hands on the ground and lifting yourself, place your forearms on the floor, making sure your entire body, from your shoulders to your feet, is in a straight line.

Once you’re in this “plank” position, hold it for 15-30 seconds. Then, repeat 7-8 times. You’ll notice that planking causes you to flex your abs. As you practice over the coming weeks and months, you can gradually increase the duration.

It’s easy to hold your breath in this position, so make sure you continue breathing the entire time. This video shows you how to do a plank.

4. Bent-over dumbbell rows

Activities such as nursing, rocking, and pushing strollers can leave your upper back and shoulders feeling stiff and achy. Bent-over dumbbell rows offer an effective way to strengthen these muscles, so you can better manage these common tasks.

To do this exercise, you’ll need a pair of light dumbbells. If you don’t have those at home, water bottles or cans of something, like beans or fruit, can provide similar resistance.

Hold one weight in each hand, drop your arms in front of you, and lean forward, so your upper body is at a 45-degree angle. Once you’re in that position, pull back on your elbows, like there’s a string controlling them, while making sure to keep your shoulders down.

As you pull the weights back, imagine you’re squeezing your shoulder blades together. Hold for a second or two at the top, and then return your arms to the original position. Do three sets, with 8-10 reps each.

This video explains how to do a bent-over dumbbell row.

Need help managing mom-related aches and pains?

Being a mom is hard work, and the physical demands of parenting can increase the risk of back, neck, arm, and shoulder pain. To see how physical therapy can help reduce pain and improve mobility, contact us today by calling our nearest office or booking an appointment online.