Big kids back to school...I decided I should register baby in a class to get some routine back in our routine. Being an extremely active toddler (why didn't my mom-of-boys-friends warn me about little boy energy?!) I thought to register him in gymnastics to focus his stamina into good rather than evil. Little did I know the workout I would get from Mom & Tot Fitness…
I kinda wish I had talked to Sweaty Mummy about fitness before I registered for this class. I am finding, through baby gymnastics, that I am the un-fitt-ist Mom on the block. Bordering on sloth* really.
Let's face it: Parent and Tot fitness classes is a cruel sort of boot camp. Wanna know what we do in toddler gymnastics?...these are the exercises they don't put on the brochure (but you bet I'm doing them!)
The Baby-Stop-Lunge: A strength training exercise whereby the parent lunges to their full capacity; reaching outwards (or downwards) to stop, grab, full-steam-ahead baby. Usually done when baby is about to a Kamikaze run into the gym wall.
The Unwilling-To-Move-To-Another-Activity Deadlift: A weight training exercise whereby the parent lifts a 24-ish lb baby (in full-I'm-NOT-moving-dead-weight) from a full squat to a standing position. Repeatedly done when toddler refuses to move from fun trampoline to boring mats.
The On-All-Fours-Downward-Dog: A humiliating exercise whereby the parent goes down on all fours to coach their baby to come out of the tunnel at gymnastics. Accompanied by the phrases "C'mon honey, you can do it!"and "You're holding up the whole line in the circuit" and "LET'S GO!"
The Toddler-Dash: A face-paced exercise whereby the parent dashes off after toddler who decides to bolt it back to the fun trampoline leaving the class at the boring mats. Apparently, it has to be a re-current and repeated exercise.
Ironically, these parent exercises are not strictly gym class workouts. Babies switch them up. You know what I mean right? Who hasn't done the Toddler-Swing-Dash at the playground? Or the Unwilling-To-Move-From-The-Cartoons Deadlift?
I think Erica should train for her Birthday Run Team at our baby gymnastics class (it makes me want to run—away from the gym).
Despite the fact that I ache from the lifting and dashing (showing how sloth-like I am), my son's smile is worth going. And you don't have to enjoy every Parent and Tot activity right?...some can just be for the kids' enjoyment**.
Sloth: habitual disinclination to exertion; indolence; laziness. See picture of Caroline
My son LOVES the trampoline. If he could take it home in his pocket he would. He loves it that much.
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