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A Joint Effort
Involving Mom and Baby in Your Exercise Routine
By I.J. Schecter
Pleasurable Push-ups
Push-ups are a great exercise because they can be done anywhere – you don't need any equipment to do them, and they don't take undue time. But the best thing about push-ups for the new father is that they can easily be made to involve your partner and/or baby. Here are some ideas:
- Simply do your push-ups as you normally would while your baby plays around you. He'll be thoroughly amused at the image of Daddy lifting himself up and down off the floor, especially if you make funny faces or clap at the top of every push-up.
- During your 30- or 60-second rest between sets, do something funny, like mock-chasing your baby or rolling one of his toys along your limbs. If you do the same thing between each set, he'll enjoy it even more.
- Lying on your back, use your baby as the barbell. He'll love the feeling of flying up and down in Daddy's trusted hands.
- Have your partner hold your baby on your back as you do the push-ups. This might be even more fun for the baby than being the barbell, since it involves holding onto your body.
- Use your partner as the barbell, or if that's too much to handle, have her lie on your back as you do the push-ups. Your baby will think this is a riot.