Hi there! How is your day going? I have to say I’m beginning to get into the swing of this mama thing. Cooper and I have quite the little routine going on. We’ve been going to Gymboree and I’m happy to say that we are improving on our tummy time (he normally hates it and cries but we’ve been able to do a solid few minutes without any crying!). My personal favorite activity, however, is Babies on Board at Xtend Barre.
It is really challenging to carve out uninterrupted time to workout by myself so when I heard about Babies on Board, I knew it was going to be perfect for me and Coops. Not to mention I am obsessed with barre classes!
The class is set up similar to a traditional Xtend Barre class (for more info, see my post on Xtend Barre) except you wear your little baby in a secure carrier for the class. We start out with some warm-up moves in the center and then move on to some light dumbbell work for the upper body followed by some leg and booty work at the barre. The last portion of class focuses on abs and stretching and is done on the mat. For the mat work the babies come out of the carriers and lie on a mat next to your mat.
The class is an amazing workout and the extra ten pound weight you wear helps boost your heart rate and really creates some resistance. One of the best parts of the class is that Cooper absolutely loves the movement and sleeps through most of the class. He has been pretty good for the mat work but since he doesn’t like lying on his own very long, he often starts to cry by the end of class. I try to always be prepared to feed him right after!
I love the class because it is actually an amazing workout, I don’t need childcare and it is fun to spend time with Coops while working out! I went to another barre class over the weekend and I missed my little buddy during the ab section!
Here are a few moves you might see in an Xtend Barre Babies on Board class:
Readers, do you workout with your children? Have you ever found “the perfect class” for you?
caitlin
January 15, 2015Happy to see you back at your happy place!! We offer a similar class where I teach in Hoboken (Work it Out) called Bite Size Barre – You’ll have to come check it out sometime! xo
FitBritt
January 16, 2015That would be awesome! 🙂
Marielle
January 15, 2015That is the cutest thing, how fun!! You def get a good workout with the added weight during squats! I’ll have to research if they have any of these classes in my area!!
FitBritt
January 16, 2015Yes! I hope there are classes in your area. It is so fun!
Allie
January 15, 2015Oh I am laughing at the tricep press picture!! You two are adorable. I was always so jealous of the moms who could do this with ONE baby. It’s so great for both of you I’m sure!!
FitBritt
January 16, 2015Oh my gosh! I guess if you had two you’d have to pick your favorite. JUST KIDDING! There is a mom in my gumboree class with twins and she has a nanny helping her. I give you a ton of credit, I can barely handle the one!
Kim
January 15, 2015What a super idea for a class – love that you and Cooper workout together!!!
BTW – we have almost the exact same phone case except my stripes are diagonal!!
FitBritt
January 16, 2015Kim, I have a feeling we would be real life besties if we lived closer! 🙂
Holly
January 15, 2015What a great class for moms and babies–I bet it is also very social! I cannot imagine how the hard it must get to workout with the extra weight of one’s baby for the duration of the Barre class! That is likely get you in shape rather well! You and Cooper look great in your poses.
Lisa @ Lulus Big Adventure
January 15, 2015I wish the worst part of my day that made me cry was having to spend some time on my tummy. Ah, the life of a baby 😉
Nellie @ Brooklyn Active Mama
January 16, 2015awwww I love this!! I wish I knew about this when my boys were young! Such a great class and I love that they creatively incorporated weights in the workout too. great recap!
FitBritt
January 18, 2015Thanks Nellie! It is a great concept!