After having a baby, many women have some post-baby weight they’d like to shed. Exercise might be the last thing a new mom feels like doing; catching up on sleep may be more up their alley. Many also feel that exercise is like doing a chore…not fun. So, the best thing to do? Come up with fun ways to exercise! If you make exercise fun, you are going to be more likely to stick with it, right? Here are some fun ideas for you:

1. Just Dance

Like to dance? If you have a Nintendo Wii, try out Just Dance (there are several versions of these nowadays!). Even better, if you have older children, it would be a fun activity for them too.

2. Swimming

Are you a water type of person? Swimming is one of those fun ways to exercise that doesn’t really feel like exercise…no sweating, yay! If you own a pool, hop in and do some laps or have baby (and/or other children if you have) in there with you and have a blast! If you don’t have a pool, go to the beach and splash around in the water there. Of course, there are also public pools (indoor and out) that you can head to. Or, take an aqua fit class on your own. It’s a great low impact workout, and the water acts as resistance on your body which is great.

3. Zumba

Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program with fairly easy dance moves that you will have fun doing. It is a great cardiovascular workout and great to get your post pregnancy tummy back in shape. Many places offer Zumba classes or you can buy the DVDs and do it from home. There is even a quick 20-minute Zumba workout DVD, which is great for busy new moms who don’t have too much time to fit in to workout!

4. Frisbee

This is one of those fun ways to exercise that you can do with your older children, if you have, or a friend or partner/spouse. It’s great because you can play anywhere…at the beach, the park, or right in your very own backyard!

5. Waterslides

You may be wondering how sliding down waterslides is exercise, but just remember how you get up to the top of those waterslides, by walking up all those stairs. Great exercise!

6. Kickboxing

Kickboxing is one of those challenging, yet fun, ways to exercise. Kicking and punching can also be a great stress reliever.

This is my personal favorite kickboxing DVD, and the best part is is that the 3 workouts on here are only 20 minutes each!

7. Canoeing (Rowing)

Want a great cardio workout that also strengthens several different muscles? Hop in a canoe and get rowing! Rowing not only works your arm muscles, but also your back, your legs and your core. If you don’t have access to a canoe, a rowing machine works too!

8. Class With Baby

If you are looking for fun ways to exercise post pregnancy with your new little one, how about taking a class with baby? Many places now offer stroller fitness classes and different types of baby and me classes such as swimming, yoga, etc.

9. Pole-Dancing

Many women get in shape with this fun workout while feeling sexy at the same time. Pole-dancing is a complete body workout, offering flexibility, strength-training, and fat burning. It targets pretty much everything…legs, stomach, back, shoulders, arms and butt!

10. Play

Do you have older children? Go outside and play with them. Some fun ways to exercise with them can be things like playing tag, running through the sprinkler, playing hopscotch, going for a bike ride, kite-flying or playing a sport such as soccer. They’re having fun, you’re having fun and getting quality time with them, so it’s win-win!

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So, get up, get out, and most importantly, have fun! There are, of course, many more fun ways to exercise so be creative. Also, be patient with yourself. It is perfectly normal for it to take some time to lose post pregnancy weight, so just stick to a healthy diet and exercise and you’ll get there.