Under Review: Happy Baby, Fit Mama (and a Giveaway!)

If you’re a new mom looking to fit fitness into your new busy life, look no further than Ellen Barrett’s Happy Baby, Fit Mama. I tried this DVD just recently, and I wish I had thrown it in sooner because it’s the perfect way to ease back into exercise.

If you struggle to find a moment of peace in your day, have no fear because the DVD is designed with your baby in mind. Each of the three 10-minute workouts—cardio, core and calm—incorporates your baby in the activity so you don’t even need to juggle your workout schedule around nap time. Ellen’s adorable 7-month-old Luca co-stars in the DVD.

In the cardio segment, you wear your baby in a carrier, which adds extra resistance. The cardio is low impact and simple so that you can keep one hand on the baby at all times—pliés, squats, repeater knees, step-touches. While the cardio sans baby probably wouldn’t have me breaking a sweat, the added 20 pounds made me work a little harder. With my daughter strapped to me, I also had to focus more on good posture and proper alignment, and the rhythmic moves made her happy as a clam.

The core portion focuses on standing exercises that target your midsection. The baby can be in a stroller or bassinet, but it’s also fine if your baby is snoozing elsewhere. No crunches here; this section focuses more on functional core fitness with moves like knee lifts to the front and side, and side reaches that target the obliques.

The calm stretching portion is fun because you learn stretches you can do on the floor while sitting with your baby. Shoulder raises, hamstring stretches, butterflies, spine and chest stretches are all easy to commit to memory to keep you limber throughout the day.

FBG Rating (Out of 5):
Instruction: ★★★★
Long-Term Likeability:★★
Music: ★★★
Fun Factor: ★★★
Meets Expectations: ★★★★

Overall: ★★★1/2

Fit Bottom Line: This workout is great for new moms who are easing back into fitness after a baby. Even better than the short 10-minute segments is the fact that you can invite your baby to join you!

Tune in next week for our Q&A with Ellen Barrett where you’ll get the low-down on her fit lifestyle! And if you’re in the market for a new DVD, comment below to win this one! We’ll notify winners by email. U.S. residents only, please. —Erin