Hi there, who knows that grandkids can be hard work. They're not just a stable weight. They throw themselves around, particularly when they have a tantrum. They're a joy to behold and a joy to be around, but they're also hard work.
I've just come back from a week looking after my one and a half and three and a half year old grandchildren while their mother worked and while their dad went on a business trip.
And didn't I discover just what's needed to be a strong grandma!
It was just to help out the household, so I was getting them up early and putting them to bed late and taking them to the playground in between. Now, in that time, the one and a half year old was a bit unwell, so I had him on a hip, took them to the playground. The three and a half year old's tugging away at me and wanting help to help her up onto the things she can't step up onto.
So I had her by the hand, had him on my hip. Then the next moment he's wanting to get down, but then he wants to get up again. So lots of lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing.
So today I'm going to show you eight safe strong grandma ready functional exercises, that's going to keep your body nice and safe and strong while you look after those grandkids or great-grandkids.
And then for those of you that want to, we're going to go down the floor and see how we can safely play on the floor with grandkids.
FIRST, some safety form techniques for picking up grandkids and the exercises we'll be doing:
So just some tips I want you to think about when you're around your grandkids to keep your body safe. I want you to think about, keeping a straight back before or a neutral back.
- I want you to think about as you come down to pick them up, we're hinging forward from the hips and we're going to keep that baby or the toddler nice and close to our feet
- So I don't want them way out there, trying to pick them out from out there
- And I don't want you to round out that back
- So we're going to keep them nice and close to us. That back is staying straight. My core is switched on
- So I've got a nice little pull in from my belly button to my spine
- And then I'm keeping that child close as I pull them up.
So think about keeping that grandchild close, keeping that back straight, and our core is switched on. And if you want to think about your breathing then on the effort, so as we pick them up through pursed lips, as we pick them up, we'll keep our core activated and everything working well.
NOW... Let's get into it.
Watch: Strong Grandma Workout: 14 Grandkid-Play Exercises to Lift, Carry & Have Fun
KETTLEBELL NEEDED for this Workout
TIMESTAMPS for the Strong Grandma Workout | 14 Grandkid-Play Exercises to Lift, Carry & Have Fun (15-Minute Routine):
WORKOUT - Timer is set for 40sec workout, and 10secs rest
NOTE: At anytime pause the video if you need a longer break or rest period.
- 00:00 - Intro & safety tips
- 02:28 - Chair Squat Pick-Ups
- 03:19 - Hinge & Deadlift Toy-Rescue
- 04:09 - Farmer Carry Playground Walk
- 05:49 - Front Carry Wriggly-Toddler Hold
- 06:39 - Overhead Press “Up in the Air!”
- 07:29 - Wood-Chop Slide Boost
- 09:09 - Hip-to-Hip Transfers
- 09:59 - Single-Leg Support Balance
- 12:06 - Floor Roll & Lift (toddler airplane)
- 12:56 - Chest Press Grandkid Fly
- 13:36 - Side-to-Side Floor Roll
- 14:26 - Turkish Get-Up (strong core get-up)
- 16:11 - Glute Bridge Kid Toss
- 16:56 - Bear Crawl Chase
How did you go with that?
I hope you enjoyed it. There's so many ways that we can stay fit and strong while we enjoy our grandkids. And it doesn't take long, like eight months, nine months, and suddenly they've gone up to 10, 11, 12 kilos.
So, when we pick them up, we want to be safe:
- Think about core
- Think about that back staying straight
- Tongue on the roof of the mouth helps to support our neck
- And just making sure your form is good.
And if you practice that enough at home, when the time actually comes, you should be okay, and hopefully your body will stay safe.
Have fun with it. Let me know in the comments below how you go.
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