Fit For Parenthood: Paleo Fitness Book Review

A mother doesn’t have to be fit to sit in the rocking chair and nurse her baby. She doesn’t have to be fit to change a diaper and sing at Music Together Class. She doesn’t have to be fit to play this little piggy and read bedtime stories, to keep a toxin-free home and prepare food from scratch. She doesn’t have to be fit to love and be loved.

But there are things she can’t do if she isn’t fit.

I was walking Maya through the park yesterday while Evelyn rode her bike around a pond. There was another small child on a bike who shrugged off his father like a teenager disregards the speed limit. And why shouldn’t he? His dad couldn’t have enforced the rules if he wanted to; his health was so poor. He was all but incapable of running after the little toddler and so slow, his son left him literally in the dust of his bicycle tracks.

Discipline cannot be achieved if a parent cannot enforce it.

The day before that I was at a playground playing with my older daughter (carrying my 11 month old). There weren’t any other kids to play with so I decided to run around with her myself. Now, I don’t think this is necessary all the time. Kids NEED to learn to entertain themselves. And they aren’t going to learn self-sufficiency if their parents are their best playmates. But play is bonding. It’s important to engage in it a little, if not a lot. Some parents, however, are too unfit and fatigued to play with their children. Throwing the ball is a chore. Climbing the ladder at the park is tiring. And catapulting herself off the swing set is absolutely unthinkable. While playing on the playground isn’t every parent’s forte, a bit of physical engagement is nice.

Ok, so you know you need exercise but what if you are a mother who doesn’t have the time, money, or inclination to hit the gym? Paleo Fitness by Darryl Edwards is a fantastic book for getting in shape right in the comfort of your own home without purchasing a single machine or barbell (although some kettle bells and sandbags wouldn’t hurt).

Paleo Fitness

I got this book Paleo Fitness: Primal Training And Nutrition To Get Lean, Strong and Healthy in the mail a few weeks ago. I haven’t had time to open it, with the release of my own book and summer vacation (walks, swimming, driving Evy to and from camp, friends, etc.). So it’s been sitting on a shelf in my imagination. I had the book all figured out before I even opened it. The author would be recommending sprints, jumps, climbing trees, lifting kids above the head, spinning kids in the grass, building houses and play yards, somersaults, jumping jacks, skipping, and playing on the monkey bars.

That was my imagination. It has nothing to do with the book.

For many mothers, those things are too advanced to even attempt right off the bat anyway. A strong foundation must be built before kids can be lifted overhead and mom can swing from the monkey bars.

Darryl shows how one can utilize her (or his) own body weight as resistance to build strong muscles and prepare for a strong, active life. The book uses two models, one female and one male, to demonstrate the exercises – showing that the exercises can be done by women.

A few of the many exercises include:

• Walking around backwards on hands and feet
• Holding a squat with arms stretched
• Alternating opposite knee to elbow touch (turning movements work core)
• Virtual jump rope
• Various dips and push ups
• Several reps of quickly getting up and sitting back down
• Pushing a bag above the head

These exercises are well described in words and with photos. They are fun and suitable for any fitness level by doing as many or as few reps of each as necessary and as many or as few of the exercises as possible. The book also begins with a Paleo diet primer, includes a meal plan, and exercise program with worksheet.

In short, I think this book is great. It teaches that methods, weights, and routines are not necessary and that moving your body in natural ways is all that is needed to get fit and stay healthy.

What kind of workout do you do or what type do you plan on starting?