We hope that you were able to take advantage of the action steps recommended in last week’s “Before You Adopt” post about researching your company’s adoption leave policy. Today, we’re presenting another activity you can do prior to adoption placement, to get in shape. 

Before you adopt, it’s beneficial for both of you to get some exercise. Physical activity comes with tons of benefits: not only does it help you manage your weight, but it also improves mood and can give you additional energy. And here’s the kicker: once you bring home your baby, you’ll be bending, carrying, and running more than you ever have before in your life. You won’t want to add aching muscles and a sore back to the learning curve of new parenthood. So start exercising today!

Exercising can start off as simple and easy as a walk around the block or 10 minutes on the treadmill. If you don’t know where to start, group exercise classes at your local gym are a great resource. Maybe you haven’t been to a gym class in awhile…share that with the instructor. He or she should be able to give you tips on how you can start slow and make the moves low-impact.

Justin, who adopted a baby boy with his wife earlier this year, shares this great tip: “We had an exercise that sounds silly but really did work. My wife Jessica and I took turns putting a five pound sack of flour in a front pack baby carrier and walking around with it. It helped us practice what it would feel like to carry that weight.  We were able to progress up to a 20 pound sack of flour. I’m so glad we did, because I’ve had friends who told me how wrecked their backs got in those early weeks…”

Waiting to be chosen by a birth mother can be difficult, but try to keep a positive attitude. Remember that you will soon be parents and your adoption wait will be over. Once you hold your little one, this time of waiting will fade from memory.

Written by Heidi Keefer

Heidi Keefer is a Content Creator for Lifetime Adoption and has 15 years of experience in the field of adoption. An author of thousands of blog posts over the years, Heidi enjoys finding new ways to educate and captivate Lifetime’s ever-growing list of subscribers.

Heidi has a keen eye for misplaced apostrophes, comma splices, and well-turned sentences, which she has put to good use as a contributor to Lifetime’s award-winning blogs. She has written and published hundreds of adoption articles which explore the various facets of domestic infant adoption today.