exercise

Finding time to hit the gym is tough for anyone with a busy schedule — but add a baby to the mix, and it's virtually impossible. That's why we're such big fans of combining quality time with your kiddo and a workout into one manageable routine. And if you can do it at home? Well, that's even better. We caught up with Zoe Bowick Levine of The Thriving Body, who teaches a wildly popular "Work Out Baby" class for moms and their wee ones in Brooklyn, NY. Here are five of Zoe's fave at-home exercises to do with the baby:

1. Reverse Lunge and Belly Tickle: Stand tall with baby just in front of your right foot. Reach your right foot back into a lunge as you tickle baby's belly with your right hand. Bring right leg back in, stand tall, and repeat 15 times on each side.
2. Tricep Peekaboo: Lie on your belly with your head toward baby and your hands under your shoulders. Press into your hands and raise your head and chest to play peekaboo with baby. Lower down and repeat 12 times. Try to keep your back relaxed and let your arms (triceps) do the work. Keep your chin slightly tucked — the back of the neck should stay long.
3. Hip Press: Lay on your back with baby on your belly. Feet should be hip distance apart and knees should be bent. With your core engaged, press your hips up and down 20 times.

Keep reading for more exercises to do with your baby!

A classic move, the pretzel is a foundation exercise for toning the derriere. Barre and Pilates utilize the move to lift up the backside and also to shape the surrounding areas like the lower back. It's a highly effective tool when set up correctly, so let's go over the basics.

• Start with one leg in front and one leg back. Place your front shin in line with the mat, and check that your knee is directly in front of your hip, resulting in a 90-degree angle. Your back knee should be behind the edge of the mat at a 45-degree angle.
• Place your hands on the floor in front of you; one hand should lay flat in front of the ankle while the opposite hand frames the outside of the knee.
• Shift your weight to the center, and keep your shoulders and hips square. You want your chest to stay in the same line as your front thigh.
• Once you feel stable, lift your back leg up as high as you can while keeping your core and glutes engaged. Pulse your leg up as a whole, leading it with the knee for about 15-20 reps. Then lower your leg back to the starting position. For added challenge, keep your leg suspended and wrap your knee toward the opposite side for 15-20 more reps. Combining both movements will increase the burn! Hands are optional. Repeat on the other side.

Now that you have the move down, learn why the pretzel is key to feeling comfortable in your spandex after the break!

It's easy to justify extra lazy days during a vacation, but it's important to set a healthy example for your kids by making fitness a priority all the time — even when you travel. No need to turn fun beach days into a grueling boot camp, though. By making just a few simple tweaks to your vacation lifestyle, you and your kids can stay active and energized while you're out of town. Hoping to amp up the health factor for your family's Summer vacations? Follow these tips:

1. Take morning (and evening!) walks to explore the area.
2. Buy healthy breakfast options to keep in the room.
3. Skip the movie theater and head to a museum or theme park instead.
4. Visit local farmers markets or street fairs to get in some extra steps.
5. Before you go, sign up for fitness-based activities like tennis or kayaking.
6. Avoid late-night room service calls by stocking up on healthier snacks as soon as you arrive.
7. Play in the sand, in the pool, at the park — just keep everyone moving.
8. Set up a daily food budget to avoid eating extra snacks "because you're on vacation."

How does your family stay healthy during vacations? Share your favorite tips!

Source: Flickr user c. bueno

Being on a budget may be a way of life these days, but cutting back on expenses doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your health goals. If a gym membership isn't in the cards, the good news is you can still get a great workout in your own home. Don't think it's possible? Check out these five ways you can leave the gym behind, raise your heart rate, and stream it all on your home network.

• Netflix — More than endless movie and TV possibilities, Netflix also has a great selection of workout videos to choose from. Stream them at home, or add them to your queue, and keep them for as long as you want. For $9 a month for unlimited access, I'd say that's a steal.
• OnDemand — Ever look at your cable provider's OnDemand section? Besides new pay-per-view movies, you can get a great workout with ExerciseTV, under the Sports & Fitness category, which offers classes like yoga, kickboxing, and cardio workouts to blast fat.

See the rest after the break.

No need to stay indoors with baby just because it's Winter! Just ask user Elka Karl, who has nothing but good things to say about her brother, a new dad and avid cross-country skiier. Check out how he brought his lil cutie along for the ride!

Okay, so I'm going to get sappy here, but my brother is a new dad and is kicking serious butt. One of the many things that both my husband and I and my brother and his wife agreed about when we had our babies (the cousins are five months apart) was that we wanted to maintain as much of our pre-baby lives as possible. For me and my husband, that meant taking our little one on trips, including backpacking trips (he went for the first time this Summer and rocked it), and for my brother and his wife, that meant going on trips and skiing.

My brother was a nationally ranked junior olympics cross country skiier, and has since gone on to complete the Birkie in the top tier of finishers for many years in a row. Since becoming Daddy to Soren, he's put Soren in a Moby (and zips his jacket up over him) to go cross country skiing, and also put a Burley on skis to pull Soren for longer trips.

Seriously cute! We're taking Uli snowshoeing the next time we're in Tahoe, but my brother is inspiring me to also take Uli cross country skiing as well . . .