She reaches up from the floor, clings to the table, uses amazing upper body strength and pulls herself all the way up. She is my 11-month daughter Noelle and she’s teaching me a lot about exercise. Ever try to crawl around all day like a baby? It must be exhausting because I’ve only ever lasted for a few minutes. If you’re looking for exercise inspiration, just look at your infant.

Keep moving. Use your whole body when you move around. Pump those arms, kick those legs. Be on the move all day long. Don’t sit in one place for very long.

Explore new territory. Curiosity rules for baby! What’s this new container? What does this ball do? Keep looking for new adventures just like your baby does. Kickboxing? Hiking? Rollerblading? Biking? Kayaking? What new activity is waiting for you?

Let someone know when you need help. Your baby is standing up by leaning on a chair. But now she doesn’t know how to get down and cries out for help: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!" which is roughly translated into, "Help, I’m stuck!" When you feel stuck in your diet and exercise, cry out for help. Ask others to rescue you from tempting situations.

Be determined. You’ve seen that look in your baby’s eyes: "I will grab that object!" If a 20 pound infant can have that kind of dogged determination, so can you.

Take baby steps. A baby doesn’t learn how to walk overnight. She takes baby steps each day to gain mastery of this complex skill. In the same way, you won’t eat 100% healthy and exercise 45 minutes a day overnight, but that doesn’t mean you’re not moving in that direction. Don’t despise small beginnings. Take baby steps towards healthy eating and exercise habits and you’ll be walking around soon with your pre-pregnancy (or better) body!

Today’s action step: If your baby is moving (or you have a toddler), imitate what she does (crawling, walking) alongside her throughout the day. When she throws her arms above her head, you do the same. Have lots of fun and burn a few extra calories in the process.