Stroller Workouts: Hot Craze for Hot Moms

July 22, 2007 (PRLEAP.COM) Lifestyle News
St. Louis, Missouri (PR LEAP) July 22, 2007 — A new kind of interval training has quickly gained popularity among new moms: strollercise. Many mothers are anxious to lose the pregnancy pounds and also find ways to stay physically fit. Incorporating baby into a fitness routine is a common sense approach that many practical-minded moms have been doing informally for decades. Now, a number of companies have capitalized on the idea and created formal fitness classes and regimens that allow one to exercise with a stroller.

Just like other group aerobic classes, these workouts use the dynamic of peer groups to motivate participants to strive toward a common goal. The scheduled activity typically lasts for 60-90 minutes and takes the group on park trails or around a track, while incorporating strength training with lunges, squats and resistance bands.

Lisa Druxman founded stroller Strides in San Diego in 2001. Since then, they have opened 600 franchise locations around the country, offering outdoor and indoor group classes that incorporate "the environment, resistance tubing, and the stroller to get an all-over body workout in 60 minutes." In a clever co-branding effort, Stroller Strides has partnered with BOB to create the BOB Stroller Strides Fitness stroller, sold with the resistance tubing required for the workout. Many local parks and community centers offer their version of this class too, sometimes called Strollercise, Hot Moms, or Mommy-Baby Bootcamp.

For those who do not want to commit to a specific schedule and location, Strollertime promotes itself as the "any time, anywhere, any budget stroller workout." This CD/DVD combination starts with an audio-led power walk outside with the stroller followed by video instruction back at home on full-body toning. Cleverly, the video incorporates animated graphics to keep baby entertained while mom exercises.

What a great way to connect with other new moms; staying in shape, and maybe starting the kids off on the right foot (or for now, stroller) towards fitness.

Best Baby Strollers provides parents with helpful advice when selecting a baby stroller from among top brands like Jeep, Maclaren, Bugaboo, and Peg Perego. Visit them online at www.the-best-baby-strollers.com.