I recently had the opportunity to work out with the ladies of Fit4Mom Annapolis - Stroller Strides. If you're not familiar with Stroller Strides, it is a total fitness program for moms (even pregnant ones!) that you can do WITH your baby! It is a complete head-to-toe total body workout done completely with your child in tow, enjoying an interactive stroller ride. Basically, your park is turned into an outdoor gym... with little to no equipment!
So how did it go? I'm not going to lie. It was tough! We started with a quick warm up in a circle, babies facing each other. Some whining (mine), some laughing (everyone else's)! Karen, our instructor, started a quick introduction and conversation about our LEAST favorite baby items. Soon, I forgot I was working out. Sure, my body was moving, but between the conversations, the laughing and commiserating over the MUST-HAVE baby item that turned out to be useless, I didn't even notice I was burning calories!
After the warm up, we walked (or ran, for those who can!) between four stations where we'd stop and do body toning. What I thought was amazing was the child interaction that was worked into the program. I was so nervous that my son (who NEVER sits in a stroller for a full hour) would be cranky, crying and whiny the entire time. But there was so much for him to take in - new scenery, new babies to babble to, snacks, plus 15 moms singing Pop Goes the Weasle and the Wheels on the Bus in front of his stroller. He barely had time to utter a complaint of any sort!
As a mom who hadn't done any type of formal exercise for almost two years, Stroller Strides is perfect. But, if I was a mom who already had an established workout regimen, Stroller Strides is perfect. That's the beauty of it. This program is designed for moms of all fitness levels, and all shapes and sizes are welcome and succeed. The specially trained instructors are fantastic at showing a standard exercise, then providing modified moves for pregnant moms, nursing moms, recently postpartum moms, or simply moms like me who hadn't exercised in years.
One of the best parts of the program was meeting the amazing women - instructors and members. I think a common misconception of this group is that it is a group of moms who get together, sip their coffee and walk around a park. That's not the case at all. These. Girls. Work. Hard.
There were moms with single strollers. Moms with double strollers. Moms who were 12 weeks post partum. Moms with 3 year olds. Moms who were dealing with sleepless nights. Moms who talked of battling temper tantrums. Moms who are new to Annapolis. Moms who have lived here their entire lives. Amazing moms who are going through the same exact challenges as you. And they all welcomed me into the class as if they had known me for years.
So, was I sore afterwards? Yes. Did I enjoy myself? Yes. Did Nick enjoy it? Yes! Will I go back? Absolutely.
If you want to try out Stroller Strides, check out the Fit4Mom Annapolis website. Your first class is free! Fit4Mom also has a mom's club called Our Village. They host weekly play dates and monthly Mom's Night Out's. It's free to join and you don't have to be a member of Stroller Strides to do so!
And if you want to try it out with a group of Annapolis, Pasadena and Severna Park Mac Moms, join us on September 8th at 9AM for the Macaroni Kid Annapolis-Pasadena-Severna Park Stroller Strides class! Details and registration information can be found here! Hope to see you there!
