The hottest new piece of exercise equipment? A stroller
Peek-a-Boo Lunges, Choo-Choo Sprints and Ring-Around-the-Rosie Squats aren't part of most women's exercise routines.
But they're starting to be. More and more suburban moms (and a few dads) are embracing a new exercise trend that utilizes two unlikely workout tools: strollers and children.
Stroller exercise classes - which include young children - are sprouting up all over the suburbs, allowing new parents to get a serious workout without having to put their kids in a health club baby-sitting room.
If you think these classes are just women casually pushing strollers around the park and chatting about diapers, you're mistaken.
"You're not coming to walk. You're coming to sweat," said StrollerFit owner Randee Flynn, of Streamwood, a 35-year-old healthy living fanatic and "mompreneur" who launched a dozen stroller exercise classes this year across the Northwest suburbs.
StrollerFit also offers "Restore the Core," "Lose the Belly Sag" Pilates, and starting in January, mom-and-tot yoga classes. For those who prefer socializing to exercising, there's a supplemental StrollerFriends social group.
"The stroller adds resistance. That burns more calories, builds more strength, and lets you be with your kids," Flynn said. "It's like a day care membership and a gym membership all in one."
Other Chicago area programs include Stroller Strides, SuperMommies Fitness and various park district classes.
Prices of stroller exercise classes range from $4 to $15 each, depending on location and frequency. At most places, the first class is free.
Stroller fitness has been popular on the coasts for the past few years, but the trend is now making its way to the Midwest. StrollerStrides Chicago owner Jackie Dorris credits the growing popularity of these classes to the evolution of the stroller. While a decade ago there were only heavy prams or flimsy umbrella strollers, today's strollers are designed with fitness in mind - they're lightweight and easy to maneuver.
"It makes it comfortable to work out with a stroller," Dorris said. "And these classes combine your social need and need to get out of the house with a great workout."
How it's done
Stroller exercise classes are designed like circuit training classes: they try to incorporate a little bit of everything. But the focus is on getting the pre-baby body back. Workouts feature stretching, cardio, strength training and interaction with the kids using songs or exercises. The children aren't merely along for the ride; they're part of the workout.
In StrollerStrides, for example, one of the interactive activities is the Tickle Drill. You start by tickling your baby, then sprinting to the end of the field (or room) and back. When you get back, you tickle your baby again.
"The kids love it, especially when they figure out you're coming back," Dorris said.
StrollerFit has many similar activities, and ends its classes with mat time. That's when the kids are out of their strollers, crawling around and playing with each other while their parents do group exercises on the mats.
One mom's story
Mother of two Michele Voris, 39, of Arlington Heights, lost 32 pounds since she started doing StrollerFit in March. She'd tried mom-and-baby exercise classes in the past, but was disappointed to find they were more like mommy support groups than workouts.
"This time around, I wanted to get in shape. I'm going to be 40 and I didn't want to be 30 pounds overweight. I wanted to be a young mom, and be in physical shape to care for my kids ... and now I weigh less than I did before I got pregnant," Voris said. "You always say, 'Oh, I'll just get on my treadmill or walk outside,' but you never really do. This keeps me motivated. Plus, this is something I can do with my kids."
Voris was thrilled to find other moms who were as serious and motivated as she was about getting healthy and slimming down, and she loved that her child was included in the process.
Playing patty-cake while doing wall sits, or Choo-Choo Sprints (where everyone jogs in a single-file line, pushing their strollers, and the person in the back has to sprint to the front of the line) isn't easy, but it helped push Voris to her goal.
"It really changed my life," she said. "I was a certified aerobics teacher in college ... and from a fitness level perspective, this is the hardest thing I've ever done."
Modifications are available, so if you can't run, you can walk alongside the group. Low-impact options are always available, as the instructors are well aware that postnatal women have a variety of physical issues to deal with.
"We teach to all levels," Flynn added.
More than a class
Weight loss can be difficult for many new moms, not to mention the new lifestyle, lack of sleep, and feelings of isolation. Stroller exercise classes seem to help women on all these fronts (exercise leads to better sleep), which is among the reasons they're becoming so popular.
The classes strive to be inclusive - to working moms, moms who need to lose a lot of weight and even those who just need a self-esteem boost.
"If you go to the mall and your kid is screaming, everyone stares at you," Flynn said. "Here, we're all moms. We've all had screaming babies and we're all sleep-deprived. So there's a comfort level."
Parents who have to nurse, change a diaper or comfort a crying baby during class only have to pull their stroller aside, do what they need to do, and then rejoin the class.
"We've all had those days where our kid isn't feeling well, or is crying or has poopies," Voris said. "Everyone understands. If your kid's screaming, we all tune it out. Or we say, 'Hey, do you need some help?' You don't have to feel uncomfortable and embarrassed."
For older children, there's the added benefit of being a good role model. Flynn says her 5-year-old totally gets into it, and even suggests workout ideas ("We should do more high-knees, Mom!").
"They're learning firsthand that exercise is fun," Flynn said. "The kids mimic what we do, and this is a good thing for them to mimic."
Stroller exercise classes in the suburbs:
Currently offers classes in Arlington Heights, Buffalo Grove, Palatine, Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Streamwood, Hoffman Estates and Mount Prospect.
Currently offers classes in Buffalo Grove, Vernon Hills, Libertyville, Lake in the Hills, Crystal Lake, Naperville, LaGrange and Sugar Grove.
• At many local park districts