Stroller Strides was the first thing I did for myself after becoming a new mommy. I was adapting to life at home with a newborn and wondering how I was ever going to be able to leave the house again. There was a free trial week with Stroller Strides mommy and me workouts and figured I had nothing to lose. I needed to get back into shape and learn how to get myself and my new bundle of joy back out into the real world! Honestly, it was one of the best things I could have done as a new mom! I met lots of other moms with young kids and learned that I was actually going to survive this new phase of life. We bonded over the literal sweat and tears of motherhood, and got physically and mentally stronger together!
What is Stroller Strides?
Stroller Strides is a total fitness program ran by Fit4Mom with locations all over the country. We have an awesome Midtown Raleigh franchise led by Missy Currin that has been going strong for years! There’s also a western Wake and Chapel Hill branch, although I never attended any of their classes.
Stroller Strides is a full body workout you can do with your babies in tow. The class contains intervals of power walking or jogging according to your abilities, plus intervals of strength and body toning exercises using exercise tubes, your stroller, and the environment. All of the workout moves are adaptable for all fitness levels, so you don’t have to worry about struggling to keep up. The great part is that instructors weave songs and activities into the workout that are designed to entertain and engage your baby along the way. I learned so many fun nursery rhymes and kid songs that I used even at home after my workout was over! It was a great way to ramp up my new role in motherhood, not just to get my body back, but also dive into kid entertainment!
What to expect in class
Stroller Strides classes are usually held outdoors, in various parks and public spaces all over Raleigh. If the weather gets bad, classes will move inside depending on where they are allowed to meet that semester. When I attended classes back in 2015 we met at the Triangle Town Center Mall and inside a church gym during the winter. Once it warmed up, I usually attended class at Buffaloe Road Athletic Park. Looking at the current schedule, it appears North Hills, Pullen Park, Green Hills County Park, and the Museum of Art Park are now frequent class locations.
Children can obviously attend class with you, but they are expected to stay in the stroller for the most part. You are welcome to stop and nurse or attend to your child as needed, but they cannot be running around due to safety reasons. There were a lot of moms with double strollers and kids under the age of 6 when I went to workouts. I attended classes when I had only one baby, but once I had 3 kids in 3 years I wasn’t able to find a triple stroller that would work. If you have lots of kids you might run into the same problem and be unable to attend Stroller Strides because of it.
Playdates
At the end of class all of the kids get out of the strollers, sing a fun song, then have a time of mingling and socialization. This is probably the best part since it’s a built in playdate multiple days a week! The instructor also adds in some fun elements for the kids like a story time, craft, or one time we even went on a fire station tour! Midtown Fit4Mom is currently celebrating the month of mama all May long, so you can see some of their playdates and try it out!
Give Stroller Strides a chance and see what you think! Once I had too many kids to keep them all in a stroller I started going to MOPS meetings instead, so if brunch and chatting is more your speed then you can try that out too!