Doing chin-ups while washing up, or lunges while vacuuming might work for some people, but not for me. I’m just going to tell you about the simplest, most effective way to get a full body workout and cardio training every day, without having to pay for expensive gym memberships or babysitters.
Weight Loss Walking With a Baby Stroller
Yes, you read right – walking. It’s that simple! Just turn your daily walk with the baby stroller into your fitness session.
Did you know that walking is one of the top three ways to lose weight? (The others are running and swimming.)
How can you lose weight while walking with your baby stroller?
Once your baby nods off, pop him into the stroller, get out of the house, and start walking. Walk briskly for one hour a day non-stop. Keep a tempo. Finish with some stand-up stretching to wind down after your little jaunt.
How to Start your Stroller Walking Exercise Routine:
– A Walk a Day – regardless of where you’re going, to the park or the grocery store, do it every day. No excuses!
– Speedy Walking – you should be walking at a speed that makes it difficult to have a conversation. Dawdling along chatting to your friends is not fitness walking! Overtaking other moms is your benchmark.
– An Hour – In order to burn calories, you need to keep walking for an hour. Any less and you won’t see the benefits.
What you need for your Stroller Walking Routine:
– a baby pram or an easy rolling jogging stroller
– any comfortable shoes (they don’t have to be top-of-the-line sports shoes)
– drinking water
Gym equivalent: an hour of running/powerwalking on a treadmill PLUS fresh air – a bonus to speed up your metabolism.
Costs: zero (and you’re saving on a babysitter and car fuel)
Invisible Fitness with the Stroller
These exercises with the stroller are inspired by callanetics. While walking, try to push the stroller solely with your arms, stomach or butt muscles. You can achieve this by holding the stroller’s handle in a certain way, isolating one group of muscles and enabling others to work more intensely.
Add tiny repeated movements for a deeper impact on the muscles. Your body will get visibly leaner day by day. I call it Strollnetics – invisible fitness with the stroller, right on the go.
What to do to get fit Arms, Abs and Buttocks from walking with a baby stroller:
Push the stroller the right way to enable the abs, arms and butt muscles to work intensively while you’re on the move.
How?
– Abs: Hold the stroller with a narrow grip, with your elbows close to your stomach.
This makes your abs muscles work doubly hard.
– Buttocks: Take longer steps, push your stroller up and down hills/inclines to get those booty working. Daily walking in this way guarantees a firm and round butt – like two eggs in a hanky 😉
– Arms: Hold the stroller with a wider grip with your elbows further back.
This trick means that you’re pushing your stroller solely with your arms, causing your triceps to take the full load. You can kiss those bingo wings goodbye!
Do 5 minutes of stand-up stretching to finish your training
What you need:
– An easy rolling jogging stroller (preferably with an adjustable handlebar)
– Comfortable shoes (sneakers/sportswear are NOT needed)
– Water to drink
Strollnetics exercises are invisible – you can even train while strolling around the shopping mall, without getting any strange looks from passers-by!
Gym equivalent: a 60-minute power workout for your abs, triceps or arms combined with intense interval cardio training (plus fresh air)
Costs: zero (and saving on a babysitter, sports clothing and car fuel)
Rollerblading with the stroller – a lower body workout
Rollerblading for fitness is slow speed inline skating while pushing your baby stroller, combined with a special skating technique to work out your hips, butt and stomach muscles.
What you need:
– A proper jogging stroller with three fixed wheels
– A safety leash and a cycling bell
– Head support for your child
– Rollerblades
– Drinking water
How to do it:
– A slalom skating technique works out your stomach and hip muscles
– Half circles: intense strength exercises for the butt and hips
– Infinite eight – abs and butt muscles skating technique
– Once or twice a week (I wouldn’t recommend doing it any more often than that, as it is a high intensity workout)
Warning: rollerblading is not recommended with babies under 6-9 months.
Gym Equivalent: intense 1.5 hour lower body workout, combined with cardio training. And, of course, you and your kid will get plenty of fresh air!
Costs: zero (you just need rollerblades)
Long Lasting Stroller Fitness Results
Walking fast with your baby stroller every day for just one hour – until your child outgrows the stroller – will have a life-changing impact on your life and your body!
Stroller Fitness is Free Fitness for Moms
My philosophy is that the best things in life are free. It’s every mom’s right to get her body back after having a baby – why should you have to spend a fortune to do it?
You don’t need to pay for a gym membership, personal trainer or babysitter to make yourself fit and healthy. Just grab your stroller and get walking – it worked for me!
Guest post by Lena Filatova, a stroller fitness expert, blogger, the creator of Strollnetics, and a mom who has done more than 5000 miles with her baby stroller. In her Walkingmama blog, she shares her expertise on losing weight and getting fit solely by walking with her baby stroller.