For all the chatter about stretch marks and baby fat, many new mothers would say social isolation is a more troubling side effect of pregnancy and childbirth.
As Lakewood mom Abby Gardner, mother of a 21-month-old daughter, puts it, “I didn’t know a lot of moms or places to go to meet other moms, and it was kind of intimidating to ask my O.B. about it.”
Her solution: The camaraderie she found in a stroller fitness group, which she now runs as part of a franchise operation with her toddler, Macy, serving as both “my workout partner and my business partner.”
The exercise, of course, is the central component of such gatherings, with new moms jogging and otherwise moving through workouts designed to help them get their old bodies back.
“When you’re pregnant, all your internal organs get pushed up, and your abdominal and lower-back muscles take a lot of abuse,” says Gardner, 36, who is a certified personal trainer, as well as a mom.
“Working out with a stroller helps your legs, your glutes and your upper body, and also helps work off that pregnancy weight, which is a huge issue for women as a whole.”
Such conditioning also helps women meet the daily physical demands of motherhood, says Jillian Harvey, mother of a 10- month-old son and owner of a newly opened StrollerFit franchise in Castle Rock.
“Before we have the baby, we’re carrying all the weight out front, and when we have babies, we’re always picking them up,” she says. “We want to make sure our moms are using the correct posture and building up their back and tummy muscles.”
But beyond this, she and others say, group workouts with the tots involved – whether the sessions entail strolling, running, swimming, yoga or some other activity – help new mothers and mothers-to-be feel more connected.
“It’s nice to have a group, because I have a hard time getting motivated to work out on my own,” says Christina Helms of Golden, who participates in one of Gardner’s StrollerFit groups three mornings a week with her 5-month-old daughter, Addison.
“And if I have a question as a first-time mom, like what to do when my daughter started to bite while breastfeeding, I can get an answer.”
Dr. Francine Paston, a pediatrician with Green Mountain Pediatrics, says such activities also carry benefits for the children involved.
“It’s important for parents to bond with their kids, and this increases bonding because you’re holding them and making eye contact, not leaving them in day care to go to the gym. It’s nice quality time,” she says.
In addition, exercising outdoors helps ensure that infants get their daily required dose of vitamin D, which is supplied by the sun and tends to be especially lacking in breast-fed babies, Dr. Paston says.
“Breastfeeding moms tend to need extra vitamin D and calcium, so being out in the sunshine helps with that, and doing high-impact exercise tends to remineralize the bones (to remedy the calcium loss),” she says.
Not all postpartum exercises need to be strenuous, however, notes Diane Wright, a registered yoga teacher who offers both pre- and postnatal classes at Exempla Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge.
Core muscles that get stretched in pregnancy can be strengthened, she says, through such gentle yoga poses as “boat,” which bolsters the hip flexors and abdominals, and “bridge,” which builds up the gluteal muscles and hamstrings.
Whatever group exercise a woman chooses during or after a pregnancy, she should recognize that “the more active you can be, the healthier you’re going to be and the faster you’re going to bounce back,” says Gardner.
“And once the baby is born, you’re going to be getting back in shape, meeting other moms and teaching your child from birth that exercise is fun and healthy.”
Staff writer Jack Cox can be reached at 303-954-1785 or jcox@denverpost.com.
Baby-minded fitness options
Here are some of the many fitness and conditioning options available for expectant and new mothers in metro Denver.
WALKING
Moms-to-be, new moms and their families are all welcome to take part in the inaugural “Run, Walk and Waddle,” a 5-kilometer tour around Sloans Lake starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday from the park at West Byron Place and Vrain Street.
The event, a benefit for the postpartum mood disorder division of the Denver-based Kempe Foundation, will include food, entertainment and lots of kids’ activities, as well as pre-race yoga and a post-race expo. Registration is $25 ($30 on race day) at runwalkandwaddle.com.
RUNNING
The notion of “Mom, the Everyday Athlete” will be celebrated May 19 in a nationwide run/walk expected to draw thousands of participants.
Designed to empower women to make their health a priority, the event is sponsored by the Wheat Foods Council in partnership with SeeMommyRun.com, an online running club with 28,000 members across the country, including several hundred in Colorado.
Entrants will run or walk whenever and wherever they want, using pedometers to record the distance they cover, in what organizers hope will set a world record for total steps taken in one day. For details go online to wheatfoods.org.
HIKING
Moms can get exercise with other mothers and at the same time introduce their infants and toddlers to the outdoors, on guided hikes (or snowshoe treks in winter) offered by Colorado Mountain Mamas, a Denver-based organization with nearly 500 active members.
$50 per year per family is the cost of the activities, which take place mostly in parks and open spaces in the foothills. They are designed with three age ranges in mind: moms with infants in front or back carriers, moms with toddlers who can “hike” a mile or so, and moms whose 3-to-4-year-olds can explore more challenging trails and carry their own packs.
All leaders are trained and CPR-certified. For details visit comountainmamas.com.
STROLLING
New moms can get back in shape and socialize with others by joining any of numerous stroller-pushing groups that meet in parks, recreation centers and shopping malls, usually two to three mornings a week.
Organizers include StrollerFit (strollerfit.com), a national firm whose local franchisees offer about 16 classes in Denver, Fort Collins and Castle Rock, and Stroller Strides (strollerstrides.com), with offerings in Littleton, Centennial, Lone Tree and Evergreen. Fees typically run $50 a month.
Hot Mamas Exercise, an independent operator at 701 S. Logan St., 303-296-2609, offers stroller workouts at $12 an hour, pushing off at 9:30 a.m. Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday at the northeast corner of Washington Park; 9:30 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday at the Millennium Bridge in Commons Park, and 9 a.m. Wednesday on the west side of Aviator Pool at Stapleton. Details at hotmamasexercise.com.
SWIMMING
The Aurora recreation department offers a water fitness class for expectant and new moms from 5 to 6 p.m. each Tuesday and Thursday from June 1 to Aug. 31 at Utah Pool, 1800 S. Peoria St. The sessions, which require no registration for the summer, feature low-impact workouts specially designed for women during and after pregnancy. For details call 303-696-4303 or go to auroragov.org/recreation.
For older kids, ages 10 and over, there’s a new aqua fitness class called Kid Fit, meeting from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays through the summer at Fitzsimons Pool, 1924 Wheeling St. The $4 drop-in fee allows class members to swim free during the open period afterward from 2 to 5 p.m. For info call 303-361-7275 or visit the website.
TOTAL CONDITIONING
BeStrong Fitness, which has offered outdoor boot-camp training for women for the past five years, has a new program called “Buff Moms & Kids,” featuring strength and agility training for moms and supervised exercises, games and free play for their children up to age 5.
The classes, developed by former military officer Kira Anderson, provide one “kid coach” for every six children. They meet at 9 a.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the playground in Washington Park, 9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday at Fred Thomas Park in Stapleton, and 11 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday at Redstone Park in Highlands Ranch. In addition, classes are scheduled at 8 a.m. Monday and Wednesday at Sandstone Park in Longmont and 10 a.m. Monday and Wednesday at North Boulder Park in Boulder.
Registration for a five-week session is $180 for two classes a week and $240 for three. For details go to bestrongfitness.com.
YOGA
Many yoga studios offer classes specially targeted to expectant or new moms, with infants usually welcome. Among them:
Iyengar Yoga Center, 770 S. Broadway, 720-570-9642. A class to prepare moms-to-be for the rigors of childbirth and help new mothers regain core strength meets from 9:45-11:15 a.m. Monday and 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday. Drop-in fee is $16, with discount coupon books available. Details at iyengaryogacenter.com.
Kriya Yoga Center, 4024 Tennyson St., 303-271-1057. A prenatal class to “enhance your pregnancy experience as well as your delivery” meets from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. Drop-in fee $14, at kriyayogacenter.com.
Whole Yoga School, 1735 E. 17th Ave., 303-333-9642. A restorative yoga class for prenatal and postpartum women is offered at noon Saturday. Drop-ins $12, at wholeyoga.com.
3 OM Yoga, 10471 S. Parker Road, Parker, 303-841-4880. Prenatal and postpartum class meets from 1:15-2:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, 12-1:15 p.m. Saturday. Eight-week sessions are $85 for one class a week, $170 for two classes and $240 for three. Details at highplanesyoga.com.
Studio Be Yoga, 2077 30th St., Boulder, 303-402-1763. A prenatal and postpartum class meets from noon to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, focusing on postural alignment, strengthening and stretching, opening the hips, toning the pelvic floor, deep breathing and relaxation.” $13, with babies welcome, at studiobeyoga.com.
-Jack Cox
