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Bouncing babies New moms get fit, find support and friends at StrollerFit classes Tuesday, July 17, 2001 By Pohla Smith, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
It's a hot, humid day, made for shade trees, paperback novels and lemonade, but copiously sweating fitness enthusiasts cover just about every inch of outdoor space at Mt. Lebanon High School anyway.
Singles and doubles players square off on the tennis courts, walkers and joggers traverse the property. On the football field, adolescent boys run drills while girls practice the high-energy dance routines and gymnastics of modern cheerleading.
But no one seems to be working harder than the wagon train of women running uphill behind strollers full of giggling -- or occasionally fussing -- babies and toddlers.
And the moms' workout, which began with stretching, is just really getting under way. Before their 50-minute routine has ended, they'll have raced back downhill for more skipping, lunging and speed walking while pushing their strollers around the school premises. They also will stretch with strength-building tubes, do toe lifts on the school steps, and hold a thigh-killing yoga pose against a building wall through excruciating minutes of singing and counting -- among other exercises.
Then, just when it seems they couldn't have another ounce of energy left, they will put their babies on the ground to play in front of them while they hit their towels for abdominal-building floor moves.
In between all of this, they will feed their babies juice or snacks, make boo faces to crack some baby grins or comfort the occasional crier.
This is StrollerFit, a nationally expanding program designed to help mothers lose their pregnancy weight and get back in shape without having to leave their babies. Mothers are usually able to begin classes six weeks after delivery and continue as long as their children will tolerate the stroller.
StrollerFit was founded in 1997 in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Kristen McAu-liffe, a certified aerobics instructor and personal trainer, when she was a new mom herself. She had noticed that many of the pregnant women who worked out in her classes did not return after delivery. She discovered one of the reasons herself after having her first child: moms don't want, or sometimes can't afford, to leave their babies.
Kim Keane of Mt. Lebanon introduced the program to Pittsburgh after she moved here with her husband and two children last year.
Keane holds Tuesday and Thursday morning classes at Mt. Lebanon High and a Saturday morning session at South Park. She also is training another instructor.
Last winter, Keane's moms -- and the occasional father -- exercised indoors alongside the mall walkers on the lower level of South Hills Village Mall. Keane hopes her classes of 15 to 20 moms will be invited back again this year.
StrollerFit, which now has 11 franchises in seven states, has turned out to be much more than just an exercise program.
The classes also provide a ready-made support group for parents who share their problems and solutions. The sessions have led to play groups for the babies, as well as after-class social activities.
Keane, a former high school German teacher, track and cross-country coach, and program director of a seniors center, had gained 60 pounds before delivering her 9-pound, 10-ounce daughter "and recovering from her birth was really difficult. ... I was so injured from having her."
For more information
For more information, call Kim Keane at 412-563-6311. Prices range from $5 to $8 per class. You can also visit the company Web site: www.strollerfit.com.
Looking around for exercise without the expense of joining a gym, she heard about StrollerFit in a park. Keane loved it.
"I was surprised how challenging the workout was and pleased by how it focused on parents, particularly the new mom," she said. "She's had a lifestyle change; her body has changed, and they provided so much information on what was safe, and things like breast-feeding. It was very personal, everyone knew each other's names and their babies' names, and there were friendships coming from the class.
"A new mom struggles with isolation and loneliness, especially if she had worked full time. Now they're home with the baby, and their hubby leaves for work in the morning. Neighborhoods are not like the old ones where there were lots of moms in one place. New moms are scattered."
When Keane's husband was transferred to Pittsburgh, Keane "needed to make friends and I needed to exercise." Since she already was trained as an instructor, a StrollerFit franchise seemed the perfect opportunity.
And so it has been for the local moms who have joined.
"I was doing aerobics and it just wasn't giving me a good enough workout," said Sharon Specker of Mt. Lebanon, mother of 2-year-old Griffin. "I wanted greater aerobics than you can find on a floor in a gym.
"Here, you're not only running and lunging and climbing steps but pushing a total of around 50 pounds with the stroller and the kid in there. I love it."
Erin Senter of Mt. Lebanon, mother of 18-month-old Anna, mostly relied on walking for exercise before she learned about StrollerFit. "I never spent time on toning or strengthening. It's something that was new for me. I see definition in my legs that was never there, and between this class and Weight Watchers, I've lost 21 pounds."
Senter is Keane's instructor-in-training.
Janet Domalik of Green Tree started StrollerFit when first-born David was 8 months old. She continued it until one week before the birth of Ryan and was back on a limited basis two weeks after her Caesarean section.
The recovery from her second pregnancy was easier, she said.
The children also benefit, she said. "My son now will imitate me in the house. I'm fostering in him the importance of exercise."
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