1. It's been documented in several articles and studies. When you push a stroller, you are burning more calories than walking alone. Us moms are always looking for a way to multi task and StrollerFit does this.
One article claims walking at a brisk pace can burn 100 calories, a brisk walk with a stroller bumps that up to 180 calories! Not only will you be able to squeeze in that exercise, but you'll also be more efficient while doing it.
ediets Diet & Fitness blog2. Walking with a stroller is not the only secret weapon of StrollerFit. Many of our exercises use resistance bands and tubes. The principle behind these is strengthening the muscle on the lengthening phase, much like pilates. This creates long, lean sexy muscles.
3. The weighted mommymuscle bar combines strength and resistance into one exercise. Using the muscle in both directions, increasing muscle strength. Muscle burns more calories than fat..so more muscle is good.
4. Your body burns calories while you are doing a cardiovascular exercise, like a brisk stroller walk. Do a StrollerFit class adding resistance training to that cardio and you'll keep burning calories for up to 48 hours after you're done.
5. No one has ever asked me why we sing in StrollerFit, or why I'm always encouraging moms to sing louder. Seems obvious right? Nice loud singing entertains our kiddos, what baby doesn't enjoy Ring around the Rosy, or what toddler doesn't like picking the farm animal for Old McDonald? True, but there is a bonus reason. When you sing, your uptake of oxygen increases. Making the effort of singing while exercising even more challenging AND building cardiovascular fitness. AHHH HAAA!
6. Adding imbalance to our exercises with the mommymuscle ball, or by doing them on one foot engages the core muscles, improves the proprioception sense and challenges the body even more. Balance is also a sense that will decrease overtime if we don't continue to challenge it. Weight bearing, gravity based activities increase our sense of balance and keep it from diminishing as we age.
7. Combining weight, resistance and imbalance really bumps up the calorie burn and effectiveness of the workout as a whole. Making the most of the short time moms have to exercise each day.
8. Above all, I believe the greatest part of the mommymuscle theory used in StrollerFit is that it allows a new mom who is also new to exercise to work at her own level, while working out right next to a mom who has exercised her whole life and is also being challenged. Now that is an all levels class.
9. The social advantages of working out with other moms are obvious. We love being in the company of others who understand we may need to stop to explain to our toddler why she can't hit her sister, or stop to nurse a baby who woke up late and is off schedule. It's also just fun to be around other moms in general.
10. Last but not least, I bribe the kids. Stickers, fun songs, tickling feet...it's all to get them to ask you "mom, are we going to StrollerFit today?" No not really, I just adore kiddos, but it's an advantage for sure.
So, the secrets have now been revealed. You now know why you were able to go from 34 squats to 48 in an 8 week time period, why your pants fit and why you're now able to unload the dishwasher while balancing your toddler on your hip without falling over.
See YOU in class mamas!
