At this BYOB(aby) party, new mothers try to get the bod back - and tone up mental health.
By LATEEFA MOREHOUSE
Published September 9, 2005
As the babies chuckle and gurgle in their strollers, the mommies pant and sweat while power-walking, pushing those strollers ahead of them.
"Drop those shoulders and push that stroller and remember to suck in those abs," yells Ginger Couden, an instructor for Stroller Strides, a fitness program for new mothers in New Tampa, Old Hyde Park and Brandon.
At the Westfield Brandon mall, the mothers skip-jump past Abercrombie & Fitch to JCPenney, where they stop to use resistance bands to work their shoulders. From there, they stop in front of Dillards to use a water fountain and benches for pushups and triceps lifts. Then they power stroll to the Gap and do leg lunges, some mothers holding their babies in their arms for added resistance.
This is a fraction of the Stroller Strides fitness routine these women participate in every Tuesday and Thursday morning in the mall. The program runs in many states across the nation and started locally in July.
Stroller Strides is also about healthy minds. Since its inception in 2001, the program has gained national attention because of the social support it provides for new mothers.
"Being a mother can be isolating," says Couden, 31, explaining that the program helps women get out of their homes, lose postnatal weight and have fun with other mothers.
Couden, who moved to the Tampa Bay area from Hawaii last December, started the program in early March.
The Stroller Strides fitness routine consists of a warmup and a 50-minute power walk circumventing the whole mall with stops for strength, toning and flexibility training.
The instructors, like Couden who is pregnant and has a 2-year-old, are mothers and are certified in pre- and postnatal fitness. Many of the routines include activities that are designed to entertain and occupy the baby, which has attracted mothers to the program.
"You don't have to get a sitter. If your baby is crying it doesn't matter because there are 10 other women whose babies are crying, and you can stop and take care of her," said Barbie Emaus, 21, who exercises with her 3-month-old daughter, Rylee Anne.
Emaus says that since she joined the program she feels stronger and has lost 25 of the 45 pounds she gained during pregnancy.
"It gives you the chance to interact with other mothers," she said, "and get tips on things like how to get sleep if the baby is not taking the bottle - any problems new mothers face."
Tracy Guthrie, 30, said the program had increased her energy level and confidence in being a good mother.
"I went through postnatal depression," she said. "It's really helped me come out of that."
Amber Grant, 24, said that besides loosing weight, Stroller Strides helps her mentality.
"I feel great. I missed last week. I just didn't feel the same," she says. "It helps keep me happy, my entire mind and body."
- For more information about Stroller Strides in New Tampa, Brandon or Tampa's Hyde Park, call Ginger Couden at 813 394-7754 or go to www.strollerstrides.net/tampa
