They call this Baby Boot Camp, but they should have named it after the moms.
At this exercise class, the mommies are doing all the sweating while the babies get a stroller ride and munch Goldfish crackers.
The class, now meeting three mornings a week in Edmonds, is a stroller fitness program that allows parents to bring their infants and preschoolers along for the workout.
“I get a workout and he has fun and gets to come along so I don’t feel guilty,” said Lisa Wilson of Mukilteo, mother of 18-month-old Travis and co-owner of a company that sells building materials.
Classes here started in July and the program will be featured in the city’s fall recreation guide. Other area classes meet in Seattle and Gateway Park in Woodinville.
Dads are welcome too, but at a recent session it was all women wanting an exercise class that accommodates their kids.
“I’m in the same boat as all the women here. You don’t want to go to the gym with 18- and 20-year-olds who’ve never had kids,” said Jenny Kanzler of Shoreline. She brought her towheaded 2-year-old Lizzy along for the workout.
Her daughter gamely chomped snacks in the stroller while Kanzler power-walked around the track. Lizzy later climbed on playground equipment while Kanzler used resistance bands to work her arms.
A San Francisco personal trainer developed the program in 2001 after having her first child. She wanted to exercise without hiring a babysitter or buying a gym membership.
The program spread, and instructors around the country lead classes that combine strength-training exercises with cardiovascular drills. It includes elements of Pilate’s, yoga and abdominal exercises to help tone post-pregnancy tummies.
It’s more than the allure of taut abs that draws women to these classes. New mothers often feel isolated after the birth of a child, said class instructor Sissel Brunette. She did and wishes she had something like this program when her now-3-year-old son Brandon was a newborn.
Charlyn McDonald, a new mom from Lynnwood, wants to get her body back in shape and meet other mothers. Caleb, a 3-month-old with blue eyes and a swatch of fuzzy hair, spent the workout snoozing or staring intently up at his mom.
“He loves it,” McDonald said. “He loves being outside, the fresh air.”
The baby is always at the center of the activity, lying on a blanket while mom stretches or watching from the stroller while the adults run up and down stairs. Sometimes the baby is the exercise, with moms stretching up and then reaching down to tickle their babies during one set.
At this class, a few older brothers tagged along for the workout, riding their bikes around the track behind the moms.
The program is touted as a less expensive alternative to hiring a personal trainer. One month of unlimited classes costs $80 or participants can purchase class packages. The first class is free.
Reporter Debra Smith: 425-339-3197 or dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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