The News Herald
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
Strollers on a roll
Moms, babies combine fitness, fun in workouts
By Faith Ford
News Herald Writer 522-5114 / fford@pcnh.com
Strollers on a roll
A dozen women laid colored mats and blankets in the grass and sank to hands and knees. Their audience watched wide-eyed and happy as the women began a series of push-ups.
Katy Bradford laughed and kept pumping as her daughter, Lily, 2, climbed her backside. Nothing out of the ordinary there.
Sippy cups and pacifiers are as common as spandex at StrollerFit, a fitness course incorporating children in strollers into a cardio and strength training workout.
Instructor Cassidy Carow purchased the franchise and introduced the national program to Bay County at the start of October. Her classes have grown from four participants the first week to more than 12 at some recent classes.
Carow, 27, does not have children, but she says if she were a mom, she would not want to sacrifice fitness. A longtime sports and exercise fanatic, Carow played sports in school and took up aerobics instruction after leaving a job teaching Spanish. She is certified by the Aerobic and Fitness Association of American and StrollerFit.
Carow packs a stereo blasting kid-friendly tunes in the stroller she pushes during class. The class is open to fathers, but so far it’s women only. It alternates between stationary exercise and walking or jogging with strollers rolling down the pavement at Joe Moody Harris Park.
“Remember this is your workout, I want you to work out at your own pace,” Carow advises the women. At least one of her students is pregnant.
Kristen Sears talked about the class as she rolled her daughter Kamryn, 1, down the park boardwalk during one exercise.
Along with the fitness benefit, Sears said the class is a social opportunity. “It’s great to meet other moms,” she said. “It gets us out of the house.”
Bradford, walking alongside Sears, said the kids seem to enjoy StrollerFit as much as their parents.
“It’s good because you’re always moving,” she said. “They never get bored.”
Micki Anger packs both of her girls, Kinsey, 21, and Dana, 5 months, into a double stroller for class.
“I love it,” she said. “It’s great for them to get out. They have fun with the music and the movement.”
Mitzi Schafer made faces at her son, Brycen, 5 months, while she did leg exercises during a recent class.
“Any kind of movement with me bouncing up and down in front of him, he thinks mom is funny,” Schafer said. Rather than putting Brycen into child care, Schafer said she appreciates being able to work out with him. She hopes the classes are a lesson teaching the value of exercise.
Classes last about 50 minutes and are flexible for all fitness levels, Carow said. The women meet at Joe Moody Harris Park, on Ninth Street off Sherman Avenue in Panama City. But with cooler weather, Carow said, she plans to move classes to Renegade Sports Center in Lynn Haven.
The women meet from 9 to 10 a.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. If enough show interest, Carow said, she will add more times and days and possibly start a class in Panama City Beach. Some moms have jogging strollers, but Carow said almost any stroller will do. However, she recommends against umbrella strollers because they are less stable.
Kids of any age can participate as long as they are comfortable in a stroller, Carow said. She advises new mothers to check with their doctors to determine when they can start a fitness regime.
