FITNESS: 'Stroller Strides' encourages moms to work out with kids

<p>At first, Julia DeCredico pushed her three toddlers _ Claudia, Joseph and Davis _ in a stroller to help calm them down when fussy. Now, the 22-month-old triplets go on morning strolls with their mother, regardless of their moods.</p><p>That's because it's mom's time to exercise.</p><p>"This is mommy's turn, whether they cry or not. They have to help mommy be healthy," she said. "Walking is the perfect thing for a stay-at-home mom with small kids."</p><p>DeCredico exercises through Stroller Strides, a national fitness program for moms and their little tykes with franchises in 120 communities.</p><p>In suburban Atlanta, a Stroller Strides group of mothers pushing their children in strollers meets three times a week at a country club. Each mom pays $15 for a single class or $175 for a pass that includes three classes a week for three months.</p><p>Instructor Heather Pierce _ pushing her 1-year-old daughter, Jessica, in a stroller _ leads the other moms on a 1.5-mile loop through the neighborhood. They stop at pre-planned fitness stations along the way to do body-toning exercises including jumping jacks and squats while singing children's songs, such as "London Bridge" and "Old MacDonald."</p><p>Pierce left a management consulting job to become a Stroller Strides licensee who runs her own classes. "There was too much travel and too much time away from my babies," Pierce said about her old job. "I wanted to do something to help new moms stay fit."</p><p>Stroller Strides was started three years ago by fitness instructor Lisa Druxman in San Diego. Druxman realized there wasn't a good workout to help moms "get back to their pre-pregnancy shape," said Susan Glosby of Monterey, Calif., a Stroller Strides provider and soon-to-be chief operating officer of the company.</p><p>"One of the struggles after having a baby is the gym environment _ you're forced to put them in daycare and a lot of times you don't get a workout because the daycare is calling you, saying the baby is upset," Glosby said. "Then you feel even more guilty taking time for yourself."</p><p>Stroller Strides licensees pay $2,500 to $5,000 to the corporate office in San Marcos, Calif. for training, a local Web site and the right to run a Stroller Strides class.</p><p>Making time to be healthy is a challenge for moms, said Christina Daugherty, who was out in suburban Atlanta with her 10-month-old daughter, Avery.</p><p>"You can excuse yourself out ... because moms have a tendency to put themselves last," Daugherty said.</p><p>The program is a creative way to incorporate exercise with daily activities, said Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.</p><p>Although there are only a few other exercise programs around the country that involve moms and their children, Fernstrom said she could see them increasing in popularity, particularly at community centers or churches.</p><p>"These programs are wonderful," Fernstrom said. "We don't have to be competitive athletes to get exercise and it helps people see exercise is not boring, it's not painful and you get health benefits."</p><p>Adults should participate in moderate-intensity activities _ brisk walking, lawnmowing, dancing, swimming or bicycling _ at least 30 minutes five or more days a week, or participate in more vigorous activities _ jogging, chopping wood, high-impact aerobics, swimming laps _ at least 20 minutes three or more days a week, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.</p><p>Exercising with a stroller has other benefits, particularly for DeCredico, whose triple-capacity stroller weighs 130 pounds when full.</p><p>"The stroller is good for arm strength. When I started, they would be shaking," DeCredico tells the other moms with a laugh as she gently eases her stroller onto a sidewalk.</p><p>---</p><p>On The Net:</p><p>HASH(0x2840458)</p>

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