New Moms Get Fit at the Mall

 Unaccommodating weather makes the winter months synonymous with hibernating from your regular outdoor exercise routine. For a new mother wanting to shed the post-pregnancy pounds, the holiday season can lead to a bad case of the winter blues.           

Stroller Stridesä, a total fitness program for new moms and their babies, offers a unique alternative to putting aerobic exercise on the back burner for the chillier times of the year. The one-hour group workout class that has swept the country is currently being offered in 41 malls nationwide from San Francisco, CA to Buffalo, NY.            

“The weather often keeps moms from exercising, which we know can cause depression,” said Lisa Druxman, fitness expert, speaker, author, and founder of Stroller Strides. “The indoor Stroller Strides program gets moms out of the house, working out, and feeling good.”  

Stroller Strides classes offered at mall locations boast the same great program as their outdoor counterparts. Certified instructors lead new mothers through a warm-up, a 50-minute power walk, and multiple body toning exercises with the use of resistance tubing and their children’s strollers.            

“It’s the same great class, but it’s indoors,” Druxman said. “The mall locations give us a much-needed indoor venue for winter months.”           

Malls also provide a built-in setting for socialization. Being cooped up in the house with a new baby can be taxing not only on a new mother’s figure, but also on her ability to sustain adult relationships.            

“Many moms with toddler-aged kids don’t make it to the mall very often,” Druxman said. “Our program brings them into the mall three times a week. It gives moms a purpose for getting out of the house and helps them connect with other moms in a positive environment.”           

Rachel McHale, a Stroller Strides instructor at the Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach, VA, said that since her program’s opening in June of this year, she has seen many new mothers blossom with the chance to get in shape and meet new friends with similar circumstances.           

“It gives them the opportunity to meet other moms, which is so crucial, especially, when they have small babies,” McHale said. “We have all the benefits of our outdoor program, but moms don’t have to worry about their babies braving the intense winter weather conditions.”           

McHale said that the social networking between the mothers does not typically end after the one-hour class.           

“The moms usually set up play dates for their children at the mall playground or go grab a cup of coffee together,” she said.            

Due to the popularity of the indoor sites, Druxman is currently scouting malls nationwide for additional Stroller Strides class locations. She recently attended a conference with the International Council of Shopping Centers, and multiple malls showed excitement about the possibility of hosting the unique fitness program on their sites.            

“It’s a win-win situation,” Druxman said of Stroller Strides’ partnerships with nationwide shopping centers. “We need indoor venues and they get shoppers.”           

McHale said that mothers are already eager for the winter Stroller Strides classes in the mall to start up again in January.
         
“I hope that joining the program will be a good New Year’s Resolution for new mothers who want to expand their social circles and get their pre-baby bodies back.”