As the weather warms up, you want to venture outside and start running with a stroller. If you are a new mom you may not be sure where to start so let me help you. Many new moms find themselves with pregnancy weight to lose and little time to exercise because they are so busy with their baby. What better way to get outdoors with your child, while getting your workout in. There are certain tips that will help you when running with your child in a stroller that I will share with you. Tips like how to keep your child occupied, and how to push your pace and form will help you to get the most out of your stroller workout. As a mom of three, I have pushed my children through many stroller runs and stayed in shape while the children had a great ride and so can you!
If you are a new mom make sure that your doctor clears you to resume exercise. Once cleared you can invest in a good running stroller (I like B.O.B or Baby Jogger). Then make sure you strap your baby in, put up the sun visor to protect them from the sun and wear the arm harness so if you were to fall, your stroller would not run ahead of you.
If baby is not happy, mom will not be happy trying to run. Set the running stroller time as a treat for your baby and pack books, snacks, drinks and even a toy or two. If you keep your tot occupied they will be more excited to go out on the next run.
I love running to a destination like the park or lunch to break up the run. It keeps your child involved, especially if he or she is a toddler. The park destination run has always been a favorite for all my children because they look forward to stopping mid-way of the run, playing for an hour before I run back. This is a great way to keep your child involved.
Push yourself to the next level with a great workout by challenging your time. Just because you are pushing your child in a stroller does not mean you have to run at a snail’s pace. You can safely run an 8 minute mile pushing the stroller and you will build your endurance as a result. So track your time and challenge yourself to greater improvement.
In the middle of your run you find yourself out of breath and feeling over worked? Take a break and do some walking lunges and squats so that you can build the strength in your larger muscle groups (lower half) and tone your body. Then get back into your run!
Make sure to maintain a strong posture with your body upright. Make sure to not lean down onto the stroller as this is unsafe because will not only put pressure on your back but also may cause the stroller to tip. So run tall with confidence because you are one amazing, multi -tasking mama!
The time you can run pushing your child is short, so enjoy this time by talking to your child and enjoying the sights together as you run. Before you know it this time will be over and your child will be in full time school, so seize the day while you get a great running stroller workout in!
I hope you enjoy the beautiful weather and get a great running workout with your child. So tell me, what are your running goals and how will you conquer this using your running stroller workouts?