Who knew that your five-month old baby could become your exercise partner? Who knew that your baby stroller could become your fitness machine? Strolling fitness is an exercise regimen for new moms. Interestingly, it involves the use of the baby’s perambulator to do strength-building and stretching exercises. So, mothers start out with their strollers - their babies onboard - and kick off the regimen with skips, jogs, aerobic workouts, cardio and other muscle building exercises, all using the stroller. Already a rage across the world, this post-natal workout has now stepped into Bangalore. Fitness expert Wanitha Ashok will conduct strolling fitness classes at Moming, a studio for moms and moms-to-be at Basavangudi.

Talking about this new work-out style, Wanitha explained, “New mothers never have the time to workout. Most of the time, it’s purely because they have no one to leave their babies behind with. Strolling fitness is a great way for mothers and babies to bond. It’s a guilt-free exercise regimen, for your baby is with you as you undergo weight-loss or weight-training.”

All one needs is a pram with her baby on-board. The exercise claims to take care of all the components of fitness. “I will train them to push the pram in such a way that they do cardios and weight-training. A class will involve warm-up, building up the heart rate, squats and lunges and upper body work out - all by wheeling the pram.”
But how beneficial is this exercise regimen? “It’s a total body workout. A great variation, a woman will reap the same benefits as on a treadmill or aerobics,” claims Wanitha, an expert certified by Aerobics Fitness Association of America (AFAA). Wanitha, who will conduct weekend classes at Moming, adds that a one-hour class packs in a lot of punch but will begin with 30-minute sessions. It will cost Rs 300 per hour.

Reiterating her viewpoint, Deepa Anil, owner of Moming, says, “As far as my knowledge goes, strolling fitness is not available in India. We are the first. This workout is actually a great way to socialise for new mothers, who are all sailing in the same boat. And the babies enjoy it too.”

Spread across 6000 square feet, Moming is a one-stop-shop for pregnant women and new mothers. It has a retail space, offering trendy maternity wear, nursing wear, fitness wear, a chemical-free salon and a wifi-connected library cafe serving high-fibre snacks and de-caffeinated coffee. Explains Deepa, “I am retailing my own brand of clothing for new moms and pregnant women. The USP is that you will get both Western and Indian wear. All the cosmetics at the salon have been laboratory tested to ensure that they don’t contain any chemicals that may be hazardous to both the mother and the child.

For instance, we don’t do hair colouring or bleaching, simply because there are no chemical-free hair colours or bleaches in the market.” Play area for children, hobby classes and discussion forums are also an integral aspect of Moming.

Wanitha is conducting a complimentary strolling fitness class at 5 pm on January 26, at Moming located at 108/110, K G Nagar, behind Shankarpuram Telephone Exchange, off Bull Temple Road, Basavangudi. For details call 41666614.