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Farel Hruska, Stroller Strides, National Fitness Director: As a new mom, sometimes it's difficult
to find the time to get out and exercise.
However, health and fitness is so important, not only for your well-being,
but also to have the time to spend as an example for your child.
The stroller is a fantastic way to get some cardiovascular and strength work.
Here's some examples:
With the walking lunge, you're going to want to take as large of a step as possible,
leading with that chest, keeping your hips nice and close to the stroller, but also keeping those arms and wrists really relaxed.
Don't forget to relax the jaw and shoulders.
Every step that you take, you're going to want to lean into that front hip and pull yourself up with that front leg,
using the glutes, the hamstrings, and the quadriceps.
So, a great modification to the walking lunge is to take a step and to add a hip extension to that exercise.
It's a very small lift; doesn't take much.
Want to be careful not to hyperextend that back, but to really squeeze with those glutes, nice, large step
and a great, tight hip extension.
Continue on; about 25 on each leg is recommended to begin with.
And you can always add more.
The stroller squat is also a fantastic lower body exercise.
As you lower down into that squat, make sure that your rear is as far back as possible,
putting the weight of your body in your heels where you can actually wiggle your toes.
Your knees are lined up with those ankles and your core remains nice and tight.
Now, on the opposite end of that squat, as you stand up, use your stroller as resistance
and squeeze those shoulder blades together, strengthening that upper back.
When you get to the top, the knees remain soft, belly stays tight,
and those shoulder blades are squeezing together, strengthening that upper back.
Come down, and as you come up, pull that stroller in toward your abdomen and squeeze those shoulder blades.
This way, you get lower body and upper body; a nice way to strengthen that upper back and get you back into postural alignment.
The side stroller push-pull exercise is a great core strengthener.
You're going to start with your feet about shoulder-width apart or a little bit wider.
Knees are soft or slightly bent.
You're gonna draw that belly button in toward your spine,
and as you reach forward and push that stroller out, you're gonna bring rib cage to hip bone.
And as you come back, you're going to do the same thing on the opposite end.
So, you're going to bring the rib cage toward your hip bone, squeezing your obliques, giving it an all-over core strength.
Reach over your head, over that ear, and pull down nice and strong, squeezing on the opposite end.
This stroller crunch is also really a wonderful way to get those abdominals nice and strong
while still having fun with your baby.
It's a wonderful way to strengthen the core, but also interact with that baby, have fun with baby,
let baby know that you're still interested in being with them while you're strengthening your core.
Come back as far as possible without feeling any sort of back pain
(you're going to listen to that back pain as your sign; as your guide).
Keep that belly nice and tight, come on back, and as you come up, give that baby just a little tickle, and head back down.
Nice.