WalkingMama: Fitness with the Stroller
From marketer in a multi-national company to mom on the move, Elena Filatova, founder of www.walkingmama.net, an expert blog on baby stroller fitness, shares her remarkable story – and some great tips for getting back in shape after giving birth.
Some Air for the Working Mom-to-be
I was sitting in my office, six months pregnant, sweaty and bloated. The cleaning lady happened by and taking pity on my drippy, pathetic state, asked me how I was feeling. I told her it felt like my baby had taken up soccer practice – my baby was kicking me all the time. With the wisdom of one who had been there, she said that it was probably because he wanted some air. I didn’t really believe her but was willing to try anything at that stage so I went for a little stroll. Lo and behold, the kicking stopped!
A five-mile walk, some rollerblading and a cold water swim
I had always been quite sporty so from that moment on, I decided to get off my pregnant butt and get moving. At seven months, my colleagues were horrified to see me cheerfully roller-blading by. At eight and nine months, I was walking five miles along the beach every second day, finishing off with a dip. In the Baltic Sea. In October.
I didn’t quite enjoy the pointing and staring from total strangers as they watched the crazy lady with the bump splashing back and forth. Of course, all of my friends happened to be pregnant at the same time but they were ‘normal’ mothers-to-be, and outraged by my shocking behaviour. Eventually, I gave into their begging and took a break. From the swimming at least. It was a little cold I must admit.
Back to Work and Back Home Again
After nine months’ maternity leave, I went back to work. I had a great job with a multi-national company which had previously been my life. Now I struggled to see why. What was the point of all those meetings and presentations? I made my decision and left to become a full-time mom.
With the baby boy in the stroller, I took to walking again, but never venturing too far from the safety of home. My life took on a home-mall-home pattern. After a couple of weeks, I knew where every crack in the pavement was and felt like I was cracking up too. Why couldn’t I go to the market, go to the park, meet my friends for coffee in the city? The answer was logistics. We lived quite far from the city and the only way to get there was by car. Or by foot actually!
On Foot with the Stroller – Everywhere!
So, I did what I did best and started walking again. Soon I was easily covering the one and a half hour walk into the city. I walked to the market. I walked in the park. I walked through the forest. I walked along the beach. I don’t think there was a person within a 20-mile radius who didn’t pass me and my stroller marching along somewhere. The stroller became my kid’s home away from home and my friends started tut-tutting about my ‘gypsy’ lifestyle. I just smiled and put it down to frustration – most of the time I was moving faster with my stroller than they were on public transport.
From Walking for Fun to Walking for Fitness
I gradually began to realize that just by pushing the stroller in one way or another, I was working out different parts of my body – abs, butt, arms – just by changing position slightly while constantly moving. The weight dropped off: 22 pounds during one year. My body started to take shape. This is how I came up with Invisible Fitness for Moms and a Walkingmama site.
Again my friends thought I was crazy. Why didn’t I go and get a ‘real job’? Seemingly taking care of an extremely active toddler and starting my own business wasn’t ‘real’ enough for them. Luckily, my husband was extremely supportive and stood by me and my crazy ideas.
This was something I felt truly passionate about and as I repeatedly pointed out to him, a happy wife means a happy life…
Moms Get Fit for Free
I believe every mom has the right to get her figure back after giving birth. Why should they have to spend a fortune on gyms, personal trainers or special clothing and equipment, when everything they need is right in front of them? Literally! They get to spend more time with their baby, get lots of fresh air and get back in shape naturally and easily, using what I now call ‘Strollnetics’.
How to Walk to Lose Weight with your Baby Stroller
The first twenty minutes of walking acts as a warm-up, the next forty minutes is when the magic happens. Here are some tips that every mom can work into her daily routine.
- Walk every day – no exceptions and no excuses!
- Walk fast – overtaking other moms is your benchmark!
- Keep going – your body only starts to burn calories after 20 minutes, so try to walk for around an hour or so to see maximum benefits
- Finish with some stretching – relax your muscles and give yourself an energy boost
- Smile and enjoy the way your body moves!
On The Go – It’s my Life!
In no time, my whole life became about being on the go. If I wasn’t walking with my stroller, I was roller-blading with it. When my son got too old for the stroller, I bought a scooter. We zipped around the city, while I came up with new ideas for my new business. I’d never felt better and my son was happy and healthy – and of course, full of questions about the things he was seeing and the people we were meeting every day!
Walkingmama is for Moving Moms
It’s taken a while to get moving (unlike me) but walkingmama.net is now doing really well, and growing in popularity all the time. My current goal is to make ‘Invisible Fitness with the Stroller’ available to every new mother. And as my friends and family have come to realize, I’m a pretty determined lady so watch this space!
Elena Filatova is a stroller fitness expert, blogger and a mom who has walked more than 5000 miles with her baby stroller. Weight Loss Walking, Rollerblading with the Stroller and Invisible Fitness on the Go are her areas of expertise. She is the author of Walkingmama: Moms Get Fit for Free!
