GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Motherhood comes in all different shapes and sizes, but something we can all use once in a while is some encouragement from a community who gets it.
"Our mission is to help moms find their strength in motherhood," said Owner and Coach of Fit4Mom Grand Rapids, Marissa Andersen.
One group prides themselves on doing things a little differently. Fit4Mom is a place where prenatal and postpartum moms can come together for a workout.
"It provides a really neat opportunity for mom to get her workout in and not have to worry about childcare," said Andersen.
They offer a variety of classes. We dropped into one of their stroller stride classes. This is where your child can stay in their stroller and the parent can interact with them as well as get in a nice workout.
"This class is a mix of barre, pilates, yoga, ballet. So we work on really helping mom regain those core muscles that are sometimes lost during pregnancy," said Andersen.
Andersen described what an average stroller stride class looks like, "During these classes we spend some time moving. So, we take some laps around with the stroller to keep baby moving, we have stations that are made up of different exercises, but again are specific for prenatal and postnatal moms really focusing on the muscles they use everyday."
"Then during those stations we do a lot of interaction with the kiddos. We can sing songs, we do bubbles, we’ll do peekaboo’s, we’ll do tickles," Andersen explained. "Things to help them really enjoy it but also help mom get a really great workout."
The best part about this workout is you can get as much as you want out of it. The movements are challenging, but the coaches can modify anything to fit your needs.
They acknowledge that there is a lot of pressure for moms to get in "pre-baby shape," however these coaches want you to take your time and not put too much pressure on yourself.
"Our bodies change so much during pregnancy that there’s always going to be differences," said Andersen.
Andersen also wants moms to always remember what’s most important.
"These first few months with her baby is something she’ll never be able to replace. Focus on first of all your baby and that relationship with that baby and your fitness level will come as you come along," said Andersen.
For more information on this class and more click here.
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