Baby Boot Camp

Archived Q&A and Reviews

April 2013

RE: Mom and baby exercise class on Fridays & weekends

Please check out Baby Boot Camp Oakland for fantastic stroller fitness classes on Friday and Saturdays. The instructors are amazing and will get you sweating in no time flat. The babies love it as they get to watch mom get strong, check out all the other babies, and hang in the park for an hour. Tons of support, tons of fun and quite effective. I highly recommend! Oh and dads and partners are free on Saturdays! Fit Mama

Berkeley Baby Boot Camp?

April 2009

I had my first baby 4 months ago and am looking for a way to get back into shape (with my baby in tow!) It has been a long time since I really exercised. I am considering the Berkeley location of Baby Boot Camp. Does anyone have any recent experience with this class? anon

I'm a current member of this group in Berkeley and I think it's great. It's a fun way to get out and exercise - it gets you AND your baby out of the house. The other moms and the instructors are all really nice. For me it makes the exercise fun because it's social and supportive. Much more fun than jogging by yourself. I think you get the first class for free so you should give it a try. Joy

I highly recommend the Berkeley Baby Boot Camp. It's so much fun, a great way to meet other moms and babies, and a fabulous workout! Whipped me back into shape in no time. Go check it out! BBBC fan

Baby Boot Camp in Berkeley helped me lose over 35lbs after I had my baby. I started going just 6 weeks after my son was born and it was tough at first but I got faster and stronger. Now over a year later I still go at least 3 times a week and the classes continue to help me get stronger and lose weight. I have met so many wonderful mothers, fathers and their babies. I am working now but I still make time to go and I have found that boot camp is becoming a great networking tool as well. I cannot say enough good things about it. If you are thinking about ways to lose that baby weight and get out of the house and make some friends this is the way to do it. Plus the first class is free - so you have nothing to lose. Tess

Oct 2008: Baby Bootcamp for Plus Size Mommies?

I am a Plus Size Mommy of 3 and my youngest is 8 months. I am currently a size 24. I lost 30lbs after being preggers with my baby and would like to continue on this path. I am currently a new Weight Watchers member and I need to incorporate excercise into my (already busy) routine. I am currently looking for a program that is geared toward the Plus Size Mommy maybe a yoga class (found one but, the option of bringing baby is not there), ''Baby Bootcamp'' type, Jazzercise type class. I would like to not be the only size 24 in the class and I need something that is mornings with childcare or something that includes the baby in the class. I saw on ''View By the Bay'' a class with the baby in the stroller and thought that was awesome! But, alas it's only in the city and not anywhere near here. I live in Richmond. I checked with my local Jazzercise and although some classes offer childcare the morning classes do not. I tried the traditional Baby BootCamp with my now soon to be 5 year old and that was AWFUL! The class was definitely not geared to me as I was just starting out and running up and down stairs on my first day out literally made me feel like I was going to faint! I never went back ... I felt very out of place and I felt like I wasn't really wanted there. Currently I'm walking on Tu and Thur. If any other Moms want to join me let me know (ask the moderator for my email) ... but, I'm still looking for more. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Plus Size Mommy looking for Excercise Options

Try Stroller Strides! (www.strollerstrides.net/easbay) We have all sorts of Moms of various sizes, you can limit the amount of exercise you want to do depending on what you are comfortable with and your baby is with you in the stroller the whole time. There are classes 6 days a week all over Oakland area. You'll meet great Moms with newborns to toddlers, you'll be outdoors and you don't have to run! Check out our Saturday 9:30am class at Joaquin Miller. Great views, nice walk and good start for your weekend. You can try a whole week of classes for free to see if you like it. leslie

It sounds like your instructor was the problem, not the program. All good instructors should be able to quickly identify when and how to adapt the intensity of the workout to fit an individual's needs. Everyone, regardless of size, fitness level, coordination, etc. should be made to feel welcome and a valued member of the group. Stroller-based workouts generally have a strong aerobic exercise component which burns fat as fuel, as well as strength training to build lean muscle mass. So you were on the right track, there. Fitness walking, with or without your baby in a stroller, provides a good moderate level aerobic workout. So here again, you're making good choices. Besides Baby Boot Camp, the Bay Area has other new mom fitness programs. Check out: Stroller Strides at: www.strollerstrides.com Strollerfit at: www.strollerfit.com Working Out With Baby at: www.workingoutwithbaby.com Helene Byrne