Most of us shopping for a jogging stroller have a fairly new baby and fairly new post-pregnancy pounds. The choices can be overwhelming. Do I go with a cheaper model and hope it lasts longer than one trip around the block, or do I blow my kid’s college education so I can jog in style? I’m here to tell you I have found the happiest of happy mediums””though this stroller is FAR from “medium.”

The BOB Stroller Strides Fitness Stroller is a bit of an investment at around $380, but it is money well spent. The company designs BOB strollers to be “the most maneuverable, portable and versatile strollers available”¦The BOB name guarantees custom-engineered features, top-quality design and only the most durable materials.” I’ve got the Stroller Strides stroller and I’m a firm believer I have the best jogging stroller around.

Besides including all the great features of every BOB stroller (lightweight aluminum frame, versatile multi-position sun canopy, 5-point padded safety harness, Low Boy cargo basket, fine-tune front wheel tracking adjustment, and a front wheel rain-mud fender to name a few) the best feature of this official stroller of Stroller Strides is the accompanying fitness kit, which includes a water bottle holder, exercise tubing and a Stroller Strides fitness manual to assist you in your post-pregnancy workout. And now is when I introduce you to Stroller Strides, the nationwide stroller fitness program for new moms and their little ones.

Here’s a great intro from the Stroller Strides site: “In 50 minutes, you will get a total body workout improving your cardiovascular endurance, your strength and your flexibility. “¦ Along with walking we use the outdoor environment at our gym by doing intervals of body toning using exercise tubing and the stroller.” The classes, offered in over 300 locations nationwide, are taught by certified instructors who are also moms (but in a bit better shape than the rest of us).

For this review, I decided I needed to participate in one of the Stroller Strides classes. After a quick and easy search on their website I found one that met at a park only a few minutes from my house. Jennifer, our trainer, was very friendly and filled me in on the basics right away. And then we were off!

We power walked for a ways, jogged for a ways, and then stopped to do some bicep and tricep exercises that seriously made my arms feel like they were going to fall off! Then it was more power walking, jogging, and another interval of squats. This continued for about an hour and by the time class was over I was pretty dang tired””but I felt great! And though George got a little fussy in the stroller (it was way past naptime) he got a kick out of watching me tug on the bands while singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” Yes, while doing the intervals we sang to our little ones so they could be just as involved in the workout as the rest of us.

If you’re looking for not only the perfect jogging stroller but also the perfect way to lose some post-pregnancy weight and make some new friends, you’ve got to get the BOB Stroller Strides Fitness Stroller and sign up for classes with a local Stroller Strides program. Both are the best way to invest in not only your physical health (and sanity) but in your relationship with your new little one as well. –Emily

This entry was posted on Friday, July 21st, 2006 at 8:44 am and is filed under Daily Dish. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.