Moms and moms-to-be, looking for a great way to get fit?  Well, we have a great recommendation for you with Baby Boot Camp!

According to 2009 study published in the Journal of Women’s Health, the top two excuses new moms use for not getting to exercise are lack of time and issues with childcare. The Dr. Sears’ L.E.A.N. Group realizes that these two obstacles can be challenging, which is why we support and highly recommend Baby Boot Camp’s prenatal fitness classes and postpartum stroller fitness classes.

Working Out With Baby

Baby Boot Camp uniquely balances the fitness needs of new moms with their desire to spend time with their baby. Nationally certified Baby Boot Camp fitness professionals Boot Camp provides high-intensity, stroller-based workouts in a small-group format, to maximize the workout for busy moms while helping busy moms incorporate their baby into their workout by sharing tips such as:

• Young babies cry to get their basic needs met. Make sure that your baby begins your workout well-fed, with a clean diaper, and dressed in layers that can be easily removed or added.
• Position your baby close enough to see you. Interact with your infant while you are doing exercises — for example, you can turn a jump squat into a jump squat-tickle.
• If you’re heading outside, attach some favorite toys to your stroller that are within your baby’s reach. If your child is a pacifier fan, bring a few extras.
• Monitoring your exercise. Heart rate stopped being a means of measuring cardiovascular exercise during pregnancy in 1994. Use the Borg Scale instead — the Rate of Perceived Exertion. It is a scale from 1 to 10 to measure the intensity of exercise. Try to stay between 3 and 6 — you can carry on a conversation but it is a bit hard.

By welcoming children to the classes, Baby Boot Camp not only provides moms a way to exercise without the added burden of finding affordable, safe childcare — the classes also introduce children to healthy behaviors that they can adopt themselves. The Baby Boot Camp workout also helps moms meet the physical challenges of parenting by emphasizing training in a supportive environment with other new moms.

Safe and effective for moms

Baby Boot Camp’s programs provide a comprehensive range of fitness programming to meet individual fitness needs. Their prenatal class formats help you better prepare for delivery and the demands of motherhood. Numerous studies have shown the benefits of exercise during pregnancy, and all Baby Boot Camp classes follow the guidelines set by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Council on Exercise. Baby Boot Camp is the only national stroller fitness program that requires all instructors to be nationally certified fitness professionals so that they can deliver a more effective, safer workout with personalized attention.

Maximize results

Baby Boot Camp classes combine strength-training exercises with cardiovascular drills to help moms regain or improve on their pre-pregnancy fitness levels. The stroller-based fitness classes are designed specifically to help moms get fit. They take the place of a personal trainer at a time in your life when you need one more than ever. Classes combine strength-training exercises with cardiovascular drills. Pilates, yoga and abdominal exercises help improve core strength. The stroller, resistance tubes (and even your child!) are used as an integral part of the workout. One example exercise is called the “Fit Move: Baby Bridge” which works your butt, back of thighs, lower back and abs!

Try the Fit Move: Baby Bridge

• Lie face up with your legs bent and your feet flat on the floor.
• Slowly raise your hips off the floor, squeezing your butt muscles and keeping your spine straight. Your feet, shoulder blades and head should remain on the floor.
• Lift your right foot off the floor and straighten your right leg in the air. Hold this bridge for three seconds before lowering your right foot back to the floor.
• Without lowering your hips, repeat on the left side.

Trainer Tip: Avoid letting your hips drop toward the floor – keep your hips up, reaching toward the ceiling. If this move feels too challenging, limit or eliminate the foot lifts. Your baby can sit straddled over your pelvis or at your side.

For more fitness tips and information on Baby Boot Camp and Kristen Horler’s new book based on the widely popular classes, Baby Boot Camp: The New Mom’s 9-Minute Fitness Solution ($14.95, Sterling 2010), visit www.babybootcamp.com.