Postpartum Stroller Workouts (with Baby!)

The Stroller Burn Workout

This combination walk/run workout is designed to be done with a stroller, but you can do it on your own if you actually have the chance to get out of the house by yourself! The following weekly schedule starts from when you get your doctor's clearance, which is usually six weeks postpartum.

Time: 25 minutes for one cycle; 50 minutes if you do two.

How-to: Do the following sequence once; if you have time, repeat it a second time. If you do it twice, start from the 10-minute brisk walk at RPE level 5 (moderate effort; requires some effort to talk while doing it). Of course, if your little one is getting fussy, cool down for 2 minutes and take a break. Then repeat the sequence at a later time.

You'll need: A comfy pair of supportive walking or running shoes.

WEEKS 1-3 (after your MD or midwife gives you clearance to exercise):

• 3 minutes: Warm up with a light walk at RPE 4 (this should feel moderately easy; you should be able to talk comfortably without effort).
• 10 minutes: Walk briskly at RPE 5 (moderate effort; requires some effort to talk while doing it). Take nice, big strides from heel to toe. Take deep breaths as your heart rate starts to rise.
• 5 minutes: Light jog at RPE 6 (moderately hard activity; requires a bit more effort to talk).
• 1 minute: Do walking lunges by stepping forward with your right leg and then bending your legs into a lunge. As you extend your legs to return to standing, lift the back leg to hip height, squeezing the glutes, and then step forward with the back leg. Repeat for 1 minute. (See walking lunges demonstrated here.)
• 4 minutes: Cool down with RPE 4 (this should feel moderately easy; you should be able to talk comfortably without effort).

Finish off with a kiss to your precious one to say thank you for letting you workout!

The following options make the above workout harder as the weeks progress and you get stronger. Remember, every woman progresses differently depending on her starting level of fitness and her commitment. So don't worry if you stay with the plan outlined above for longer than three weeks. Eventually, when you feel ready, you will move on. And no matter which workout you're doing, you're still burning a lot of calories!

WEEKS 4 to 6 (after clearance):
Do the same sequence as in weeks one through three, but decrease the brisk walk by 2 minutes and increase the light jog by 2 minutes.

WEEKS 7 to 9 (after clearance):
Do the same sequence as in weeks four through six, but decrease the walk by another two minutes and increase the jog by two minutes. Also, increase the jog to RPE 7 (difficult activity; requires a lot of effort to talk).

WEEKS 10 and beyond (after clearance):
Do the same sequence as in weeks seven through nine, but increase the pace of your jog to RPE 7.5.