Keeping fit with tots in tow By Claudia Van Nes, Contributor A woman eager to get back to exercise after the birth of her son attached a trailer contraption for babies to her mountain bike. "I put him in, and off we'd go. He'd be asleep in two blocks," reports this mother, who called to share her solution to the problems facing moms who want to get fit. Controlling your eating habits and getting away to exercise are big problems when you've got kids too young to send off on the school bus. But this woman found that having her son trail behind her bike was so enjoyable that when she had her daughter three years later, she loaded her up, too, and off the trio went. "You have to let go of the image of perfectly dressed children, a perfectly clean house and perfect meals and make exercise a priority," advises a mother of a one- and three-year-old. "When you're home, there's always something to do around the house instead of exercise, so you have to get up early, be flexible and just do it," says this woman. Another woman says she lost weight fast after her son was born by hauling the child around on her back. "My husband and I both worked after my son was born. Because my husband has a very physical job, the last thing he wanted to do was go for a walk after supper... so for two years I donned the backpack because I hated pushing the stroller, and I could go places the stroller couldn't," she writes. Her son enjoyed the outings, the woman lost weight and gained something else: "empowerment and independence." Unfortunately, five years after her backpacking days, the 10 pounds she lost is back. "Too many Oreos with milk with my son at night," she laments, adding that she misses the evening hikes with her baby on her back. "I used a baby carrier when my children were small and even had times (when) one was in the front baby carrier and I pushed the other in a stroller," writes a mother of three boys, age six, three and 18 months. She also owns a Nordic Trac Walkfit - "not an expensive piece of equipment," she says - and when her children were babies, she'd put them in the baby carrier and do the Walkfit with them. It seemed to put them to sleep instantly, she reports. Tight scheduling But when the third child was born, "scheduling time for exercise was definitely a hassle," she says. She now rises very early and has her husband watch the children when he gets home to give her time to work out. Walking seems to be the preferred exercise, and not just for the physical benefits. "It helps me to be a more balanced, living and giving person, and when I give a little to myself, I can give so much more to others," says the mother of three boys. Echoing these sentiments is another mother: "For the first four years, I had no clue how important it was to care for myself and how it would help me to take care of everyone else's needs a whole lot better. "Then I got tired of my husband leaving for hours to go enjoy his runs and races, so I decided it was time for me to get moving, too." She rejoined Weight Watchers and joined the YMCA when her second child was four weeks old, dropping 45 pounds in a few months. She's kept most of that off for four years. Here are some suggestions: Not all gyms charge an arm and a leg for baby-sitting. All you need is 30 minutes to walk or run. Invest in a jogging stroller. It's cheaper than the gym. Trade some time with friends, or start a baby-sitting co-op. Get dropped off four miles from your home, and get yourself back. You've got no choice but to walk or run. L.A. Times-Washington Post
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