1️⃣ Bring food/drinks/toys. 🧸 🥤 You don’t want to be a mile (or farther!) from the house and have to endure whining or crying from hungry or thirsty kids. Pro tip: make sure whatever is in the stroller is securely fastened and can’t be tossed out. Ask me how I know…🤦♀️
2️⃣Try to include your children Play games like I Spy or sing songs Bonus: you are also working your diaphragm more this way!
3️⃣Set realistic expectations for the run. I once put my 9 mo old in the stroller for a (planned) 9 mi run on a bike path (ie out and back). She decided she was NOT having it at mile 2, I pushed another half mile until a meltdown, and then was forced to hang out on a bench for 30 min playing until she was ready to get back in and turn around (for a total of 5 very broken up miles). You have to be flexible and willing to adjust expectations anytime kiddos are involved
4️⃣Don’t death grip the stroller! Try to maintain as normal as a stride and arm swing as you can, switching arms frequently. If you constantly push with just one arm, your mechanics will get wonky and set you up for injury ⚕️
5️⃣ Enjoy setting a healthy example for your kids. Kids that see their parents engaged in exercise are more likely to want to do physical activity too. Even if you aren’t Deena Kastor fast, you will still be a 🦸♀️ To your little people and when they grow up a little they will want to join you for a ♀️ instead of
—
Dr. Becky Parr, PT, DPT, OCS, Owner of Resilience Physical Therapy, Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist
Resilience Physical Therapy booking page