Baby Boot Camp

I know that not every stroller-​pushing mother has the opportunity to attend Baby Boot Camp, but I wish that every one that wanted to, could. Because it has truly changed my life. After emerging from the fog of having my second baby, I went to Baby Boot Camp on a hot morning in summer when class was scheduled at the Arboretum. I was immediately greeted by instructor Jen and even though I was only 8 weeks post-​partum, I found that the instruction was adaptable to both low-​impact and more advanced physical abilities. My impression was consistent with what I found for the rest of summer and for the past six months that I have faithfully been attending class.
I had been to a Baby Boot Camp class before after I had had my first baby, but I just wasn’t committed. I didn’t think the group atmosphere was for me, and getting out of the house and schlepping with a strollerbabe seemed like an awful lot of effort before noon for a new mom.
But recently I tried going back to the gym and it just didn’t hold the same appeal. No one besides the lady who earned commission off my membership knew my name. There was no social element to the gym. And importantly, I wasn’t seeing the same results from my solo gym work-​outs. At Baby Boot Camp, just about every other mother knows my and my children’s name. I work out with my children in my care and somehow they have become conditioned to sit, strapped into a stroller for 60 minutes, just like all the other children in the class are (I, too, was shocked!). There are playdates and nights out for mothers organized by instructors and staff, and the community itself is a great resource for everything from participating in local races to finding a gently used Halloween costume for your child.
Diane Pokorny Wilson, who owns the franchise in Boston, must feel extremely proud of the community that has grown out of her business. I cannot imagine how many dozens if not hundreds of women who have been saved from post-​partum depression or just the general isolation to which parenthood can sometimes lend itself. I am so grateful to be a part of it and I encourage anyone to give the classes a try for a season and see if you don’t drop a couple of sizes and gain (at least) a couple of new friends.