There is childcare at many gyms and studios these days but still very few Mommy and Me fitness classes in Boston right now.
There are two that I have tried, one in Back Bay at Xtend Barre and one in Charlestown at Asana Charlestown with my friend Jenn Phelan (who is pregnant with #2).
The premise of a Mommy + Me workout is that the baby is included in the workout to an extent vs being watched by a sitter. Yesterday, I visited Jenn’s class all the way across the Charles River! It takes a killer teacher to get me to drive to a class š
I bought a one class drop in for $18 but there are packages to make it cheaper. I also found free street parking on my second loop around the building but if it was nice out, I could have walked.
Here is how the sign up page describes the class:
This class is designed exclusively for new Moms and their pre-mobile babies. Bring your baby with you to the barre for a 45 minute, total body Pilates and Barre workout. Class will focus on reconnecting to your core through targeted exercises with articular emphasis on progressions, form and alignment. This will be a nourishing environment that supports and welcomes all new moms of every fitness level. Learn how you can include your baby in your workouts so that it’s a fun and enjoyable experience for the both of you.
Babies can be worn in a carrier for the barre section of class. They are also welcome to stay in a car seat, boppy or on a blanket or mat. During specific mat exercises Moms will have the option to hold and lift their babies to enhance their workout and strengthen their bond.
While there is no specific age limit for this class we highly suggest that your baby be pre-walking in order for the class to be effective as a whole.
Jenn said the class usually sells out but ours had only 7 students which felt perfect to me. The room is bright and beautiful with plenty of natural light, wood floors and pretty chandeliers. If a baby is fussy, she’s happy to pick them up and walk around with baby so mom can focus on the workout, but mom can also change/feed/hold baby whenever during class.
Most of the babies were asleep the entire time in car seats, and only one baby was a tiny bit fussy! It was a miracle. Jenn held the little lady so mom could exercise. Tommy watched me the entire time chomping down on his wub-a-nub. Kid is so curious. When his arms would knock it out, he gave out a little cry, which I took an opportunity to get out of a thigh exercise and put it back in. At another point, Jenn helped me out and with the pacifier situation.
The class was just as hard as Jenn’s other classes, which are difficult if you haven’t had the privilege of taking one yet! We started with a challenging warm up before moving to the bar for thigh work. My legs were shaking like crazy. Next, we did some arms and chest, then glutes on our mat with a donkey kick series (where I noticed sweat dripping down on my mat) and side leg lift series. Lastly we finished with core.
The moves were all safe for new moms and really made each muscle burn before the sets were over. The ab exercises chosen were especially good ones for postpartum women which I loved. Since all the babes were happy in their car seats or lying on the mat, we didn’t actually use the kids as resistance at the end with core which was fine by me since Tommy weighs so much for a non-mobile baby.
As Jenn told us at the beginning of the class, the class is for mom to get in a good workout and the babies are a welcome addition and she was right!
I was the only student not from Charlestown but was told people come from all over. The mommy and me option allows the studio to take more babies which is great for groups of new moms. It’s also a chance for new moms to meet each other. Studios with child care are limited in taking the number of babies based on the help they have.
I highly recommend trying Jenn’s class if you’ve been cleared to workout. There was one mom without her baby as well, so if you have someone to watch your kid, you’re welcome too of course.