Do you remember when jogging strollers first became popular and how people laughed at them? Whoever is going to take their baby running, ha ha ha ha!

Baby jogging stroller manufacturers have had the last laugh with that one. Spring has sprung and there are so many moms and dads running with babe in a jogging stroller that the sidewalks aren’t wide enough.

More and more moms are running today. Losing baby weight, doing something for yourself, getting fitter, whatever your motivation, running or jogging is great cardio exercise. Working out together with eating sensibly, is the only true way to shift the baby weight.

My son will just about sit through a 5K run – about 30 minutes – if he’s well supplied with food and toys,  and promised a reward like the playground at the end. And then he’ll start yelling and trying to get out. Fortunately I’m not training for a marathon. But I know another mom who ran a marathon last fall and is running another next month, and did a lot of her training with her daughter in a stroller, so it can be done.

I started running last summer, usually once or twice a week, and I’m really pleased with the results. I feel fitter, I’ve lost a couple of pounds, and my legs are a little more shapely than they used to be. I have a half-serious idea of training for a 10-mile race this fall but I’m really more of a 5K gal. Mostly because my attention span is similar to my toddler and I get bored running more than a half hour. (But I have much, much admiration to my marathon-running friend and anyone else with the stamina and guts to run that kind of distance.)

Many babies will sleep in the stroller if you time your run around nap time. Toddlers can be happy to have mid-afternoon quiet time riding in the stroller. Sometimes, plugging into your ipod and running while your baby zones out or sleeps in the stroller is great me-time.

How should moms start jogging? New moms, wait six weeks (at least) and get the approval of your doctor before starting any exercise program. If you have never run before, or it’s been a good long while, start with brisk walking on your the first few outings.

Then alternate in short stretches of gentle jogging with brisk walking. As you do more runs, gradually increase the length of time you jog compared to when you walk. Soon you’ll be jogging all the way. And if you like, increase your speed to running.

It’s important to take things easy, and increase the intensity of the workout gradually. Listen to your body and if it tells you that you are overdoing things, slow down or stop until you recover.

This preys on the minds of just about every mom – how am I ever going to loose the baby weight? When there’s no time for a shower most days, how can there be time for exercise? And who are you going to get to look after baby when you go to the gym? And perhaps, how can you afford the gym membership if you have given up work?

OK, first of all, go easy on yourself, and this applies especially to moms who delivered very recently, and breastfeeding moms. Moms shouldn’t do anything strenuous until at least six weeks after delivery, and it’s best to wait for your obstetrician’s OK.

You need to eat and nourish yourself to recover from the delivery, and breastfeeding moms need extra calories to make milk. So eat healthy, and don’t go on any extreme diets.

It’s easiest to do exercise if you have someone who can watch your baby while you go to the gym. But many of us don’t have someone who can do that as often as we’d like. So here’s some ideas for exercise you can do with your baby.

Stroller Strides or Baby Bootcamp, or a local variant: Moms, with babies in strollers, running, doing squats, lunges, kicks, bends, in a big group. Pros: Being in a group makes it easier. Cons: not for the shy and retiring, because people will stare. Good thing there’s a lot of you. Also classes tend to run around $10 each so it can get expensive.

Walking: pushing baby in a stroller is good for you both. Or even better, put baby in a carrier and carry her around the block, or around the park. I took my son hiking in a carrier and he loved it. Pros: free, and anyone can do it. Cons: hard to get motivated, and can be impossible in the winter. Unless you live near a really large mall.

Cycling: Bike trailers are the hippest accessory in the city where I live – this is my bike trailer. My son loves riding in the trailer, and I get some pedaling in. Pros: Multitasking – can get exercise and also go to the supermarket. Cons: You need to buy equipment, and it’s weather dependent.

Exercise at Home: There’s several mom-and-baby videos on sale, and for thrifty moms, there’s many places to get free exercise videos on the internet. Shape Magazine has many videos, and Yoga Today has a free yoga video daily. Press play during naptime. Pros: free, and no need to leave the house. Cons: I’d rather sleep at naptime. And the risk of being distracted by the rest of the internet.

Toddler-cise: Do what your crawler or toddler does. 30 minutes of running up and down the hall, jumping on the bed and crawling under the dining room table, is as good a workout as any.

What exercise do you like to do with your baby? Have you got any more ideas of exercise to do with your baby or toddler? Please share your ideas!

Once again, I want to revisit the topic of physical exercise among kids. It’s nice to see our kids running and playing outdoors having fun. But aside from enjoyment, physical activities and exercise may actually protect our kids from having metabolic syndrome, according to a recent study.

Metabolic syndrome is a problem among adolescents and symptoms of this disorder include hypertension, glucose intolerance, low HDL cholesterol, and obesity.

According to the American Heart Association, “people with the metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of coronary heart disease and other diseases related to plaque buildups in artery walls … and type 2 diabetes.” It is currently estimated that over 50 million people in the US have metabolic syndrome.

A research by Robert McMurray and colleagues found that metabolic syndrome is related to two lifestyle factors that are actually alterable: obesity and lack of exercise. This is based on their study on 389 children aged 7 to 10 years old. They observed that adolescents with metabolic syndrome were 5 times less physically active and 6 times less likely to engage in aerobic exercise than those who don’t have the syndrome. They also found out that almost 5% of the children they studied develop metabolic syndrome within 7 years of their study. Based on these findings, they suggest that we parents should encourage our kids to be more active and physically fit, thus preventing metabolic syndrome. They also recommend that physical fitness should start as early as possible so that our kids will get the early protection.

Previous posts have touched on the benefits of physical exercise on children’s blood pressure and bone development.

Need some pointers to keep your kids active? Check out these strategies and these games.

Sadly, a positive pregnancy test is not a green light to lie on the couch and eat jelly donuts for nine months. Now, I’d never recommend anyone gave up jelly donuts altogether, but being pregnant is no longer a reason to give up exercise.

Prenatal exercise has many benefits for mom. It helps with aches and pains, improves posture, may help you sleep better, and reduce stress. Moms who exercise tend to have easier labors than moms who don’t, and moms who exercise while pregnant usually get back into shape faster after the birth than moms who don’t.

Exercising while you are pregnant is an investment in your fitness now, and after your baby is born. And now doctors think that you are improving your baby’s fitness too.

A new study seems to suggest that exercising while pregnant makes babies’ hearts stronger. Moms who exercised when pregnant had babies with lower heart rates, and better heart rate variability, factors considered to be signs of a healthy heart. The doctors think that when moms exercise, it trains their baby’s heart to work more efficiently.

Even gentle exercise will be beneficial. What kind of exercise can you do? Most light-impact activities are appropriate, or can be adapted for pregnant women. Here’s some suggestions.

• Walking – even gentle walking will benefit you and baby. If spring hasn’t arrived where you are, you can join a mall-walking club.

• Yoga – a pre-natal yoga class is best, or follow a pregnancy yoga DVD at home.

• Aqua aerobics or water aerobics – many community pools offer aqua aerobics classes.

• Swimming – Being in the water feels absolutely wonderful. But no Shamu jokes, please.

• Aerobics – several pregnancy workout videos are available, with gentle exercises and lots of stretching to warm up and cool down.

Whatever you do, always start gradually, and listen to your body and stop if you feel dizzy, sore, or unwell. Remember your center of balance is changing and it’s easier to fall. It’s also easier to pull a muscle when pregnant, so please be careful.

And remember to drink plenty of water, and spend time resting and relaxing as well as doing physical activity.

Always consult your doctor or obstetrician before starting any exercise program. Exercising is safe for most pregnant women, but if you have certain medical conditions, then exercise may be harmful to you or your baby. Your doctor should be able to give you guidelines of what types of, and how much, exercise will be appropriate for you.