{ city offers new parent & child fitness programs }

As a parent of small children, I have found it challenging in certain seasons to keep up with my fitness goals. I have come to realize I am most successful when I regularly include my children in my physical activities.

It is great to see the City of Saskatoon has several new family fitness programs that can meet the needs of parents and children in a variety of ages and stages:

• Stage 1: Postpartum ~ I know from personal experience {three times over} how important it is to seek professional advice regarding pelvic floor and core health after pregnancy and before returning to regular exercise. The new Mommy & Me Workshop, offered Tuesdays at the Saskatoon Field House, is led by a pelvic floor specialist who is sure to help a new mom feel more empowered before starting up an exercise program. 

• Stage 2: Ready to Stroll ~ If you are over six weeks postpartum {eight weeks post-cesarean} and ready to hit the track with baby for some suitable cardio, strengthening and postnatal core work, you could be ready for Mommy & Me Strollfit, offered at the Saskatoon Field House on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

• Stage 3: Steady to Lift ~ When you are up for a bit more of a challenge, strap baby into your carrier for Mommy & Me Muscle Fusion on Fridays at the Field House and Saturdays at the Shaw Centre. These classes combine cardio, muscular endurance, postnatal core and flexibility to improve posture, core strength and energy.

• Stage 4: Go, Go, Go ~ Parents of an active child in the 2-to-5-year-old age range, are always on the lookout for positive ways to harness all that energy. Active Families is a new program at the Shaw Centre on Saturdays that helps parents and kids become more active together. Your child will learn the benefits of physical activity while you work up a sweat. 

No matter what stage you are in, exercising with your child can be mutually beneficial. Studies have shown that children who see fitness modeled by the adults in their lives are more likely to be physically active. Parent and child exercise classes are also fantastic opportunities for meeting other parents and children in similar stages of life. {I am still close friends with several moms I met in a mom-and-baby yoga class eight years ago!} 

It is never too early, or too late, to begin making family fitness a regular practice, which can create healthy habits that last a lifetime. 

Register for these new family programs at the City of Saskatoon's Leisure Online or call 306-975-2800. More family fitness ideas can be found through the Saskatoon Leisure Guide.