If you’ve done time at a Baby Boot Camp, trying to shed those postpartum pounds by running up hills and doing crunches, you have a Bay Area mom to thank for it.
When fitness instructor Kristen Horler got pregnant with her first child in 2001, she started looking around for postnatal classes, hoping to whip herself back into shape soon after birth. But all she could find were private trainers, or gyms that make you cough up a monthly membership and anywhere from $4 to $10 an hour for babysitting. Her Boot Camps, a macho combination of stroller-based running, calisthenics, and doing bare-knuckle pushups on broken glass (OK, maybe I made that last part up) in routines that incorporate babies, proved so popular in San Fran that she started licensing franchises in other cities. Now there are 120 mini-Baby Boot Camps and plans for many more.
Meanwhile, Ms. Horler and family decamped the Bay Area for Florida some time ago. What, you wanted to own a nice house or something?
Baby Boot Camps operate Monday-Friday each week in three locations in San Francisco (Crissy Field, Dolores Park, and South Beach Park), as well as many other Bay Area locations. Parents attend with children aged two and under strapped into a stroller. Attendees have the option of a 55- or a 75-minute class; classes cost around $15 but pricing depends on location and number of classes purchased. Call 888-990-BABY or visit babybootcamp.com for more information.