Free Mums and Bubs Fitness Sessions in Canning Vale and Cockburn

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I entered my first Mums and Bubs fitness class at Roar Fitness 247 Canning Vale with some trepidation. My 'baby' Olivia is now a wandering toddler nearing the 18-month age limit at 16 months old and she's always been on the heavy side. Mummy was sure in for a workout.



These free – yep, free – fitness sessions are also held at Roar Fitness 247 in Cockburn and are a fantastic incentive to encourage mums, particularly new mothers, to get back into exercising using bub as your weight for the session. Olivia was the oldest baby by far, and of course, the heaviest, so I sure got those arm and leg muscles working during the session. The sessions are designed to teach easy, strengthening and toning exercises that you can do with baby at home or anywhere.



Our instructor Clare, was just fabulous – she was engaging and encouraging and came with her own fake baby to demonstrate. With children of her own, she understands the difficulties women face in getting back into fitness, so she pushed us just hard enough to feel the burn. There was no high intensity, fist-pumping music, but rather the sweet, familiar sounds of Anthony, Simon, Emma and Lachy Wiggle.



We started with a quick introduction, which of course, involved a mini workout as we introduced our babies by lifting them up high and stating their names, followed by our own names. We then repeated this for ten reps before moving to some other arms exercises and then onto mat work.



For the majority of the mums in attendance (me being the minority) push ups over your baby are relatively easy when they are still immobile. Olivia was having none of this sitting still business. She was off, exploring the room. At one point she climbed up onto the stage and joined Clare and her fake baby. I'm fairly sure I caught her kissing the mirror in the background.



I loved the incorporation of favourite nursery rhymes into the workout – there was Incy Wincy spider, in which we held bubs slowly up and slowly down, swished from side to side and in a circle motion in time with the tune before repeating.

We then moved onto walking lunges and then squats, holding our babies out in front and back again. By this stage I was really feeling the burn in my body as my toddler thought all this mollycoddling was too much and went off on another walk.



Next, we partnered up with another mum and baby for alternative workouts with resistance bands and bridges. Olivia was well and truly running amok by this stage, and my work out quickly turned into a game of catch the baby.

Finally, it was time to stretch, and I was knackered and sore. I had used muscles I never knew existed and Olivia had burned off a truckload of energy and went to sleep as soon as we got home.



These sessions are 100 per cent mum and baby-friendly. If you need to feed your baby, go for it. If bub vomits on the carpet, or has a poo explosion – no worries – no one will bat an eyelid. It's all part of getting mums and bubs back into fitness, out of the house and to a place where they can meet other mums and babies.



Mums and Bubs sessions are held at Roar Fitness 247Canning Vale every Monday at 11am and at Cockburn every Tuesday at 11:30am. Bookings are essential, and I was told there is a bit of a waiting list for the Cockburn sessions, so it's a good idea to get your name down early in case a spot becomes available.

The sessions are free and are available to all mums with babies aged from eight weeks to 18 months. They also have a crèche that is open both morning and afternoon if you have older kids who need looking after. Just be aware that the Canning Vale classes are held upstairs, so prams are not allowed, although you can bring a capsule. You are also required to bring a towel, a playmat for bub and a bottle of water.



It's hard to say if I found it harder than the rest of the mums, having an older, bigger and extremely curious bub who just wanted to run around the fitness room, but I certainly got a good workout regardless. I would definitely recommend these classes for new mums with babies of any age up to 18 months but obviously, older, heavier babies mean a harder workout – but more calories burned for mum.

You will find Roar Fitness 247 at 280 Amherst Road Canning Vale and 9/49 Armadale Road, Cockburn.

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