Be Well Family: Awesome Philly Fitness Classes for New (and New-ish) Moms

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For a long time around here, mom-and-me fitness classes were a somewhat limited genre: There were only a few options here and there, and they weren’t always at times that were accessible to working moms. But a lot has changed over the past couple years. Not only have some places gone out of their way to offer times that were a little friendlier to moms who work on weekdays, but there’s also come to be a pretty big variety of workouts available, too: Pilates, barre, yoga, strength-training, power-walking … something for just about every mom-and-baby duo, if you know where to look. (And hey! We are here to help you with the whole knowing-where-to-look part.)

Active Mom Fitness
The location: Northern Liberties and Washington Square West
The workout: Stronger After Pregnancy, taught by Active Mom Fitness founder Ashley Reid, offers a full-body workout as well as a little mom-bonding (both of the mom-and-baby and mom-and-mom sort) and education. The eight-week series aims to strengthen muscles weakened by pregnancy, and includes all sorts of fitness: Pilates, body-weight strength training, resistance training and more. Babies welcome, but not required. Bonus: Reid also offers baby-friendly personal and group training specially geared toward expecting, new or not-so-new moms.

Y2B Fit
The location: Mt. Airy
The workout: Y2B offers a few options. In BYO Baby Barre, moms can wear babes while at the barre, rebuilding strength and working on pelvic floor, glutes, core, balance and posture (hey — one Saturday a month, class is even FREE). There’s also the occasional Family Yoga class, in which kids of all ages are welcome. Also — and this is a biggie — Y2B also just added childcare options at various times throughout the week in case you want to bring baby, but not necessarily share your workout with her. If group fitness doesn’t work, then Y2B also offers private postnatal fitness training, which combines yoga, barre and core work. (And yes, baby is welcome!) Finally: One of the things that first put this place on the map are the various Y2B Fit Postnatal Fitness programs in video format — meaning you can do it from home, during baby’s nap time.

Fit4Mom
The location: Various spot around Philly
The workout: Fit4Mom includes the popular Stroller Strides and Stroller Barre classes you’ve no doubt heard about. (It also includes a postnatal program called Body Back, although that’s not baby-inclusive). Stroller Strides is essentially power walking (with, yes, a stroller) with breaks for strength-training/toning; Stroller Barre is a mix of ballet, barre, Pilates, yoga and stroller-based exercises. A big perk of Fit4Mom (besides the chance to take the workout outside with Stroller Strides) is how many days of the week the classes are offered.

Born to Burpee
The location: Havertown/Wynnewood and Focus Fitness in Bryn Mawr
The workout: You can expect a serious 45-minute boot camp-esque interval workout designed for moms of all fitness levels. Moms can come with or without strollers — either way babies/kids are welcome. (Kids can stay in the stroller, join in the workout or just hang out on the floor. BtB Founder Abbie Chowansky is also the owner of Focus Fitness, where moms can also take advantage of Studio K — the gym’s babysitting program for kids three months to eight years, perfect for parents who want a kid-free workout.

Hatch
The location: Wayne
The workout: This new integrative wellness center focuses entirely on the health, fitness and well-being of moms, serving all sorts of pregnancy and postpartum needs. One of their many offerings is a full schedule of fitness sessions, including a mom-and-baby “Restore Your Core” class, which focuses on strengthening bodies, reducing stress, core work and some baby bonding.  

Mommy-and-Me Yoga
The location: There are a handful of options around here when it comes to baby-welcome yoga classes — and more seem to pop up all the time. Of course, the workouts vary both in terms of intensity and times offered, but if you’re in the market for mommy-and-me yoga, here are a few reliable favorites you might check out:

Wake Up Yoga: Both the South Philly and Fairmount outposts of this popular studio offer gentle but effective mommy-and-me options.

Yoga Life Institute in Wayne has a weekly mommy-and-me class that’s flexible — babies can either be incorporated into the poses or just sit/nap/rest by mom’s side.

Mama’s Wellness Joint in Washington Square West is a longtime go-to for expecting and new moms, with a slew of baby- and kid-friendly classes. Some favorites for new moms include Postpartum Rebuild and Mommy-and-Me Yoga. 

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Be Well Family is a collaboration with Wee Wander, a site dedicated to helping Philadelphia parents navigate their city. See more in this series here, or keep up with all of  Wee Wander’s tips, guides and Philly related parenting help on Facebook. 

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