Liberating: Jogging Stroller

my jogging stroller

One of the earliest challenges I faced was integrating my exercise with my single-parent life. I had separated from my marriage when my daughter was only three years old, retaining shared custody. On my custody days, the child demanded much attention. She could not be left alone, so I was unable to do any early morning outdoor activities. Enter the jogging stroller. Upon a friend's advice, I purchased it a month after my separation. For less than $100, I bought my freedom to exercise outdoors anytime I wanted.

The Baby Trend Expedition stroller I got was fairly sturdy. It supported my child until she was five years of age, and weighed 50 lb., as advertised. It also has two cup-holders for each of us and a phone / wipes compartment, along with storage at bottom. We kept it in good shape, so I sold it on Craigslist after for $35.

I started with walking. It became a routine to stroll her to the nearby lake whenever we could: shorter trips after picking her up from daycare on late summer afternoons, and longer ones on weekend mornings. She loved it, and wanted me to stop here and there so she could get out and explore. The stroller helped me take her places further than she could walk herself, making it more interesting for both of us. For instance, I drew up a "playground tour", a 3-4 mile route that stops at five neighborhood tot lots. I also packed it in the car to go explore other paved and unpaved trails. The longest hike we made was seven miles. For longer walks, the cup-holders came in handy for carrying plastic cups filled with snacks like sliced cucumbers, baby carrots, pretzels, and fruits.

Since I started running, I also took her on some runs, shorter ones at first, then gradually building up to seven miles. Often, I added a rest in the middle at a playground. Because my child was fairly grown, the stroller added to my loads uphill, and also helped me build upper body strength. The rests were necessary to relieve me from the hilly terrain.

Over all, I am convinced the jogging stroller was the best investment I ever made for my health. Well worth it!

Comments

Staying the Path

Sooner or later, every exercise plan stumbles upon obstacles, such as work demands, travel, weather, or injury. Following are the ones I encountered over the past five years. I will address each in turn in later posts, along with my response to each challenge. Finding the time to exercise. Schedule disruptions such as illness, travel or extended work commitments. Monotony: Boredom from doing the same routines and running over the same trails. Being a single-parent: I have shared custody of my daughter, which imposes the added challenge of integrating my exercise with my parenting. Weather: a significant factor for exercising outdoors. Trail conditions: ice, rain, mud, potholes, construction closures, etc., can interfere with our planned activities. Injuries. Specific adaptations because of lifestyle. For example, I live in a townhouse, so end up doing stairs twice as often as usual, while my work involves sitting in front of the computer for long hours. These ha...

Exercising Outdoors

Had a nice one hour walk today around the lake. Under the towering trees shading the trail, I saw a caterpillar climbing a silk thread. Every day that I walk, run, hike, or bike outdoors, I see a small wonder of nature, be it a great blue heron wading in the pond, turtles sunning on a log, or deer almost perfectly camouflaged in the thickets. Last week, I saw a hummingbird hovering near a treetop, and a rainbow patch next to the setting sun. Over the years, I have seen red foxes and beavers. Caterpillar climbing on a silk thread. Every exercise session outdoors is an adventure. Even walking the same trail over and over, you see different things at different times of day, and as the seasons change. It is a refreshing way of breaking the monotony of exercise . For me, it wins hands-down over working out in a gym or a treadmill. Fresh air and Vitamin D are a welcome bonus, and being closer to nature is refreshing and healing. The outdoors often pose a challenge. Trail conditions a...

First Run in Weeks

The humidity over the last few weeks kept me mostly indoors. I walked here and there, but I couldn't even contemplate running in 90% relative humidity, even with cooler temperatures in the 70s. Yesterday, the clouds finally cleared up and a partly sunny sky invited me to go outdoors. First I thought about a long walk, but when I saw the humidity was down to 70%, I couldn't resist putting on my running shoes and heading out. Turtles basking in the late summer sun after days of cloudy weather. It was a good run, though more on the humid side, and a sweat bath when the wind is to my back. I ended up running 2.4 miles around the lake. The construction is almost completed on the opposite side of the trail, flattening out a severe 30-40 bank in the trail that was gradually steepened by erosion. The new flat trail is nice and so much easier on my ankles. Today, the main residual soreness is in my glutes. That's a good sign. It means the program I've been following to ...

My Health Journey

Search This Blog