Fitness program for new and expecting mothers also helps fight hunger

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — A group of mothers in South Jersey is getting fit with their babies in tow — and fighting food insecurity while doing it.

FIT4MOM is the nation’s leading prenatal and postnatal fitness program. Its workouts are designed for new and expecting mothers to stay fit, and babysitters are not needed because the little ones in their strollers are part of the action.

Those babies and their moms in workout gear gathered at the Erlton School Park and Playground in Cherry Hill on Tuesday morning for a “Bring a Friend Mash Up Class.”

“They come with their kiddos in the strollers and then we start warming up,” explained Regina Medeiros-Haines, owner of FIT4MOM Moorestown-Cherry Hill . “Depending on the class format for that day, there might be some cardio, there might be some full body strength, upper and lower body.”

The crisp fall air made for an invigorating morning of exercise for the assembled mothers, as well as enjoying time with their children.

“We do tickles and peekaboos or something cute that gets the mom interacting with their kiddos. Sometimes we use the strollers for moving around the kiddos also to entertain them. There's all sorts of fun creative stuff we do,” said Medeiros-Haines.

Fitness instructor Katy Evans says she started when her daughter was six months old. “It's where my village came from when I first needed to get out of the house when we first moved to the area,” she said, “and I just found a wonderful village of other moms.”

For every mom in attendance, FIT4MOM donates 10 meals to Feeding America and 50 meals for every new mom who joins the program. “FIT4MOM does so many wonderful things for moms and families,” said Evans, “and this is just an additional one that we can contribute to.”