Stroller Strides is an excellent fitness workout as well as a place of camaraderie, support and fun for moms and babies. I have been going to Stroller Strides for 8 months, since my son, Evan, was 6 months old. It is a great workout! The instructor provides different levels of difficulty and modifications of exercises to meet each mom’s exercise abilities.

Once class has ended the babies/kiddos are free to get out of their stroller and play time commences. Our wonderful Play Group Captains plan organized play groups which include art projects, story time, playing with various toys, and more! It is a great time for the babies/kiddos to interact and a great time for moms to talk, share ideas and enjoy adult conversation.

As a new mom, Stroller Strides has helped me tremendously. Having the support of other moms has been immeasurable and I have made wonderful friends. The moms really help each other out with great ideas, support and motivation.

Stroller Strides has locations throughout San Diego County and all over the United States. I am part of the North Park group which originally held its classes at the beautiful Balboa Park. Several months ago we were told that we were no longer allowed to hold our classes in Balboa Park. We were told that all organized exercise groups were prohibited from holding classes in the park. The issue has to do with the lack of a suitable permit for this type of use of the park. We have had many people working diligently to resolve this issue, but thus far with no avail. In the meantime we have been holding classes at Tidelands Park in Coronado, but we are hopeful that we will get back to Balboa Park soon.

It was our intention to attend next week’s City Council meeting to raise awareness of this issue and seek a swift resolution to this problem. Unfortunately, we were told that we will no longer be able to speak because the Council “will not be hearing non-agenda public comment” that day. We plan to attend the next possible meeting and encourage as many people as possible to attend and show support.

We do not cause any harm to the park as we exercise throughout the park. We bring revenue to the park as well as do a trash clean-up day once per month. There is no legitimate reason to exclude us from the park.

Programs like Stroller Strides are vital to keeping young families in the downtown San Diego area. The current trend seems to be that once young professionals have children they move out of downtown to the suburbs. This is largely due to the lack of desirable educational opportunities and programs in the downtown area. Stroller Strides is a fantastic program for mothers and their young children. Downtown’s chapter was held at Balboa Park, but has been driven out and is currently holding classes in Coronado.

Balboa Park is an ideal location for our class. Its large grassy areas, ample shade, paths, hills and more, make it a perfect location for us to exercise and play. It is also wonderful to be able to eat, enjoy museums and for the kids to play in the park after class.

We are optimistic that we will be able to return to Balboa Park soon. Stay tuned for my next blog on this topic, after we attend the City Council meeting…