One of the many things that can aid sleep is exercise but once kids come along it can be hard to fit it all in, but all the more necessary to deal with the stresses that life throws at you as a parent. UK running mum, Wendy Rumble, discovered the concept of running buggies through her brother in America and is on a mission to increase their awareness in the UK. So, we thought we would ask her to share her top 10 reasons why running with a buggy so great?
1. It's the ultimate way to multi-task. Exercising, baby napping, mail posted, milk bought, no money spent on fuel, no pollution to the planet… the list could go on. People think you are a supermum running with a buggy which adds an extra topping of those feel good hormones after a run too.
2. Dads can earn brownie points by taking the little one out for a run and giving mum a break. (Big fans of this!)
3. When you consider the cost of a crèche at the gym, the buggy option is much cheaper, working out at about £2.35 per run. (Approx. once a week for 3 years and the cost of the buggy dependent obviously.) Not even factoring in if you use the buggy on the beach or off-road trails.
4. Fresh air rocks. It makes you feel better and makes baby feel better. It's true what your mother used to tell you. Let’s blow the cobwebs away.
5. Sunlight... Vitamin D is essential for life and those happiness hormones we need a boost of when sleep deprived. It’s clinically proven that babies sleep better at night when they have been outside in natural daylight in the afternoon.
6. You get to hang out with your favourite little person and chat about wildlife, nature and trips to the park mid run. Buggy running isn’t just for maternity/paternity leave. If you go back to work it’s the perfect way to spend time with your little one.
7. You are setting the perfect example to your children about staying fit and exercising as a team. You are their superhero role model and they learn by watching how you live your life which will influence their choices.
8. Forget running buggies as a second buggy, many models (Mountain Buggy Terrain, Thule Urban Glide, BOB Revolution) have carry cots, car seat adapters or lie flat options making them suitable from birth becoming the very serious sounding 'travel system'. Lily & Mortimer's snuggle blankets are the perfect accessory to keep the winter chills away.
9. Running buggies hold good value and as running is super popular, the re-sale market for second hand running buggies is booming.
10. Buggy running makes you faster and stronger! Pushing a load, no matter how small, is harder than not so obviously this means when you run solo you feel like you can fly! It also tones your arms and core unlike normal running. Where is the buggy?!
If you are interested in buying a running buggy then contact Wendy for her 121 advice on the right running buggy for you. You can email her on wendy@runningbuggies.com or look at her website Click here to visit runningbuggies