WINSFORD women are giving new meaning to the phrase ‘pushy mums’.

Armed with babies and buggies, the group have been taking part in outdoor exercise classes and guided pram walks – designed to get them in shape, develop confidence and make new friends.

Last year Brio Leisure came up with the innovative idea of working with young mums to offer a fun, baby-friendly activity and secured funding from Active Cheshire.

The Buggy Fit Mums sessions are organised and run by instructors from Brio Leisure at Greenfields Children's Centre in Winsford.

Lydia Morgan, Brio Leisure fitness lead, said: “The classes are designed to give mothers a chance to get fit without the stress of finding a babysitter, while also providing a fun, social setting.

“Many new mums, who were very active before their pregnancy, find it difficult to maintain that motivation after their baby arrives.

“Others may suffer from post-natal depression and find it hard to interact socially.”

The sessions involve guided walks, interspersed with a range of cardio and strength building exercises.

These range from traditional push ups and squats through to boxing and ‘baby-lifts’ – using their children as resistance weights.

New mum Eve Stachowiak, a 28-year-old sales team leader from Winsford, says the class is perfect for anyone with a baby wanting to improve their fitness.

“Because you can bring baby along with you, there are no concerns over finding baby-sitters, plus you are in a group of women who are in exactly the same position as you,” said Eve, whose son Leon is now four months old.

Eve piled on four stone during her pregnancy but since having the baby and joining the class she has lost nearly three stones, and is aiming to lose more before her wedding day in June.

“Many of my neighbours are a lot older than me and we don’t have a lot in common,” Eve said.

“Since coming to the Buggy Fit Mums’ sessions I’ve made a lot of new friends. We share the same fitness goals but also can share advice on the children.”

The Buggy Fit Mums sessions are held every Monday from 10am. For more information contact Winsford Lifestyle Centre on 01606 550700 or brioleisure.org