Earlier this month, many organisations marked International Women’s Day, a wonderful reminder to acknowledge the strength, resilience and achievements of women everywhere.
On Manly’s beachfront, that celebration quietly happens every morning at Buggy Bootcamp.
Why Mums and Bubs Fitness is About More Than Movement
Not just once a year, but every single morning Buggy Bootcamp supports the new mums of the lower Northern Beaches as they become experts in a new human, a new routine and often a whole new identity.
We celebrate the quiet and often unrecognised wins of motherhood, being the resilience, patience and adaptability that our mums develop each and every day. We celebrate making it out of the house with a newborn, high-five a four hour window of overnight sleep and cheer when our babies take a bottle for the first time!!
We highlight the physical wins too, quite literally as a mum confidently graduates to a heavier dumbbell after a few sessions, or feels confident enough in her pelvic floor to go for a run.
We believe that strength in women, in all its forms, deserves to be recognised every single day.
The “Village” Behind the Prams
Since 2012, Buggy Bootcamp has been gathering on the grass at North Steyne with prams, coffee cups, and a whole lot of life happening in between. What began as a postnatal-safe fitness group for new mums has grown into something much deeper. A daily meeting place for connection, support and movement. A community.
The early months after having a baby can feel isolating. Sleep deprivation, identity shifts, physical recovery and the unpredictability of newborn life can make even the simplest routines feel overwhelming. This is where a local community of women in the same season changes everything.
Forgot wipes? Borrow mine.
Awake-window math? Let’s solve it together
Need a cry? We are here for you.
Safe Postnatal Exercise (and so much more)
Thousands of local mums have come through our sessions over the years, generally arriving a little nervous about their fitness, usually tired, and sometimes just grateful to get out of the house. What they find is a welcoming, judgement-free group of women all navigating the same stage of life.
Yes, there are squats and lifts. Hearts start pumping again after months spent in pregnancy’s “exercise-maintenance phase”, and postnatal core strength is rebuilt slowly, led by highly qualified trainers with MumSafe accreditation and informed by women’s health physiotherapy principles.
The real magic happens, though, in the conversations in between sets.
Sessions are deliberately friendly and chatty.
Prams line the grass (no crèche needed when you have trees!) and the babies sleep, wake, feed and occasionally protest. No one minds… In fact, it often becomes a discussion point on how to deal with teething or referrals to sleep consultants.
One mum recently joked we should market our sessions not as a workout group, but as group therapy… and while we are probably not licensed to say this, it IS!!
A Manly Institution Since 2012
We get new mums moving, yes, but also, and perhaps more importantly we bring them together.
Over the last decade Buggy Bootcamp has become a Manly beachfront staple and an iconic Northern Beaches maternity leave experience. Locals will recognise the familiar sight of the “ladies in blue” training along the promenade in the mid-morning magic hour.
A Ready-Made Mothers Group
Many reminisce to me about their Buggy Bootcamp days, and the friendships formed on the grass at North Steyne. Our community continues in this growing alumni, with some mums staying well into their kids’ school years, others returning with their next baby, and many moving into the next chapter of training through our big sister business, OzSquad right here on Manly Beach.
That’s the thing about community: once you find it, you tend to stay connected to it. And when mums feel supported, connected and strong, the ripple effect reaches families, friendships and the entire community.
International Women’s Day reminds us to celebrate women globally. But on this small stretch of sand in Manly, that celebration happens every morning.
Why we don't believe in a "Pre-Baby body" and "Bouncing Back" after having a baby...
Discover how Buggy Bootcamp helps new mums rebuild strength and confidence in a safe, supportive way
We don’t use phrases like “Pre-Baby Body” ... and here’s why
You won’t hear us talk about “getting your pre-baby body back.” Because honestly? That body didn’t carry and birth a human.
That body didn’t survive broken sleep, sore nipples, or days when even a shower felt ambitious. That body wasn’t a mother.
At Buggy Bootcamp, we don’t insult you with “bounce back” rhetoric. We honour what your body’s been through and help you rebuild strength in a way that makes sense for this chapter.
It’s About Getting YOU Back
New Motherhood is a whirlwind. One day you’re killing it at work, smashing long sunday runs and enjoying spontaneous weekend adventures… the next, you’re Googling “is baby poop meant to be that colour?” and forgetting what day it is.
But you’re still in there. The strong, active woman who used to prioritise fitness? She’s not gone… she’s just waiting for space to move again.
That’s where we come in.
Exercise That Supports You, Not Pressures You
Motherhood is beautiful, but it’s also brutal. Between broken sleep, cluster feeds, and toddler tantrums, it’s easy to lose your sense of identity. At Buggy Bootcamp, we believe postnatal fitness is about reconnecting with your own sense of self during maternity leave and beyond.
Our outdoor, pram-friendly sessions are designed with postnatal recovery in mind:
No ego, no comparison, no pressure.
Rebuild core and pelvic floor strength safely.
Move your body, clear your mind, feel human again.
And yes, your baby is always welcome. Nap in the pram, play on the mat, or demand snacks from the sidelines—we’ve seen it all. Even come on your daycare days without bubs – totally fine too!
''Bounce Back"
You Need Support.
Because It’s Not Just Physical
Sleep-deprived? Overwhelmed? We get it. Movement is more than just physical, it’s a mental health tool.
A brisk outdoor session with other mums who get it can transform your entire day. Studies show that regular exercise boosts energy levels, lifts mood, and helps regulate sleep, even if you’re running on fumes.
Movement is our sanity-saver. Our anchor. Our “me-time” in a day that’s otherwise all about everyone else.
You won’t regret working out with Buggy Bootcamp. We’ll be your sanity-saver in a sea of sleep depreivation!
What Will You Gain From A Buggy Bootcamp Membership??
Strength to lift your baby (and the car seat… and the nappy bag)
Community and connection with other like-minded mums
A moment for yourself in the chaos of motherhood
Buggy Bootcamp’s top 10 things to do with your Mother’s Group in Manly….
Have you done them all?!
Written with thanks to my very own awesome Manly Mother’s Group who conjured up these activities and tried and tested most of them with me whilst unknowingly providing blog content at the same time! You guys rock – 2017 was the best.
And ‘wine walks’ are definitely a thing. You heard it here first.
Here are Buggy Bootcamp’s top 10 Mother’s Group activities in Manly.
Whilst it currently may feel like every day lasts a lifetime, your maternity leave will fly by and before you know it, you will be left reminiscing about the good old days when you had lots of time to hang out with new Mummy friends whilst bub couldn’t walk/run away from you. 😉 Get messaging your Mother’s Group and ticking these off now!
1. Leave the island
Whilst Manly is probably the best place in the world to have your maternity leave, it is good for the soul to leave the bubble occasionally.
Fast ferry it to Watsons Bay, grab take-away fish and chips and picnic it up in the park whilst bub happily gurgles on their back. Head to Narrabeen lakes and push the pram round the perimeter. Or a ferry trip city-side for lunch and a wander among people who aren’t in active wear. Anything off the island counts!
2. Mums and Bubs Cinema
Go early and go lots! The window for this activity is annoyingly very small – and then it’ll be years before you can watch a movie in peace again. Make the most of the luxury of being able to visit the cinema on a weekday morning at a Mums and Bubs showing with your Mother’s group.
Our favourites are the showings at Hoyts Warringah Mall (during school terms only) and the Crying Rooms at Roseville cinemas (avaiable for all sessions).
3. Baby carrier bush walks
Strap on the baby bjorn or the ergo and hit the trails around Manly with your Mother’s group. Our favourites are North Head, Manly Dam or the secret headland path between Curly and Dee Why (just don’t tell too many people about it). A word of warning, if there are more than 3 Mums wearing their babies, it becomes a bit of a crowd pleaser and your walk will be interrupted by multiple requests for photos….
4. Go to the pub
When else is it socially acceptable to sit in a pub on a Tuesday morning at 11am?!
Bags a private room at the Steyne with your mothers group and nurse a coffee (or a margie) for as long as you like, they don’t seem to mind. Or you could check out the fancy new digs at Felons (great if toddlers are in tow with a ship themed playground!)
Or you can commandeer the downstairs sofas at the back of the Ivanhoe and feel like you are hanging out in someone’s front room. Share platters, wine, sofas, plenty of room for prams and high chairs – what more does a Mother’s Group need?!
5. Wine Walks
A wine walk. I’m sure we weren’t the first to do it but my Mother’s Group have coined the term and have claimed this genius activity as our own… Simply meet for an early evening stroll along Manly beachfront with a glass of wine in hand. Take the baby carrier to avoid one handed pram pushing!
The Americans in our group also introduced us to these to help make your wine walk spill free. You’re welcome.
6. Hang out at Little Manly
Little Manly is a favourite spot of ours any time of the day and week, but throwing down a picnic rug on a Friday afternoon in Summer and taking advantage of the kiosk’s BBQ with your new Mother’s Group buddies is the bomb.
7. A music/play/swim class.
Let’s face it – these things are better when you can giggle with someone about your new singing, dancing, cooing role in life. There’s Gymbaroo, Rhyme Time at the library, Minikins and Babykins Music and a whole heap of swim lessons to entertain bub at. Just leave those singing and dancing inhibitions at the door ladies!
8. Tag team swim/surf
Buddy up and take it in turns to go for a swim or a surf BUB FREE. I’m not sure there is anything that will revitalise a tired, stressed out new Mum better than a quick dip in the ocean.
9. Go out out!
Ditch the activewear and breastfeeding clothes, get the glad rags on, get hubbie home and meet fellow new Mums for a night out in Man-town. How long can you last without talking about babies, boobs or bottles?! 😉
10. Go to Buggy Bootcamp!
Well we couldn’t miss ourselves out!
Now we know that getting a good Mother’s Group is pot luck depending only on when you happened to give birth – if you weren’t so lucky and didn’t get a bad-ass up-for-anything group of Mums, come along to Buggy Bootcamp and get to know your ready made like-minded Buggy Bootcamp Mother’s group. Good chat, no judgy Mums, exercise with a sea view, free coffees and flexible memberships designed with new Mums in mind. Sign up for your free trial now!
We told you Manly was the best place in the world to have your maternity leave!
